Blagoje Paunović

Blagoje Paunović
Personal information
Full nameBlagoje Paunović
Date of birth4 June 1947
Place of birthPusto Šilovo, SFR Yugoslavia
Date of death8 December 2014 (aged 67)
Place of deathBelgrade, Serbia
Playing positionDefender
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1965–1975Partizan225(0)
1975–1977Utrecht37(0)
1977Kikinda7(0)
1978Oakland Stompers23(0)
1979Sinđelić Beograd
National team
1967–1973Yugoslavia39(0)
Teams managed
1994Logroñés
1999–2002Teleoptik
2002–2003Budućnost Banatski Dvor
2009–2010Smederevo
2010–2011BASK
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Blagoje Paunović (Serbian Cyrillic: Благоје Пауновић; 4 June 1947 – 9 December 2014) was a Serbian football defender and manager.

Playing career

Born in Pusto Šilovo, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, he started his youth career in FK Partizan as a nine-year-old, although minimum age required to start playing for Partizan youths was ten. He was spotted by Partizan coach Virgil Popescu who insisted in bringing him over. Apart from short spell abroad, Blagoje spent most of his time in Partizan and, as a player or coach, he was part of Partizan for almost half a century. Paunović played for ten seasons with FK Partizan, amassing nearly 300 official appearances with the Belgrade club. During the 70's, he formed an efficient backline alongside Dragan Holcer and Miroslav Pavlović.

At 28, in 1975, Paunović joined FC Utrecht in the Netherlands. After two seasons abroad he returned home for a spell with OFK Kikinda, played briefly in the United States by representing the Oakland Stompers of the North American Soccer League and closed out his career also in his country's capital, with lowly FK Sinđelić; whist in North America, he played under the name Paki Paunovich.[1]

On the international level, Paunović played a total of 39 matches for Yugoslavia, making his debut on 12 November 1967 in a 4–0 home win against Albania for the UEFA Euro 1968 qualifiers, and participating at the final stages in Italy.

Coaching career

In the 1994–95 campaign Paunović, already a coach, was one of five managers in charge of Spain's CD Logroñés, which ranked last in La Liga with an all-time low 13 points.[2] In 2009, after a long spell with Partizan's youth teams, he signed with Serbian first division side FK Smederevo.

Personal life

Paunović's son, Veljko, was also a footballer, in attacking positions. He too started his extensive career at Partizan, but played mainly in Spain.

References

  1. ↑ Vujcic, Djuradj (29 March 2012). "Inside the MLS: Veljko Paunovic". Red Nation Online. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  2. ↑ "Colocarse en puestos de descenso o promoción, pasaporte hacia el paro" [Relegation or promotion standings, ticket to unemployment] (in Spanish). ABC. 29 December 1994. Retrieved 25 June 2014.

External links