Miljan Miljanić

Miljan Miljanić (Serbian Cyrillic: Миљан Миљанић; 4 May 1930 – 13 January 2012) was a Yugoslav and Serbian football player, coach and administrator, who played as a defender.

Miljan Miljanić
Miljanić, the coach of Red Star Belgrade, in October 1971 ahead of the Cup Winners' Cup tie versus Sparta Rotterdam
Personal information
Full name Miljan Miljanić
Date of birth (1930-05-04)4 May 1930
Place of birth Bitola, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Date of death 13 January 2012(2012-01-13) (aged 81)
Place of death Belgrade, Serbia
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1946–1951 Red Star Belgrade
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1951–1952 Red Star Belgrade 1 (0)
Teams managed
1965–1966 Yugoslavia
1966–1974 Red Star Belgrade
1973–1974 Yugoslavia
1974–1977 Real Madrid
1979–1982 Yugoslavia
1982–1983 Valencia
1983–1984 Al Qadisiya
1984–1986 Al Ain
1992 Yugoslavia
Honours
Men's Football
Representing  Yugoslavia
Universiade
1953 Dortmund Team
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Born in Bitola, Vardar Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, to a family originating from the Banjani clan in the Nikšić municipality in Montenegro, Miljanić spent the first years of his life in what would later become SR Macedonia within SFR Yugoslavia and eventually present day North Macedonia.

During his colourful career, Miljanić coached Red Star Belgrade (won 10 trophies), Real Madrid (won back-to-back La Liga titles, including a League/Cup double in the 1974–75 season), Valencia CF (disappointing stint that lasted three quarters of the 1982–83 season when he got sacked with the team in 17th place in the league), and the Yugoslav national side, of which he was a head coach in the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.

He is equally known as the all-powerful president of the Football Association of FR Yugoslavia (FSJ), a post he occupied for years before leaving in 2001.

His influence on the game of football in Yugoslavia is huge as an entire generation of coaches including Ćiro Blažević, Ivica Osim, Toza Veselinović, etc. came up under his tutelage. In addition to admirers, Miljanić has his share of detractors who feel his trademark cautious and defensive tactics, as well as reliance on older players, contributed to the Yugoslav national team's poor results and unattractive play throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

In 2002, for his contributions to association football, Miljanić became the recipient of the FIFA Order of Merit — the highest honour awarded by FIFA.[1]

Early life

Miljanić was born in 1930 in Bitola, a town his geometer father Akim Miljanić had found employment in and moved the family to two years earlier in 1928.[2] Previously, in 1922, Akim had come to Belgrade from Montenegro's Banjani area in order to study at the newly opened Geodesy School. The family also consisted of mother Zorka and sisters Mira and Nada.[2]

In 1941, with Nazi Germany invading, conquering, and dismembering Kingdom of Yugoslavia into territories administered by newly established local collaborationist regimes or neighbouring Axis powers states, the Miljanićs were forced into fleeing Bitola by the occupying Bulgarian force that had been given Vardar Banovina.[2] The fleeing family first settled in the town of Jagodina followed by relocating to Kragujevac,[2] a city reeling from the October 1941 massacre of more than 2,700 civilians committed by the Wehrmacht force.

In 1944, in Kragujevac, 14-year-old Miljanić reportedly joined the Yugoslav Partisans.[2]

Following the end of World War II, the family moved to Belgrade in 1946.[2]

Coaching career

Yugoslavia national team

Miljanić had four rules as Yugoslavia national football team, the first one between 1965 and 1966. In the next two ones (1973–74 and 1979–82), he coached the nation in 1974 and in 1982 FIFA World Cups.

By the year of 1992, the team was coached by Bosnian Ivica Osim, whose rule had qualified Yugoslavia to UEFA Euro 1992. However, with his family under the siege of Sarajevo, Osim resigned on 23 May.[3] To replace him, the Yugoslav federation called a duo of Miljanić and Ivan Čabrinović, a Serb married with a Muslim woman.[4] One day later, it was announced the squad list.[5] Under Miljanić and Čabrinović, Yugoslavia played just one unofficial friendly against the club ACF Fiorentina, in Florence, for a minor attendance and under huge protests, on 28 May. It was known by that day the rumor that Yugoslavia would be banned of the tournament due to Yugoslav wars, to which Miljanić, disgusted with increasingly questions about his players origins rather than their efficiency, reacted with wet eyes: "are we not welcomed? What? They do not want us anymore?".[4] On 31 May, with the squad already in Sweden, the ban was confirmed, just ten days before the opening match.[6]

Real Madrid

Miljanić's arrival to Real during the summer 1974 transfer window came on the heels of a turbulent season that saw the famous club make a coaching change after almost 14 seasons of Miguel Muñoz at the helm. The longtime coach's mid-season replacement Luis Molowny didn't fare well, losing 0–5 at home in El Clásico to the Johan Cruijff-led FC Barcelona in February 1974 and further cementing the club's league table placing away from the European spots. Right away, the club's iconic president Santiago Bernabéu Yeste felt it was time for major changes, initiating an approach to the Red Star Belgrade head coach Miljanić who simultaneously headed the Yugoslav national team head coaching commission while awaiting the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany. The Serb had reportedly been on Real's radar for a few years already but had been consistently rejecting their prior overtures.[7] This time within weeks, by March 1974, Miljanić committed to a two-year contract with Real Madrid effective summer 1974 following the World Cup, an arrangement that would reportedly see him receive US$150,000 in salary compensation over the agreed period.[7] Other coaches Bernabéu reportedly considered for the job at this time included Helenio Herrera, in his second coaching stint with Inter Milan.[7] The news of Yugoslavia head coaching commission leader Miljanić's signature with Real only a few months before World Cup was not received particularly well at home with certain press outlets calling for his sacking from the national team coaching commission.[7] He would be allowed to stay, however, and lead the national team in West Germany.

Molowny completed the ongoing league season as Real's head coach knowing that he'll be gone at the end of it no matter the outcome. In the end, he led the team to the eight spot in the league and won the Copa del Generalísimo emphatically 4–0 against biggest rivals FC Barcelona. Miljanić, for his part, led Yugoslavia at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, managing to make it out of the first round group before losing each of the three matches in the next round group.

On 5 July 1974, three days after ending his World Cup participation in West Germany with a loss against Sweden, Miljanić was presented as Real Madrid's new head coach.[8] The Serb's only condition was reportedly that he be allowed to bring along compatriot Srećko "Felix" Radišić as fitness coach. Radišić thus became the first fitness coach in club's history.[9] Others in Miljanić's coaching staff were the club-assigned goalkeeping coach Juan Santisteban and assistant coach Antonio Ruiz.

1974-75 season: league-cup double

Miljanić initiated many innovative changes in the training methods at Real. Insisting on top physical and tactical preparation, he increased the number of daily training sessions from one to three, which initially cause an outrage.[10] He insisted on players not having more than two touches on the ball, and had them perfect the long pass game with the entire team functioning as a precise mechanism. He also moved Pirri from his midfield role into the sweeper defensive role while the offensive movement usually converged with crosses for target forwards Santillana and new signing from Espanyol Roberto Martínez.[11] Furthermore at Miljanić's disposal were goalkeeper Miguel Ángel, defensive midfielder Vicente del Bosque, veteran right winger Amancio Amaro, West German midfielder Günter Netzer, newly signed defenceman from Bayern Paul Breitner, and young defender from the youth system José Antonio Camacho.

Despite facing fan criticism over unattractive play, Real won the league and cup double in his first season as coach.

In the Cup Winners' Cup they got eliminated at the quarterfinal stage on penalties by Miljanić's former team Red Star Belgrade. The tie took place over two legs in March 1975, and Miljanić somewhat controversially decided not to travel to Belgrade for the return leg because he reportedly couldn't bear to lead the team against his former side, saying: "I can not betray my heart".[12] Others speculated that contentious relations between SFR Yugoslavia and the Spanish State under the regime of Francisco Franco played a role in Miljanić's decision.[13] Instead, the coach invited journalists to watch the game with him on television in Madrid. Going into the return leg Real had a 2–0 first leg lead, however, led by Antonio Ruiz who stepped in for Miljanić that night, los merenegues lost 2–0 in Belgrade and then got eliminated in the penalty shootout.

After ending the 1976–77 season without silverware, Miljanić started his fourth campaign as Real's coach in September 1977. However, after losing the opening match of the league season to Salamanca 1–2, Miljanić resigned his post.

Personal life

Miljanić was married to Olivera "Vera" Reljić with whom he had two children: son Miloš Miljanić (former footballer and current manager of Alianza F.C. of El Salvador) and daughter Zorka.[14]

He died on 13 January 2012, aged 81, in Belgrade, Serbia after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years. Mourning the loss of the club's former great, on 14 January, Real Madrid side coached by José Mourinho played their away league match at Real Mallorca with Madrid players wearing black armbands.

Honours

Manager

Red Star Belgrade

Real Madrid

Individual

References
  1. FIFA fact sheet at FIFA.com
  2. Mitić, Milan (9 April 2015). "Zorka i Akim, rositelji Miljana Miljanića: Ode naš Milo u partizane sa 14 godina..." TV Novosti. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  3. "Yugoslavia releva al técnico para Suecia". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 24 May 1992. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. "FIRENZE, UNA FINTA AMICHEVOLE: POCA GENTE E PROTESTE". La Repubblica (in Spanish). 28 May 1992. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  5. "Pancev también renuncia a la Eurocopa". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 25 May 1992. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  6. "Yugoslav athletes banned". The New York Times. 1 June 1992. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  7. Krivokapić, Branko (20 November 2015). "Miljan Miljanić – trener od koga je učio Del Boske". Vijesti. Retrieved 13 April 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "Don Santiago Bernabéu presentación Miljan Miljanic". TDP. 5 July 1974. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  9. Miljanic, el entrenador que revolucionó el Real Madrid con sus nuevos métodos;MARCA, 13 January 2012
  10. "Nos influyó para ser entrenadores";As, 14 January 2012
  11. Paralelismo entre Miljanic y Mourinho;As, 14 January 2012
  12. Falleció Miljan Miljanic;As, 14 January 2012
  13. Maričić, Slobodan (13 January 2021). "Srbija, fudbal i Miljan Miljanić: Patrijarh ili grobar jugoslovenskog fudbala". BBC na srpskom. Retrieved 13 April 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. Trener tiranin? Zar vam ja zaista tako izgledam?;Start, July 1969
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