Yugoslavia national under-20 football team
Encyclopedia
The Yugoslavia national under-20 football team represented the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
at the FIFA World Youth Championship
and various friendly youth tournaments in the period between the mid-1970s and the country's dissolution in the early 1990s. It was a feeder team to the Yugoslavia national under-21 football team
(which was itself formed following the realignment of UEFA
's youth competitions in 1976). However, since FIFA
employs the Under-20 format for the World Youth Championship ever since its inception in 1977, the Under-20 selection was only occasionally formed to compete specifically at the tournament, in addition to a handful of other less official friendly tournaments which employ the same age format.
The team which would compete at the World Championship essentially consisted of players who had earlier participated in the UEFA Junior Tournament
, which was the European Under-18 championship (held annually from 1957 to 1984 and then bi-annually from 1986 to 1992) and which doubled as the European qualifying tournament for the World Championship.
, where they were knocked out in the grop stage after two defeats (0–2 against Poland and 0–1 against Argentina
) and one win (5–0 against Indonesia). Their second appearance in the 1987 tournament
was much more successful, as they won the competition, remarkably defeating each of the three other semi-finalists and eliminating the defending champions Brazil
during the course of the tournament, with Robert Prosinečki
winning the Golden Ball award for Best Player of the tournament.
In their two appearances Yugoslavia set a FIFA World Youth Championship scoring record which still stands today, scoring an average of 2.44 goals per game, finishing with 22 goals for and 9 against. The team, coached by Mirko Jozić
, had included a number of players who later appeared at FIFA World Cup
s, such as Zvonimir Boban
, Davor Šuker
, Robert Jarni
, Igor Štimac
, Branko Brnović
and Predrag Mijatović
.
The last European U-18 tournament (and therefore the last U-20 World Cup qualifiers) in which Yugoslavia participated before the country dissolved was the 1992 European Under-18 Championship, and the Under-18's last competitive game was played on 17 October 1991 against Czechoslovakia national under-18 football team.
Following the country's dissoluton in 1992, the team was succeeded by Under-20 teams of the newly formed ex-Yugoslav states' national teams:
However, only Croatia Under-20 team had managed to qualify for the World Youth Championship since the dissolution of Yugoslavia (in 1999
and 2011
) and are thus the only Under-20 ex-Yugoslav team to have fielded teams for competitive matches at that age level since 1992. In addition, FIFA
attributes all Yugoslav national team's records to the present-day Serbia national football team and as such the Yugoslavia Under-20 results and records are officially inherited by Serbia.
as well as various national squads at FIFA World Cup
tournaments.
, who scored 6 goals for Yugoslavia at the 1987 U-20 World Cup, and went on to become top scorer at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
eleven years later, where he represented Croatia and also scored 6 goals.
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
at the FIFA World Youth Championship
FIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
and various friendly youth tournaments in the period between the mid-1970s and the country's dissolution in the early 1990s. It was a feeder team to the Yugoslavia national under-21 football team
Yugoslavia national under-21 football team
The Yugoslavia national under-21 football team existed in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After the state's dissolution in 1992, the following teams were formed:*Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-21 football team...
(which was itself formed following the realignment of UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
's youth competitions in 1976). However, since FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
employs the Under-20 format for the World Youth Championship ever since its inception in 1977, the Under-20 selection was only occasionally formed to compete specifically at the tournament, in addition to a handful of other less official friendly tournaments which employ the same age format.
The team which would compete at the World Championship essentially consisted of players who had earlier participated in the UEFA Junior Tournament
UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
The European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955...
, which was the European Under-18 championship (held annually from 1957 to 1984 and then bi-annually from 1986 to 1992) and which doubled as the European qualifying tournament for the World Championship.
History
Yugoslavia Under-20 had appeared at two World Youth Championships throughout their existence. Their first appearance came at the 1979 tournament1979 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, the second staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Japan from August 26 to September 7, 1979. The tournament took place in four venues — Kobe, Omiya, Tokyo and Yokohama — where a total of 32 matches were played, four more than in the...
, where they were knocked out in the grop stage after two defeats (0–2 against Poland and 0–1 against Argentina
Argentina national under-20 football team
The Argentina national under-20 football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level....
) and one win (5–0 against Indonesia). Their second appearance in the 1987 tournament
1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from October 10 to October 25, 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of the three other semi-finalists, and...
was much more successful, as they won the competition, remarkably defeating each of the three other semi-finalists and eliminating the defending champions Brazil
Brazil national under-20 football team
Brazil national under-20 football team, also known as Brazil Sub-20 or Seleção, is considered to be the feeder team for the Brazil national football team.-Competitive record:...
during the course of the tournament, with Robert Prosinečki
Robert Prosinecki
Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered...
winning the Golden Ball award for Best Player of the tournament.
In their two appearances Yugoslavia set a FIFA World Youth Championship scoring record which still stands today, scoring an average of 2.44 goals per game, finishing with 22 goals for and 9 against. The team, coached by Mirko Jozić
Mirko Jozic
Mirko Jozić is a retired Croatian football player and currently an active football manager.As a coach, he won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile, with the Yugoslavia U-20 national team composed of names such as Robert Prosinečki, Zvonimir Boban and Davor Šuker.He coached Chilean club...
, had included a number of players who later appeared at FIFA World Cup
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...
s, 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....
, Robert Jarni
Robert Jarni
Robert Jarni is a retired Croatian footballer who played as left winger or wingback. He is now a manager, but is currently without a club after resigning from his managerial post at Istra 1961 in September 2010....
, Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac
Igor Štimac is a retired Croatian football player. He is now a football agent and a manager...
, Branko Brnović
Branko Brnovic
Branislav "Branko" Brnović is a retired Montenegrin professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and the current manager of the Montenegro national football team.-Club career:After making his professional debuts with local FK Budućnost Podgorica, Brnović signed...
and Predrag Mijatović
Predrag Mijatovic
Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović is a Montenegrin football player and former sports director of Real Madrid. He is considered one of Yugoslavia's best players of the 1990s. He was acclaimed as the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1997...
.
The last European U-18 tournament (and therefore the last U-20 World Cup qualifiers) in which Yugoslavia participated before the country dissolved was the 1992 European Under-18 Championship, and the Under-18's last competitive game was played on 17 October 1991 against Czechoslovakia national under-18 football team.
Following the country's dissoluton in 1992, the team was succeeded by Under-20 teams of the newly formed ex-Yugoslav states' national teams:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina national football teamBosnia and Herzegovina national football teamThe Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
(1993–present) - Croatia national football teamCroatia national football teamThe Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
(1990–present) - Macedonia national football team (1993–present)
- Slovenia national football teamSlovenia national football teamThe Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
(1992–present) - FR Yugoslavia national football team (1993–2003) - renamed Serbia and Montenegro national football team and competed under that name 2003–2006 when it was dissolved and succeeded by:
- Serbia national football teamSerbia national football teamThe Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
(2006–present) - Montenegro national football teamMontenegro national football teamThe Montenegro national football team represents Montenegro in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for football in Montenegro...
(2006–present)
- Serbia national football team
However, only Croatia Under-20 team had managed to qualify for the World Youth Championship since the dissolution of Yugoslavia (in 1999
1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between April 3 and April 24, 1999. The 1999 championship was the 12th contested.- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.-Squads:...
and 2011
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the eighteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities...
) and are thus the only Under-20 ex-Yugoslav team to have fielded teams for competitive matches at that age level since 1992. In addition, FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
attributes all Yugoslav national team's records to the present-day Serbia national football team and as such the Yugoslavia Under-20 results and records are officially inherited by Serbia.
Tournament records
FIFA World Youth Championship Record| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 19771977 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1977 FIFA World Youth Championship was the inaugural staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship and was held in Tunisia from June 27 to July 10, 1977. The tournament took place in four venues — Tunis, Rades, Sousse and Sfax — where a total of 28 matches were played, the smallest number in its... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 19791979 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, the second staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Japan from August 26 to September 7, 1979. The tournament took place in four venues — Kobe, Omiya, Tokyo and Yokohama — where a total of 32 matches were played, four more than in the... |
First round | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
 19811981 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship, the third edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Australia from 3 to 18 October 1981. The tournament took place in six venues—where a total of 32 matches were played... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 19831983 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship, the fourth edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Mexico from June 2 to June 19, 1983. The tournament took place in seven venues — Guadalajara, Irapuato, León, Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla and Toluca — where a total of 32 matches were... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 19851985 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, the ninth edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in the Soviet Union from August 24 to September 7, 1985. The tournament took place in eight venues — Baku, Yerevan, Leningrad, Minsk, Moscow, Hoktemberyan, Tbilissi and Sumqayit — where a total... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 19871987 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from October 10 to October 25, 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of the three other semi-finalists, and... |
Champions | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
 1989 |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 1991 |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1993 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Australia for second time from 5 to 20 March 1993. The 1993 championship was the 9th contested. The tournament took place in five venues: Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 2/9 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 9 |
- *Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicksPenalty shootout (football)A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
.
Players
The following players were members of Yugoslavia Under-20 squads at the FIFA U-20 World CupFIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
as well as various national squads at FIFA World Cup
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...
tournaments.
| Player | Position | Youth World Cup FIFA U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association... |
World Cup(s) 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... |
Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | 1979 | 1990 (YUG) | ||
| Goalkeeper | 1979 | 1982 (YUG) | ||
| Forward | 1979 | 1982 (YUG) | ||
| Forward | 1979 | 1982 (YUG) | ||
| Goalkeeper | 1987 | 1990 (YUG), 1998 (FRY) | ||
| Defender Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
1987 | 1998 (FRY) | ||
| Defender Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
1987 | 1990 (YUG), 1998 (CRO), 2002 (CRO) | ||
| Defender Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
1987 | 1998 (CRO) | ||
| Midfielder Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
1987 | 1998 (CRO) | ||
| Midfielder Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
1987 | 1990 (YUG), 1998 (CRO), 2002 (CRO) | ||
| Forward | 1987 | 1998 (FRY) | ||
| Forward | 1987 | 1990 (YUG), 1998 (CRO), 2002 (CRO) | ||
Scorers
The following players scored goals for the Yugoslavia Under-20 team at Youth World Cups. The team's overall top scorer was Davor ŠukerDavor 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....
, who scored 6 goals for Yugoslavia at the 1987 U-20 World Cup, and went on to become top scorer at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
eleven years later, where he represented Croatia and also scored 6 goals.
| Rank | Player | Goals | Tournament | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.... |
|
1987 | ||
| 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... |
|
1987 | ||
| Predrag Mijatović Predrag Mijatovic Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović is a Montenegrin football player and former sports director of Real Madrid. He is considered one of Yugoslavia's best players of the 1990s. He was acclaimed as the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1997... |
|
1987 | ||
| Nedeljko Milosavljević | |
1979 | ||
| Haris Smajić Haris Smajić Haris Smajić is a former Bosnian football player. He played for Yugoslavia national under-20 football team at the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, but was never capped for Yugoslavia at full international level.... |
|
1979 | ||
| Igor Štimac Igor Štimac Igor Štimac is a retired Croatian football player. He is now a football agent and a manager... |
|
1987 | ||
| Branko Brnović Branko Brnovic Branislav "Branko" Brnović is a retired Montenegrin professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and the current manager of the Montenegro national football team.-Club career:After making his professional debuts with local FK Budućnost Podgorica, Brnović signed... |
|
1987 | ||
| Marko Mlinarić Marko Mlinaric Marko Mlinarić is a former Croatian football player. He was capped 17 times for Yugoslavia.-External links:* at the Croatian Football Federation website* at the Serbia national football team website... |
|
1979 | ||
| Robert Prosinečki Robert Prosinecki Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered... |
|
1987 | ||
| Ranko Zirojević | |
1987 | ||
Full squads
- 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship squad
- 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship squad
External links
- Article about the 1987 Yugoslav generation at FIFA.com