Xhevat Prekazi

Xhevat Prekazi
Personal information
Full name Xhevat Prekazi
Date of birth (1957-08-18) 18 August 1957
Place of birth Kosovska Mitrovica, FPR Yugoslavia
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Left wing
Youth career
1970–1975 Trepča K. Mitrovica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1984 Partizan Belgrade 151 (20)
1984–1985 Hajduk Split 20 (3)
1985–1991 Galatasaray 169 (41)
1992 Altay Izmir 8 (1)
1992–1993 Bakirköyspor 7 (1)
1993–1994 Trudbenik
Teams managed
2001–2002 Železnik
2006– OFK Beograd (youth team)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Xhevat Prekazi (born 18 August 1957) is a football manager and former player of Kosovar Albanian descent. He holds both Serbian and Turkish citizenship.

He is generally considered one of the best players to have worn the jersey of the Turkish club Galatasaray. Prekazi was instrumental in building up the Galatasaray team to a point where it became the strongest Turkish league team and a major force in European football. His typical "banana crossings" from left-line into the penalty box always created danger for opponent defence. He is renowned for his brilliant technique, dribbling, long shots and crosses.

He became a Turkish citizen as Cevad Prekazi in his late career. In Serbia, he is referred to as Dževad Prekazi. His older brother Luan also played for Partizan.

Career

Yugoslavia

Xhevat Prekazi started playing at "Remont" football club in Kosovska Mitrovica, he also spent a short time at Trepča`s junior team before he started his professional career at Partizan Belgrade in 1976, where he was seen as a player with great potential. During this period, he won two Yugoslav Championships in the seasons 1977-78 and 1982-83. With Partizan he also won Mitropa cup (1978). Prekazi spent almost ten years in Partizan, and moved to Hajduk Split after a dispute with the management of the team. Prekazi was a part of Hajduk team that played in the semifinals of the UEFA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur.

After spending a year in Split, Prekazi moved to the United States where he played indoor soccer for six months under the name Jeff Prekazi with Baltimore Blast where other Serbian players such as Srboljub Stamenković and Rešad Kunovac already played.[1]

Turkey

A Galatasaray board member noticed his talent on the pitch and arranged a transfer. Prekazi joined to Galatasaray in time for the 1985-1986 season.

He failed to sparkle initially, but eventually his skill rose to the surface. Xhevat Prekazi scored 40 goals in 174 league games for Galatasaray. He won 2 national league championships with Galatasaray and was an instrumental part of the side which reached the European Cup semi final in the 1988/89 season. Prekazi is one of the Galatasaray greats. His freekick goal from almost 40 meters against Monaco is often considered an exceptional and unforgettable memory for Turkish fans.

In 1991, he left Galatasaray and moved to Altay. At that year in the match between Galatasaray and Altay, Galatasaray fans showed their love and loyalty to him by singing a march titled "We cannot forget you". After this event Prekazi couldn't hide his tears and he left the pitch crying. He finished his career at Bakırköyspor.

In summer 1993 Prekazi returned to Yugoslavia and played with FK Trudbenik Beograd in the 1993–94 season.[2]

Following a successful playing career, Prekazi had a few coaching stints, the most notable of which was his short time at the helm of Belgrade's FK Železnik during 2001/02 season.

Prekazi lives in Belgrade.[3] He's currently coaching in the youth system of OFK Beograd.

Full Playing Career

Team Season Matches Goals
Bakirköyspor 1992–1993 7 1
Altay 1991–1992 8 1
Galatasaray SK 1991–1992 4 0
Galatasaray SK 1990–1991 22 7
Galatasaray SK 1989–1990 27 6
Galatasaray SK 1988–1989 27 8
Galatasaray SK 1987–1988 31 6
Galatasaray SK 1986–1987 34 5
Galatasaray SK 1985–1986 24 9
NK Hajduk Split 1984–1985 8 1
NK Hajduk Split 1983–1984 12 2
FK Partizan Beograd 1983–1984 11 1
FK Partizan Beograd 1982–1983 19 4
FK Partizan Beograd 1981–1982 0 0
FK Partizan Beograd 1980–1981 17 1
FK Partizan Beograd 1979–1980 23 4
FK Partizan Beograd 1978–1979 30 2
FK Partizan Beograd 1977–1978 22 2
FK Partizan Beograd 1976–1977 28 5
FK Partizan Beograd 1975–1976 3 0
FK Trepča Kosovska Mitrovica 1974–1975 0 0

References

  1. MISL Profile
  2. Match report 1993/94 season, 11 round, Vrbas vs Trudbenik at FK Vrbas official website, retrieved 17-11-2014 (in Serbian)
  3. 1 Archived 26 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine.

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