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So who was Branko Zebec as a footballer? His reputation is that of a player who excelled in various roles, and who could play in every outfield position. Starting out as a world class winger, and later transitioning into a world class central defender. Technically accomplished, lightning quick, physical and strong in the air, tactically brilliant. This sounds like hyperbole, but available footage from his playing days shows exactly this: a total footballer with an exceptionally broad set of abilities. Multi-positional, two-footed, athletic and technical, playing wide and centrally, in attack and defense. This video covers the earlier parts of his career, in which Zebec mostly played in offensive roles. But already in 1955 he can be seen playing in a defensive capacity against Di Stéfano's Real Madrid. In the 1958 World Cup he captained the Yugoslavian team while playing in defense, which would become his trademark role in the later parts of his career. Zebec went on to become a legendary coach in German football, playing a key role in shaping the Bayern juggernaut of the 60s and 70s, winning the Bundesliga title with the Bavarians and later Hamburger SV. ------------------------------------------ 1954 WC footage taken from joefa's excellent summaries of historic World Cup matches: Historic Partizan matches can be found on this channel: ------------------------------------------ Wikipedia:
