Ico Hitrec
Encyclopedia
Ivan 'Ico' Hitrec is widely considered as the greatest Croatia
n football
player before World War II
.
The centre-forward became a legend after scoring twice against then famous Spanish keeper Ricardo Zamora
during the first night game in Zagreb
between Zagreb and Madrid
in 1933. As one of the first Croatian international players, he went on to play for Grasshopper
of Switzerland
, and "Kicker", at the time the foremost sports journal in Europe, chose him as a member of the European elite 11.
Hitrec was also a goal-scorer for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national team
. He appeared in 14 international games and scored 9 goals in 7 of them. He was one of seven Croatian players to boycott the Yugoslavian national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup
after the Football Association of Yugoslavia
was moved from Zagreb
to Belgrade
.
He was also the first technical officer and in his office in the Zagreb power-works in Gundulićeva street, the best players from Građanski met and discussed forming a new club with blue shirts which later became Dinamo Zagreb
.
Hitrec was quoted as saying that he didn't like to perform 11m penalty kicks because they were "too close" (to the goal). He was able to sprint
100 meters in under 12 seconds which was quite fast given that the fastest sprinter at the time Jesse Owens
ran the 100-meter dash in 10.30 seconds.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The centre-forward became a legend after scoring twice against then famous Spanish keeper Ricardo Zamora
Ricardo Zamora
Ricard Zamora i Martínez was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Catalan XI and Spain...
during the first night game in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
between Zagreb and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1933. As one of the first Croatian international players, he went on to play for Grasshopper
Grasshopper-Club Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss multisports club based in Zürich. The oldest and best known section of Grasshopper Club Zürich is its football team...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and "Kicker", at the time the foremost sports journal in Europe, chose him as a member of the European elite 11.
Hitrec was also a goal-scorer for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national team
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
. He appeared in 14 international games and scored 9 goals in 7 of them. He was one of seven Croatian players to boycott the Yugoslavian national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup
1930 FIFA World Cup
The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
after the Football Association of Yugoslavia
Football Association of Yugoslavia
The Football Association of Yugoslavia was the governing body of football in Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, with a major administrative branch in Zagreb....
was moved from Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
He was also the first technical officer and in his office in the Zagreb power-works in Gundulićeva street, the best players from Građanski met and discussed forming a new club with blue shirts which later became Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
.
Hitrec was quoted as saying that he didn't like to perform 11m penalty kicks because they were "too close" (to the goal). He was able to sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
100 meters in under 12 seconds which was quite fast given that the fastest sprinter at the time Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
ran the 100-meter dash in 10.30 seconds.