Damir Lesjak
Encyclopedia
Damir Lesjak is a former Croatian
footballer who played for Dinamo Zagreb, Israel
i side Hapoel Haifa and Belgian
club Mouscron
.
Born in Čakovec, Lesjak joined Dinamo Zagreb's academy as a promising young player and Yugoslavia U21 international before turning professional and joining the first team squad in the 1986–87 season. He immediately made an impact and appeared in 19 Yugoslav First League
matches in his debut season. He went on to establish himself as a regular member of Dinamo's defensive line-up, and played along other Dinamo greats such as Zvonimir Boban
, Davor Šuker
and Dražen Ladić
in the following years.
He won the 1992–93 Prva HNL and the 1994 Croatian Cup
with Dinamo, and made a total of 510 appearances and scored 8 goals for the club (including 177 appearances and 7 goals in the Yugoslav First League and later in the Prva HNL) before moving abroad and joining Israel's Hapoel Haifa. After finishing fourth with Hapoel in the 1995–96 season, Lesjak moved to Mouscron
where he spent the last three seasons of his career playing in the Belgian First Division before retiring in 1999.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
footballer who played for Dinamo Zagreb, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i side Hapoel Haifa and Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
club Mouscron
R.E. Mouscron
R.E. Mouscron was a Belgian association football club from the municipality of Mouscron, Hainaut. In December 2009 they were declared bankrupt and suspended operations soon after marking the end of professional football in Mouscron.-History:...
.
Born in Čakovec, Lesjak joined Dinamo Zagreb's academy as a promising young player and Yugoslavia U21 international before turning professional and joining the first team squad in the 1986–87 season. He immediately made an impact and appeared in 19 Yugoslav First League
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
matches in his debut season. He went on to establish himself as a regular member of Dinamo's defensive line-up, and played along other Dinamo greats such as Zvonimir Boban
Zvonimir Boban
Zvonimir Boban is a Croatian former football midfielder who played most of his professional career for Serie A club Milan, with whom he won four Serie A titles and the Champions League. He was a member of the Croatia national team which attained third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, with Boban...
, Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker , is a retired Croatian footballer. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals....
and Dražen Ladić
Dražen Ladic
Dražen Ladić is a former Croatian football goalkeeper. Between 2006 and 2011 he was the head coach of the Croatian national under-21 team.-Club:...
in the following years.
He won the 1992–93 Prva HNL and the 1994 Croatian Cup
Croatian Cup
The Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...
with Dinamo, and made a total of 510 appearances and scored 8 goals for the club (including 177 appearances and 7 goals in the Yugoslav First League and later in the Prva HNL) before moving abroad and joining Israel's Hapoel Haifa. After finishing fourth with Hapoel in the 1995–96 season, Lesjak moved to Mouscron
R.E. Mouscron
R.E. Mouscron was a Belgian association football club from the municipality of Mouscron, Hainaut. In December 2009 they were declared bankrupt and suspended operations soon after marking the end of professional football in Mouscron.-History:...
where he spent the last three seasons of his career playing in the Belgian First Division before retiring in 1999.
External links
- Damir Lesjak profile at FootballDatabase.eu
- Damir Lesjak profile at WorldFootball.net