Zlatko "Čik" Čajkovski (24 November 1923 – 27 July 1998) was a Yugoslav and Croatian
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player and
coach. His brother,
Željko Čajkovski
Željko Čajkovski (5 May 1925 – 11 November 2016) was a Croatian and Yugoslav Association football, football player and coach, who played as a Forward (association football), forward. A prolific goalscorer, Čajkovski spent most of his career ...
, was a footballer as well. Normally a
defensive midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, Čajkovski was renowned for his tremendous physical condition and marking ability and is considered to be one of the finest Yugoslav footballers. Despite his normally defensive role he was also a fine passer and possessed top-class technical ability.
Club career
On club level Čajkovski played initially for
HAŠK
HAŠK (full name Hrvatski akademski športski klub, ) was a Croatian football club established in Zagreb in 1903. The club was one of the most successful sides in Zagreb and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the period between the two World Wars. The ...
. After World War II, he moved to the newly-established
Partizan.
Partizan
Čajkovski was one of the star ("most eminent") players in first 10 years of club's history. He went on to win two
Yugoslav league titles (
1946/47,
1948/49) and three
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup (; ; , ), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup (; , and between 1947 and 1991 as the Marshal Tito Cup (; ; ; ), was one of two major association football, football competitions in Socialist Federal Re ...
(Marshal Tito Cup) trophies (1947,
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
,
1954
Events
January
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
).
Čajkovski amassed 391 appearances (156 in the league), scored 97 goals and wore the captain armband, in his closing years with Partizan.
"Čik" played as many as 80 international friendlies for the Belgrade side, including a highly rated South American tour in the winter of 1953/54.
Köln
After Partizan, Čajkovski found employment abroad. He first went to
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
in 1955. He decided and signs for
FC Köln, and for the next three seasons he played for this German club under the guidance of coach
Hennes Weisweiler
Hans "Hennes" Weisweiler (5 December 1919 – 5 July 1983) was a German professional football player and coach. As a coach, he won major titles with Bundesliga clubs Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln in the 1970s.
With eleven titles, ...
. Immediately in the first season, he played in 24 games and scored two goals. He played a total of 57 league games and scoring seven league goals during that time. He played three games in the German Cup and scored one goal.
International career
Between 1946 and 1955 he played 55 times for the Yugoslavia national team scoring seven goals. Participating at the Olympic Games 1948 and 1952, he won the silver medal on both occasions. The final of the 1952 tournament in Helsinki was lost against the then ascending Hungarian side of the
Magic Magyars.
He also participated in the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
s of 1950 and 1954. In 1950, Yugoslavia only lost to hosts Brazil in the group phase, during which Čajkovski scored two goals versus Mexico. In 1954, Yugoslavia drew in the group phase against Brazil, but were eliminated in the subsequent quarter final match against eventual tournament winners Germany. In 1953, Čajkovski was one of four Croatian players on the FIFA Select XI who played against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. His final international was a May 1955
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Managerial career
Čajkovski acquired his coaching licence under
Hennes Weisweiler
Hans "Hennes" Weisweiler (5 December 1919 – 5 July 1983) was a German professional football player and coach. As a coach, he won major titles with Bundesliga clubs Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln in the 1970s.
With eleven titles, ...
at the German Sports Academy in Cologne. His first appointment were in Israel, Turkey and the Netherlands.
His first great success was the German Championship 1962 with
1. FC Köln. In 1963 he took over the reins at
FC Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional association foo ...
, which he guided from the second division into the first division, two wins in the German Cup and the win in the
European Cup Winners Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...
final against
Rangers FC from Glasgow in 1967. In this period he formed around the goalkeeper
Sepp Maier,
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer (; 11 September 1945 – 7 January 2024) was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed ("the Emperor"), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and is one of nine p ...
and, the later legendary, striker
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional association football, footballer. A prolific Forward (association football)#Striker, striker, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarde ...
, then all in their very early twenties, one of the top teams in Europe and the whole world.
Later, Čajkovski coached
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...
,
1. FC Nürnberg,
Kickers Offenbach
Offenbacher Fussball-Club Kickers, commonly known as Kickers Offenbach, is a German association football club in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. The club was founded on 27 May 1901 in the Rheinischer Hof restaurant by footballers who had left establis ...
, which he took as a second division club to win the
German Cup
The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English, is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundes ...
in 1970. After
NK Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
and
1. FC Nürnberg, he had another stint
1. FC Köln and also returned once more to Kickers Offenbach. In 1977 he went to Greece to replace
František Fadrhonc
František Fadrhonc (18 December 1914 – 9 October 1981) was a Czech football manager, who was born in Nymburk, Austria-Hungary, present day Czech Republic. He coached many teams in Europe, mostly in the Netherlands. After winning the Dutch cham ...
at the bench of
AEK Athens
A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens.
Establishe ...
, where he won the double. He then went to Switzerland to coach
FC Zürich
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a professional football club based in Zurich, Switzerland. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League thirteen times and the Swiss Cup ten times. ...
(1978–1980) and
FC Grenchen
FC Grenchen is a Swiss football club, based in Grenchen. They currently play in the 2. Liga, and play their matches at the Brühl Stadium.
History
FC Grenchen was founded in 1906. In 1937 they gained promotion to the top league of Swiss fo ...
(1980), having his final assignment with
Grazer AK
Grazer Athletiksport Klub (; abbreviated as GAK), better known simply as Grazer AK, is an Austrian sports club based in the city of Graz in the federal state of Styria. The football section was once among Austria's most popular clubs, enjoying s ...
in 1981. After that, he coached AEK Athens (1982) and
Apollon Kalamarias
Apollon Kalamarias (Greek: Απόλλων Καλαμαριάς) is a Greek sports club from Kalamaria, a suburb of Thessaloniki. It was founded in 1926. The club is named after Apollo, the mythical Greek god. Its colors are red and black.
Histor ...
(1983–84).
Style of play
Although Čajkovski played as a defensive midfielder, he was equally good in the offense and, due to his exceptional stamina and tenacity, he was able to cover virtually the entire field. His unusual zigzag dribbling technique made his moves difficult to predict for the opposing players. Čajkovski was also very skilled in
heading the ball, despite his short stature.
Career statistics
International goals
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
;Partizan
*
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
:
1946–47,
1948–49
*
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup (; ; , ), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup (; , and between 1947 and 1991 as the Marshal Tito Cup (; ; ; ), was one of two major association football, football competitions in Socialist Federal Re ...
:
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
,
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
,
1954
Events
January
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
,
;Yugoslavia
*
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
silver medal:
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
,
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
Manager
;Köln
*
German Championship:
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
*
Oberliga:
1961–62,
1962–63
;Bayern Munich
*
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
:
1965–66,
1966–67
*
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
:
1966–67
;Kickers Offenbach
*
Regionalliga
A (, plural ) is a regional league in numerous Sports governing body, sports governing bodies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, usually located in the upper or middle tiers of the sports leagues.
The term is often associated with the Germa ...
:
1969–70
;AEK Athens
*
Alpha Ethniki
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
:
1977–78
*
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
:
1977–78
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cajkovski, Zlatko
1923 births
1998 deaths
Footballers from Zagreb
Men's association football wing halves
Croatian men's footballers
Yugoslav men's footballers
Croatia men's international footballers
Yugoslavia men's international footballers
Dual internationalists (men's football)
Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Footballers at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Footballers at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Olympic medalists in football
Olympic footballers for Yugoslavia
Olympic silver medalists for Yugoslavia
1950 FIFA World Cup players
1954 FIFA World Cup players
HAŠK players
FK Partizan players
1. FC Köln players
Hapoel Haifa F.C. players
Yugoslav First League players
Oberliga (football) players
Liga Leumit players
Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in West Germany
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in West Germany
Expatriate men's footballers in Israel
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Israel
Yugoslav football managers
1. FC Köln managers
FC Bayern Munich managers
Hannover 96 managers
Kickers Offenbach managers
GNK Dinamo Zagreb managers
1. FC Nürnberg managers
AEK Athens F.C. managers
FC Zürich managers
FC Grenchen managers
Grazer AK managers
Apollon Kalamarias F.C. managers
Bundesliga managers
Yugoslav expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in West Germany
Expatriate football managers in Greece
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Expatriate football managers in Switzerland
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery