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Vladica Kovačević
	Kovačević lining up for Partizan at the 1966 European Cup Final
Personal information
Full name	Vladimir Kovačević
Date of birth	7 January 1940
Place of birth	Ivanjica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Date of death	28 July 2016 (aged 76)
Place of death	Belgrade, Serbia
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1955–1958	Partizan
Senior career*
Years	Team
1958–1966	Partizan
1966–1967	Nantes
1967–1969	Partizan
1969–1972	Angers
Total
International career
1960–1965	Yugoslavia
Managerial career
1972–1973	Partizan (assistant)
1981–1983	Lyon
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vladimir "Vladica" Kovačević (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир "Владица" Ковачевић, pronounced [ʋlǎdimiːr koʋǎːtʃeʋitɕ]; 7 January 1940 – 28 July 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian footballer who played as a forward.^[1]

Club career

Born in Ivanjica, Kovačević moved to Belgrade in 1955 and joined the youth system of Partizan.^[2] He was promoted to the first team in 1958, making his official debut in a 2–1 home league win over Rijeka. During the next eight seasons, Kovačević helped Partizan win the Yugoslav First League on four occasions (1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, and 1964–65). He was also a member of the team that lost the 1966 European Cup Final to Real Madrid.^[3] Two years earlier, Kovačević was the competition's joint top scorer with seven goals, along with Sandro Mazzola and Ferenc Puskás.^[4]

In 1966, Kovačević moved abroad to France and signed with Nantes, spending there just one season. He subsequently returned to Yugoslavia to perform his compulsory military service and rejoined Partizan.^[5] In late 1969, Kovačević moved back to France and joined Angers.

International career

At international level, Kovačević earned 13 caps for Yugoslavia between 1960 and 1965, scoring two goals.^[6] He was a member of the team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, as Yugoslavia lost to Chile in the third-place match.

International goals

Scores and results list Yugoslavia's goal tally first.

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	20 September 1964	Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia	Luxembourg	1–0	3–1	1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	9 May 1965	Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia	England	1–0	1–1	Friendly

Honours

Club

Partizan

Yugoslav First League: 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1964–65

Individual

European Cup Top Scorer: 1963–64

References

^ "Kovačević Vladimir" (in Serbian). reprezentacija.rs. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
^ "Dva asa ceo vek vernosti" (in Serbian). danas.rs. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
^ "Kada su divovi igrali u Humskoj" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
^ "European Champions' Cup and Fairs' Cup 1963-64 - Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
^ "Sportski spomenar" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
^ "Vladica Kovačević, international football player". EU-football.info. Retrieved 13 October 2024.