Dražan

Dino

The people of Zagreb have been making pilgrimages to Maksimir for years, wanting to see the famous "fingers" of the great archer...

Dražan was born in Šibenik, and spent his early childhood in Zdenčina near Jastrebarski. He arrived at Dinamo when he was only fourteen years old. When coach Mirko Kokotović saw Jerković for the first time, he said that he was good for a goalkeeper. But Jerković's determined personality was visible even then. The little football player resolutely answered: - I'm not a goalkeeper, I'm a center forward. - And so it was.

The people of Zagreb have been coming to Maksimir for years, wanting to see how "Jerac" pulls the scissors. And the girls loved to see him on the dance floors in Zagreb. His arrival was announced, and Jerac always warned his hosts: - If there aren't at least ten girls I've been with inside, I leave immediately. –

Jerković was an unprecedented star. Although he is the second player in the number of goals in Dinamo, he has an unreachable average. In 315 games, he scored 322 goals, which means that he scored a goal per game! This made him an incredible goalscorer and Dinamo's best scorer.

He was the first scorer of the world championship in Chile, where he scored as many as four goals. In the 60s, he reached the finals of the prestigious Cup of Fair Cities twice.

He went to Belgium from Dinamo. But there, his spine, which had already started from an injury, gave way. Due to the pain, he had to terminate the contract.

He soon returned to Croatia, where he achieved an excellent selection and coaching career. He led Yugoslavia against Greece in 1979, when they won 3:2, and was the first coach in the Republic of Croatia.

Dinamo's best goalscorer

Jerković said in front of a full Belgrade stadium: - I am happy to bring this trophy to Zagreb, the cradle of Croatia and football. –

Dražen Jerković, one of the best Croatian goalscorers, was sharp in his tongue, decisive and not afraid to express his opinion. At the peak of his career, he was declared a nationalist, which prevented him from playing for Yugoslavia several times. His speech at the "Marakana" stadium was anthological.

In 1975, Dinamo won the Yugoslav Cup. The cup was handed over in Belgrade. Jerković said in front of a full Belgrade stadium: - I am happy to bring this trophy to Zagreb, the cradle of Croatia and football. - Because of this statement, he was both loved and hated.

Years later, in the 1990s, he was a selector at the anthology match of the Croatian national football team against the United States of America. With his choice of players, he paved the way to a historic bronze medal. He recalled how he created the team for that match:

- Many players canceled on us. Some were afraid to play for Croatia, but I didn't think too much about it. I knew that we would put together a team and that we would make a spectacle. We did it and I'm incredibly proud of that event! To be the first coach of the Croatian national football team! So is there any greater honor for a man who worked in football in Croatia. –

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Why was Dražan Jerković a giant of Croatian football?

Jerković's greatness is evidenced by the story of his former teammate Mušković about the incident that happened after the match in Belgrade.

- We won and then we returned to Zagreb by Orient Express. When we arrived in Slavonski Brod, the train stopped. As he stood for a long time, we wondered what was going on. We looked at the platform, and there were at least two thousand people on it. The people stopped the train and did not want to leave until they saw Dražan Jerković. We woke up "Suho", telling him to show himself to the people. Jerković got dressed, got off the train, showed himself and talked to the people of Brod. Only then could the train leave for Zagreb. Well, that was Dražan Jerković! –

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