Edin Sprečo

Edin Sprečo (19 April 1947 – 12 May 2020) was a Bosnian professional footballer who played as a winger.

Edin Sprečo
Personal information
Full name Edin Sprečo
Date of birth (1947-04-19)19 April 1947
Place of birth Sarajevo, FPR Yugoslavia
Date of death 12 May 2020(2020-05-12) (aged 73)
Place of death Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1959–1964 Željezničar
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1975 Željezničar 199 (61)
1975–1976 NAC Breda 25 (7)
1976–1977 Željezničar 4 (0)
1977–1979 Rennes 35 (18)
1979–1981 Iskra Bugojno 38 (9)
Total 301 (95)
International career
1967–1969 Yugoslavia 3 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Born in Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia, present day Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sprečo started playing football for the youth team of hometown club Željezničar when he was 12. At the age of 17, he made his debut for the first team. Sprečo scored two goals in his first game and it was clear that he would become a great player.[1]

He played 199 league games and scored 61 goals for Željezničar. In total, Sprečo played in 234 games and managed to score 75 goals. He was a member of the Željezničar team that won the Yugoslav First League title in the 1971–72 season. In 1975, Sprečo turned 28 and he was allowed to go abroad, as it was prohibited for under-28 players to leave the domestic clubs at the time. He went to Dutch Eredivisie club NAC Breda.[1] He played in Holland alongside compatriots Miroslav Vardić and Nikola Budišić, finishing in 11th place in the Eredivisie.[2]

He also played for, at the time, French Ligue 2 club Rennes making his debut against AS Brestoise on 8 January 1978.[3] Sprečo finished his career at the age of 34 in 1981, while playing for Iskra Bugojno.[1]

International career

Sprečo earned 3 caps for the Yugoslavia national team and also scored two goals while playing for the national team from 1967 to 1969.[1] He scored his first goal for Yugoslavia on 12 November 1967, in a 4–0 win against Albania in a UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying match.[4] His final international was a June 1969 World Cup qualification match away against Finland.[5]

Career statistics

Club

Source:[6]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Željezničar 1964–65 Yugoslav First League 20——20
1965–66 Yugoslav First League 20——20
1966–67 Yugoslav First League 197——197
1967–68 Yugoslav First League 2613——2613
1968–69 Yugoslav First League 2412——2412
1969–70 Yugoslav First League 60——60
1970–71 Yugoslav First League 337——337
1971–72 Yugoslav First League 325—84409
1972–73 Yugoslav First League 3110—213311
1973–74 Yugoslav First League 157——157
1974–75 Yugoslav First League 70——70
1975–76 Yugoslav First League 20——20
Total 19961—10520966
NAC Breda 1975–76 Eredivisie 25710—267
Željezničar 1976–77 Yugoslav First League 4000—40
Rennes 1977–78 Ligue 2 94——94
1978–79 Ligue 2 2614——2614
Total 3518——3518
Iskra Bugojno 1979–80 Yugoslav Second League 236——236
1980–81 Yugoslav Second League 153——153
Total 389——389
Career total 3019510105312100

International

Source:[6]

National teamYearAppsGoals
Yugoslavia
196721
196800
196911
Total32

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.12 November 1967Stadion JNA, Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia Albania1–04–0UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying
2.4 June 1969Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland Finland4–15–11970 FIFA World Cup qualification
Source:[6]

Death

Sprečo died at the age of 73 in his hometown of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 May 2020.[7]

Honours

Player

Željezničar

References
  1. Nedim Kreštalica. "Edin Sprečo". 1921.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  2. Edin Sprečo: een kanjer van een spits - BN De Stem (in Dutch)
  3. Profile - Stade Rennais
  4. "Yugoslavia 4–0 Albania". uefa.com. 12 November 1967. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  5. "Player Database". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  6. "Edin Sprečo". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  7. N.K. (12 May 2020). "Preminuo Edin Sprečo, legendarni nogometaš Željezničara" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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