Slobodan Santrač, Serbian football player and manager, Died at 69

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Slobodan Santrač/Слободан Сантрач was born on July 1, 1946, in Koceljeva and died on February 13, 2016.

He was a Yugoslav and Serbian football manager and player.

Santrač was the all-time top scorer of the Yugoslav First League with a total of 218 goals, as well as the top scorer in the history of OFK Beograd.

Following completing his playing career, Santrač was the manager of numerous clubs and national teams.

Santrač reached the knockout stage with FR Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

Mr.Santrač played for Metalac Valjevo in the early 1960s, before transferring to OFK Beograd in 1965.

Slobodan Santrač spent the following nine seasons with the Romantics, making 244 league appearances and scoring 169 goals.

Over that period, he was the Yugoslav First League top scorer on four occasions (1968, 1970, 1972 and 1973).

Slobodan Santrač also won the Yugoslav Cup in 1966, scoring a brace in the final against Dinamo Zagreb.

Subsequently completing his mandatory military service, Santrač moved abroad and joined Swiss club Grasshoppers, in 1974.

Slobodan Santrač was their best scorer in both seasons during his stay with the club, before returning to OFK Beograd midway through the 1975–76 season.

He was transferred to Partizan in the winter of 1978, winning the league after only a few months upon arriving at the club.

Slobodan Santrač spent two more seasons with the Black-Whites, before joining Galenika Zemun during the 1980–81 season.

Notwithstanding being a prolific striker during his entire active playing career, Santrač never established himself in the national team.

Slobodan made only eight appearances (only 110 minutes played) for Yugoslavia between 1966 and 1974.

Mr.Santrač scored one goal for the national team in a friendly against Sweden, a game that ended in a 1–1 draw.

In December 1994, Slobodan Santrač commenced his managerial career at the helm of the national team of FR Yugoslavia, while the country was still under UN sanctions.

Slobodan Santrač worked as their manager for almost four years, qualifying the team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

The football manager relocated to China and took charge of Shandong Luneng, winning the double in 1999.

Slobodan Santrač was also manager of Saudi Arabia (2001), and Macedonia (2005).

Slobodan Santrač passed away at 69 yrs old due to a heart attack.