Ljubomir "Ljubo" Benčić (2 January 1905 – 24 February 1992) was a
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
n and
Yugoslav football player.
Playing career
Club
Spending his entire career at
Hajduk Split
Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979 ...
, Benčić was a renowned right winger and centre forward. He started playing top-flight football in 1921 and by 1923 he became the club's best all-time scorer with a total of 43 goals. In 1925 he played his 100th game for the Whites, and in 1930 he scored his 300th goal for Hajduk. Until his retirement in 1935 he scored an amazing 355 goals in 353 official games for Hajduk, which makes him currently Hajduk's third all-time goalscorer (behind
Frane Matošić
Frane Matošić (25 November 1918 – 29 October 2007) was a Croatian football player and coach who played as a striker. He is regarded as one of Hajduk Split's greatest players and he is the club's all-time leading goalscorer.
Playing career ...
with 729 and
Leo Lemešić with 445 goals). With Hajduk he won two Yugoslav championship titles, in 1927 and 1929, and was also the league's top scorer in 1928, scoring 8 goals in 5 games.
International
Between 1924 and 1927 Benčić earned 5 caps and scored 2 goals for
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team; hr, Jugoslavenska nogometna reprezentacija; sl, Jugoslovanska nogometna reprezentanca; mk, Фудбалска репрезентација на Југославија, Fudbalska reprezentacija na Jugosl ...
. He debuted on 28 September 1924 against
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
and his last game for the national team was on 28 October 1927 against
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. The game ended in a disastrous 7–1 defeat, and Benčić scored the only goal for Yugoslavia. He was also part of Yugoslavia's team at the
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...
, but he did not play in any matches.
Managerial career
After he stopped playing in 1935 he stayed in football and had two stints as manager of Hajduk: from 1939 to 1941 (the last two seasons before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, during the war, and then the first few seasons after the war from 1946 to 1948. When he moved to
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Sl ...
he managed NK Milicioner (which later merged with NK Borac to form
NK Zagreb
Nogometni klub Zagreb (''Zagreb Football Club''), commonly known as NK Zagreb or simply Zagreb (), is a Croatian amateur football club based in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb. It currently competes in the fifth tier league competition of ...
). In 1957 he managed
Bologna FC
Bologna Football Club 1909, commonly referred to as Bologna (), is an Italian professional football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. The club have won seven top-flight titles, two Co ...
with
Bernard Vukas. Upon returning to Croatia he managed
NK Trešnjevka and
NK Zadar. Benčić died in 1992 in Zagreb.
Honours
*
Yugoslav championship (2): 1927, 1929
*Yugoslav championship top scorer: 1928
References
External links
*
Profileat the
Football Association of Serbia
The Football Association of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски савез Србије, ФСС / ) is the governing body of football in Serbia, based in Belgrade. It organizes Serbian football leagues, namely the Serbian Superliga, the Serbia ...
website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bencic, Ljubo
1905 births
1992 deaths
People from Stari Grad, Croatia
People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia
Association football forwards
Yugoslav footballers
Yugoslavia international footballers
Olympic footballers of Yugoslavia
Footballers at the 1928 Summer Olympics
HNK Hajduk Split players
Yugoslav First League players
Yugoslav football managers
HNK Hajduk Split managers
HNK Rijeka managers
NK Zagreb managers
Bologna F.C. 1909 managers
NK Zadar managers
Yugoslav expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in Italy
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Italy