Drago Vabec
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dragutin Vabec | ||
| Date of birth | 26 October 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1977 | Dinamo Zagreb | 230 | (45) |
| 1977 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | 15 | (11) |
| 1977–1979 | Dinamo Zagreb | 28 | (10) |
| 1979–1983 | Brest | 118 | (60) |
| 1983–1984 | Dinamo Zagreb | 7 | (1) |
| Total | 398 | (127) | |
| International career | |||
| 1973–1976 | Yugoslavia | 7 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Čakovec | ||
| 2012–2013 | Sloga Čakovec | ||
| 2013– | Strahoninec | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Dragutin Vabec, most commonly known as Drago Vabec (born 26 October 1950), is a Croatian former professional footballer who played for Dinamo Zagreb, Stade Brestois and Toronto Metros-Croatia. He is considered one of the best players in Dinamo Zagreb history and the best player in Stade Brestois history. He left Brest in 1983.[1] At international level, he represented the SFR Yugoslavia national team.
His family originates from Čakovec, Međimurje County, and he spent most of his time there.
Playing career
[edit]Vabec was born in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia.
He made his debut for Yugoslavia in a September 1973 friendly match against Hungary and earned a total of seven caps, scoring one goal. His final international was an April 1976 European Championship qualification match against Wales.[2] While playing for Yugoslavia during a match against Sweden on 10 October 1975 he scored a fantastic goal, which was for years screened at the beginning of the sports program.[3]
Style of play
[edit]Although Vabec played mostly as a left winger, he was an excellent right winger too and could also play at a high level as a midfielder or a defender. The football experts deem him the most versatile player in Dinamo's history. Vabec was described as a highly intelligent player, with superb technique and passing skills, and equally adept with both feet.[3]
Managerial career
[edit]In October 2006, he was appointed head coach at relegation-threatened Croatian second division side NK Čakovec. He remained at the position until the end of the season, but failed to save the club from relegation.
References
[edit]- ^ 1982–83 SEASON (DIVISION 1) - Stade Brestois 29 (in French)
- ^ "Player Database". EU-football. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Briljirao u Maksimiru, u francuskom klubu najbolji ikad: Najsvestraniji igrač Dinama u povijesti!". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). 26 May 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
External links
[edit]- Drago Vabec at National-Football-Teams.com
- Drago Vabec at EU-Football.info
- Drago Vabec at Reprezentacija.rs (in Serbian)
- NASL stats
- Biography in the Croatian Football Lexicon
- Drago Vabec skills and goals on YouTube
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1950 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Čakovec
- Footballers from Zagreb
- Men's association football forwards
- Men's association football wingers
- Yugoslav men's footballers
- Yugoslavia men's international footballers
- GNK Dinamo Zagreb players
- Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players
- Stade Brestois 29 players
- Yugoslav First League players
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
- Ligue 1 players
- Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada
- Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Canada
- Expatriate men's footballers in France
- Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in France
- Yugoslav football managers