Miroslav Brozović


Miroslav Brozović was a Bosnian Croat professional footballer and football manager who played international football for the Yugoslavia national team, as well as the national team fielded by Axis-puppet Independent State of Croatia during World War II. He played as a defender.

Club career

Brozović began his career with local sides JŠK and Zrinjski Mostar before moving to Građanski Zagreb in 1935. With Građanski, he won the Yugoslav First League in seasons 1936–37 and 1939–40 and Yugoslav Cup in 1938 and 1940.
The Communist authorities disbanded Građanski Zagreb, forcing Brozović to move to the newly formed army club Partizan, with whom he won the league title in the 1946–47 season. He also won the Yugoslav Cup in 1947.
From 1948 to 1953, Brozović played for Sarajevo. In the 1948–49 season, he as a player-manager, won the Yugoslav Second League with Sarajevo. He became a club legend at the club. He ended his playing career at Sarajevo in 1953.

International career

Brozović debuted for the Yugoslavia national team in 1940. However, with the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia in 1941, he began playing for the Croatian national team. He suited up for Croatia 17 times during the war before communist Yugoslavia came into existence after the war.
Brozović won a silver medal for Yugoslavia in football at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Managerial career

Brozović started managing Sarajevo in 1948 as a player-manager. He won the Yugoslav Second League in the 1948–49 season. After ending his playing career in 1953, he became a full-time manager. Brozović left Sarajevo in 1956, after eight years, and was immediately named manager of Sarajevo's fierce city rival Željezničar. Brozović promoted the club to the Yugoslav First League in 1957. He managed Željezničar until 1958.
In 1959, he once again became the manager of his favorite, Sarajevo. He stayed at the club until 1961. In 1963, he was manager of Borac Banja Luka. Five years later, in 1966, for a third time in his career, Brozović became the manager of Sarajevo. As the manager, he won the club's historic, first ever Yugoslav Championship in the 1966–67 league season. After the end of the season, he left Sarajevo in summer of 1967.
After Sarajevo, he also managed Sloga Doboj and Rudar Kakanj.

Death

Brozović died in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2006, at the age of 89.

Honours

Player

Građanski Zagreb
Partizan
Sarajevo
Yugoslavia
Sarajevo
Željezničar