Mićun Jovanić (29 July 1952 – 26 July 2010) was a Croatian footballer best known for his 12-year spell with Hajduk Split, where he played between 1969 and 1981. Later in his career Jovanić also played for

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

side Anderlecht and lower level sides

AS Béziers As, AS, A. S., A/S or similar may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English critic, novelist, poet and short story writer * "As" (song), by Stevie Wonder * , a Spanish sports newspaper * , an academic male voice ...

in France and

Solin Solin (Latin and it, Salona; grc, Σαλώνα ) is a town in Dalmatia, Croatia. It is situated right northeast of Split, on the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro. Solin developed on the location of ancient city of ''Salona'', which was the ...

in Croatia.

Playing career

Club

He was one of the most consistent members of Hajduk's golden generation which dominated Yugoslav football in the 1970s and won four

Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...

championships and five

Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...

titles. Because of this, Jovanić is one of the three most decorated Hajduk players in the history of the club (along with Dražen Mužinić and

Luka Peruzović Luka Peruzović (born 26 February 1952) is a Croatian football coach and former player, who managed Belgium's Standard Liège, Charleroi and Anderlecht and Qatar's Al Sadd. He also holds a Belgian citizenship. Club career As a player, Peruzovi� ...

). Throughout his career Jovanić had appeared in 210 league matches and scored 27 league goals for Hajduk.

International

Unlike many of his teammates from that era who went on to become regular Yugoslav internationals (such as

Jurica Jerković Jurica "Jure" Jerković (25 February 1950 – 3 June 2019) was a Croatian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. During his time with Hajduk Split in the 1970s, he was known for his amazing playmaker skills and for his romantic approac ...

Ivica Šurjak Ivan "Ivica" Šurjak (born 23 March 1953) is a Croatian retired football midfielder. He was the driving force behind the success of Hajduk Split as it became a force in the Yugoslav First League in the 1970s. Club career He started his career ...

Slaviša Žungul Slaviša Žungul, known in the United States as Steve Zungul (born 28 July 1954) is a retired Yugoslav American soccer striker. Žungul began his career with Hajduk in his native Yugoslavia before controversially moving to the United States wh ...

and Dražen Mužinić), Jovanić was never capped for the national team, although he did appear 4 times for Yugoslavia at youth levels.

Managerial career

After retiring from playing in 1985 Jovanić had several managing spells at lower level Croatian sides, including a 1991 spell with

RNK Split Radnički nogometni klub Split, commonly known as RNK Split, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split. History The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard. The club was founded on 16 April 1912 as Anarch, but has had se ...

and two spells at

Segesta Segesta ( grc-gre, Ἔγεστα, ''Egesta'', or , ''Ségesta'', or , ''Aígesta''; scn, Siggésta) was one of the major cities of the Elymians, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily. The other major cities of the Elymians were Eryx a ...

Personal life

Death

In early July 2010 the Croatian media reported that Jovanić had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that a fundraising campaign was launched to raise some 20,000 euros for his treatment abroad. In spite of the successful fundraiser, Jovanić died on the night between 25 and 26 July 2010 at his home in

Kaštel Gomilica Kaštel Gomilica is the oldest town in Kastela bay within the administrative area of Kaštela in Dalmatia, Croatia. The town of Kaštela The town of Kaštela is located on the coast of the Bay of Kaštela. It has over 40 000 inhabitants, and it ...

near Split.

Honours

(4): 1970–71, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1978–79 *

(5): 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977

References

External links

Biography of Mićun Jovanić
at Hajduk Split official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jovanic, Micun 1952 births 2010 deaths Footballers from Split, Croatia Croatian people of Serbian descent Men's association football forwards Yugoslav footballers HNK Hajduk Split players R.S.C. Anderlecht players NK Solin players AS Béziers Hérault (football) players Yugoslav First League players Belgian Pro League players Ligue 2 players Yugoslav expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Belgium Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate footballers in France Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in France Croatian football managers RNK Split managers HNK Segesta managers Deaths from pancreatic cancer