Mišo Smajlović
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Drago "Mišo" Smajlović, nicknamed (born October 28, 1938. in Sarajevo) is a Bosnian football manager and a former player.
[edit] Playing career
His career began in FK Sloga, little amateur club from Sarajevo. In 1955. he moved to FK Željezničar youth team. Two years later, he signed a professional contract with the club in which he played more than 400 games and scored 241 goals. If we consider only official matches, he played 190 games and scored 97 goals. He was a topscorer of Yugoslav League 1962-1963 with 18 goals.
He was a fine striker, one of the best in Yugoslavia at the time. He played for youth national teams and "B team", before he made his debut for the Yugoslav national team in 1963. He has collected four caps. He also scored one goal. He will be remembered as a great sportsman. Journalists oftenly called him a gentleman in football shoes. Unfortunately, the fact that he did not play for one of the bigger Yugoslav clubs caused him not to be regular choice in national team.
In 1967, he went to Belgian side Standard Liège. After a season and a half in Standard Liège, he came back to Yugoslavia. He played for Olimpija Ljubljana and Čelik Zenica before he has ended his career.
[edit] Managing career
After his playing days were over, he dedicated himself to a managing career. He was a FK Željezničar coach on several occasions. He also worked as a sporting director in his favourite club. It is important to say that he was among the responsible ones for saving the club during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 1997, he was elected to be a head coach of Under-21 Bosnia-Herzegovina national team. After Faruk Hadžibegić stepped down as a national coach in October of 1999, Smajlović was first appointed as a caretaker coach and several months later he was definitely elected as a coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina national team. After the end of his contract in 2002, he never renew it.
He lives in Sarajevo and he is not employed at any club at the moment.
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