Vladimir Beara
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Beara is a retired Croatian-born Serb
football
player, as goalkeeper, and also football manager.
, Croatia
(at the time in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes).
title in 1950, 1952 and 1955.
He made, however, a transfer in 1955 to Belgrade
's Red Star
(1955–60), after the season he had won the third league title. With Red Star he won even more Yugoslav league titles, in 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, and won the Yugoslav Cup
in 1958 and 1959. He played for Red Star against Manchester United in the last game United had played before the Munich Air Disaster
. In 1963, the great Soviet goalkeeper, Lev Yashin
said that not him, but Vladimir Beara is the greatest keeper of all times.
Beara ended his career in Germans clubs Alemannia Aachen
(1960–62) and Viktoria Köln
(1963–64).
, between 1950 and 1960, he played 59 games. Immediately after being selected to play for the Yugoslav national team he became famous mostly due to his fabulous defences in the match against England at the Highbury Arsenal Stadium. Since then he was often called by his nickname “Big Vlad”. Beara participated in 1952 Olympic Games
, and won the silver medal. He played on three World Cups
; World Cup 1950
, World Cup 1954
and World Cup 1958
. In 1953, Beara was one of four Croatian players on the FIFA Select XI who played against England.
, today's Hennes Weisweiler Academy. He went on to coach clubs in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Yugoslavia as well as the national team of Cameroon. A highlight of his coaching career was winning the Yugoslav national championship with Hajduk Split in 1971 as assistant coach to Slavko Luštica
. This was the club's first championship since his departure as player in 1955.
Clubs:
Honours:
Coach / Manager:
Serbs of Croatia
Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
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, as goalkeeper, and also football manager.
Early life
Beara was born in the village of Zelovo near SinjSinj
Sinj is a town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The town itself has a population of 11,448, while the population of the administrative municipality which includes surrounding villages is 24,832 ....
, Croatia
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 ...
(at the time in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes).
Career
For Hajduk Split (1946–55) Beara played 308 games, and helped his team to win the Yugoslav leagueYugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
title in 1950, 1952 and 1955.
He made, however, a transfer in 1955 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...
's Red Star
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
(1955–60), after the season he had won the third league title. With Red Star he won even more Yugoslav league titles, in 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, and won the Yugoslav Cup
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup, officially the Marshal Tito Cup, was one of two major football competitions in the former Yugoslavia, the other one being the Yugoslav League Championship. The Yugoslav Cup took place after the league championships when every competitive league in Yugoslavia had finished, in order...
in 1958 and 1959. He played for Red Star against Manchester United in the last game United had played before the Munich Air Disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
. In 1963, the great Soviet goalkeeper, Lev Yashin
Lev Yashin
Lev Ivanovich Yashin nicknamed as "The Black Spider", was a Soviet-Russian football goalkeeper, considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the game. He was known for his superior athleticism in goal, imposing stature, amazing reflex saves and inventing the idea of...
said that not him, but Vladimir Beara is the greatest keeper of all times.
Beara ended his career in Germans clubs Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three-year turn in the top flight in the late 1960s and, after a successful 2005–06 campaign, returned to first division play...
(1960–62) and Viktoria Köln
Viktoria Köln
FC Viktoria Köln 1904 is a German association football club from the city of Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia.- History :Founded in 1904 as FC Germania Kalk it is one of the oldest football clubs in the city. In 1909 Germania merged with FC Kalk to form SV Kalk 04 and in 1911 this club was, in...
(1963–64).
International career
For Yugoslav national teamYugoslavia 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...
, between 1950 and 1960, he played 59 games. Immediately after being selected to play for the Yugoslav national team he became famous mostly due to his fabulous defences in the match against England at the Highbury Arsenal Stadium. Since then he was often called by his nickname “Big Vlad”. Beara participated in 1952 Olympic Games
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, and won the silver medal. He played on three World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
; World Cup 1950
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
, World Cup 1954
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
and World Cup 1958
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
. In 1953, Beara was one of four Croatian players on the FIFA Select XI who played against England.
Coaching career
In 1967 Beara finished a coaching course at the sports academy at the German Sport University CologneGerman Sport University Cologne
German Sport University Cologne is a sport university in Cologne, Germany. It is the largest sports university in Europe with more than 5,000 students...
, today's Hennes Weisweiler Academy. He went on to coach clubs in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Yugoslavia as well as the national team of Cameroon. A highlight of his coaching career was winning the Yugoslav national championship with Hajduk Split in 1971 as assistant coach to Slavko Luštica
Slavko Luštica
Slavko Luštica was a footballer who represented Yugoslavia at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He played club football in Yugoslavia with NK Osvit and Hajduk Split....
. This was the club's first championship since his departure as player in 1955.
Statistical career overview
National team:-
1950-1959: Yugoslavia, 59 matches
Clubs:
- 1947–1955 Hajduk Split, 136 league matches
- 1955–1960 Red Star BelgradeRed Star BelgradeRed Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
, 83 league matches -
1960–1963 Alemannia AachenAlemannia AachenAlemannia Aachen is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three-year turn in the top flight in the late 1960s and, after a successful 2005–06 campaign, returned to first division play...
, 23 league matches - 1963–1964 Viktoria Köln, 23 league matches (2nd division)
Honours:
- Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
: Silver Medal 1952 - Championship of Yugoslavia: 1950, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960
- Cup von Yugoslavia: 1958, 1959
Coach / Manager:
- 1964-1966: Freiburger FCFreiburger FCFreiburger FC is a German association football club based in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg. Freiburger FC was a founding Clubs of the DFB in 1900.-History:...
-
1966-1968: Sittardia SittardFortuna SittardFortuna Sittard is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Trendwork Arena and features in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. The club was a merger of former clubs 'Fortuna 54' and 'Sittardia' to merge as the Fortuna Sittard Combinatie on July 1,... - 1969-1970: SC Fortuna KölnSC Fortuna KölnSC Fortuna Köln is a German association football club playing in the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The club was formed as on 21 February 1948 through the merger of three local sides: Victoria Köln 1911 , Bayenthaler SV 1920, and Sparkassen-Verein Köln 1927...
-
1973-1975: National team of Cameroon -
1979-1979: First Vienna FCFirst Vienna FCFirst Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there... - 1980-1981: RNK SplitRNK SplitRNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...