This Saturday we are going to remember a classic from our league, an adjective that can be applied to many soccer players from the former Yugoslavia, like today’s protagonist: Vlada Stosic.
Who was it?: A Serbian midfielder from the 80s and 90s.
Why is he remembered?: For being European champion with Red Star Belgrade and for his time at Mallorca and Real Betis.
What happened to him?: He retired in 1998 at Portuguese club Vitória de Setúbal. For three years he worked as sports director of Real Betis. He currently resides in his country and works as a sports official.
Did you know that…?: He debuted with Red Star at the age of 19.
– He was part of the Belgrade team’s squad when it became European champion in 1991. Stosic played a few minutes in the final, held in Bari and in which Red Star beat Olympique de Marseille on penalties after 0-0. Today’s protagonist came on in the 84th minute, replacing none other than Dejan Savicevic.
– He did not take any of the five penalties that the Yugoslav team converted to win the shootout and the final.
– He arrived at Mallorca a few months later and in his first season at the vermilion club, they were relegated to the Second Division.
– With the Balearic team he played two more years in the silver category, being the undisputed starter and key player.
– With Betis he soon became the undisputed starter and played two seasons at a very high level.
– In the green and white team he coincided with another Balkan, Hristo Vidakovic, who arrived at Betis the same year.
– Due to his connection with Betis, when Gordillo became president of the club in 2010, Stosic joined as sports director of the green and white club, a position he held until 2013.
– In 2016, Stosic was arrested by the National Police, accused of an alleged case of sexual assault.
– He is 1.79 meters tall.
Biography, honors, statistics: Vlada Stosic was born on January 31, 1965 in Vranje, Yugoslavia. He debuted as a professional in 1984 at Red Star, which loaned him for a year to the Australian JUST in 1986. In 1987 he was loaned to Rad and in 1988 to Radnicki Nis. In 1992, Stosic arrived at Mallorca and two years later he was hired by Real Betis, where he spent another two seasons. In 1997 he had an experience in the Mexican Atlante and later that year he went to the Portuguese Vitória de Setúbal, where he retired in 1998. In his record he has three leagues and two Yugoslav cups, plus a European Cup and an Intercontinental Cup. He played a match with Yugoslavia.
See you tomorrow.
