Safet Susic

Safet Sušić
Personal information
Full name	Safet Sušić
Date of birth	(1955-04-13) 13 April 1955 (age 59)
Place of birth	Zavidovići, FPR Yugoslavia
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current club	Bosnia and Herzegovina (manager)
Youth career
1971–1972	FK Krivaja
1972–1973	FK Sarajevo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1973–1982	FK Sarajevo	221	(86)
1982–1991	Paris Saint-Germain	343	(86)
1991–1992	Red Star Saint-Ouen	17	(3)
Total		581	(175)
National team
1977–1990	Yugoslavia	54	(21)
1993	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	(0)
Teams managed
1994–1995	Cannes
1996–1998	İstanbulspor
2001	Al-Hilal
2004–2005	Konyaspor
2005–2006	Ankaragücü
2006	Çaykur Rizespor
2008	Çaykur Rizespor
2008–2009	Ankaraspor
2009–	Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Safet "Pape" Sušić (born 13 April 1955) is a Bosnian former footballer and current manager of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In his playing days, he operated as an attacking midfielder with superb passing ability and an excellent goalscoring record. In 2010, he was voted Paris Saint-Germain's best player of all time by French sport magazine France Football.^[1] In 2012, he was voted the best foreign player of Ligue 1 of all time by French sport magazine France Football.^[2][3] He is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest European players of his generation.

As a player, Sušić is best remembered by many for the three hat-tricks he struck for Yugoslavia in victories against Romania (6–4), Italy (4–1) and Argentina (4–1) in the late 1970s.^[4]

Playing career

Sušić began his career with the football club Krivaja in his hometown Zavidovići. In 1973, he was transferred to FK Sarajevo, where he was to become a legendary figure by the late 1970s. During the 1979–80 season, he was top scorer in the Yugoslav First League with 17 goals. In 1979, he was honoured as the Yugoslav Footballer of the Year, also being selected as the best athlete hailing from the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 1982, Sušić signed with Paris Saint-Germain, where he became a star on the European stage. Hardly ever injured, he performed at a high level well past his 30s. The Yugoslav international was never injured nor suspended, thus allowing him to score 96 goals and make a record 61 assists for PSG between 1982 and 1991. On 22 September 1984, in a 7–1 home drubbing of Bastia, he assisted on five of the side's goals. At 36, Sušić left the capital for a final year with Red Star Saint-Ouen.

During a 13-year span, Sušić appeared 54 times with the Yugoslav national team, netting 21 goals, in spite of the fact that he was always in the role of midfield playmaker. He represented the nation at the 1982 and 1990 World Cups, and at Euro 1984. On 19 June 1990, Sušić opened the score in Yugoslavia's 4–1 World Cup win against the United Arab Emirates, aged 35.

In 2004, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.^[5][6]

Footballer Gerd Müller declared:

"If you were to rank Safet Sušić with the all-time greats, you would have to put him in at least the top 40."

Footballer Darko Pančev declared:

"It's well known how much I valued and still do value Safet Sušić. For me he's unsurpassable, the best Yugoslavia had. Probably one of the best in the world. I was often known to say that us other players should have to pay to play in the same team as Pape. At least I always talked and thought like that. Pape was a treasure for every forward. His crosses were unbelievable. Sometimes his ball would hit me without me even being aware of it. A wonderful player."^[7]

On 5 February 2010, France Football chose Sušić as the best player in the history of Paris Saint-Germain, ahead of players such as Carlos Bianchi, Mustapha Dahleb, Ronaldinho, George Weah, Joël Bats, Raí and Luis Fernández.^[8][9]

Coaching career

Safet Sušić portrait.

Sušić coached Cannes, where he retired as a player, briefly in 1994–95. Between 1997–1999, he managed İstanbulspor during 2003–04, with Konyaspor, and in the first half of 2006–07, taking charge of Çaykur Rizespor (12 matches).^[10]

After he was sacked by Rizespor, another Turkish side, in February 2008,^[11] Sušić was hired by Ankaraspor in March.^[12]

On 28 December 2009, Sušić was named coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team.^[13] His debut was a friendly match against Ghana in Sarajevo. Bosnia and Herzegovina won the game 2–1 after goals from Vedad Ibišević and Miralem Pjanić. After only 2 wins in Sušić's 6 first matches in charge of the national team, including an important 2–0 loss to France in the qualification for Euro 2012, Sušić came under a lot of criticism from several journalists and columnists who called for his head.^[14][15]

Sušić recorded a 1–1 draw with France during a second game in Paris and ensured Bosnia qualified for their second consecutive qualification play-off birth for EURO 2012 to be played against Portugal in November.^[16][17]

From August 2012 to August 2013, Sušić's Bosnia national football side was on a nine-game unbeaten streak run.^[18]

On 8 August 2013, the Bosnian national team achieved their highest ever FIFA ranking, the 13th place.^[19] On 15 October 2013, Bosnia qualified for 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Sušić became the first manager to guide his home nation to their first ever major tournament in history.

Records - as coach

Managerial statistics

Table correct as of 15 June 2014.

Records - International Goals - as player

Honours

Club

FK Sarajevo

• Yugoslav First League Runner-up (1): 1979-80

Paris Saint-Germain

• French League (1): 1985–86; Runner-up (1): 1988–89
• French Cup (1): 1982–83; Runner-up (1): 1984–85

Individual

• Yugoslav First League Top Goalscorer: 1979–80
• French League Best Foreign Player: 1982–83
• SN Yellow Shirt Award: 1979
• Bosnian Footballer of the Year: 1979
• UEFA Jubilee Awards Bosnia's Golden Player: 2004^[21]

Personal life

Sead Sušić, a former footballer, is his older brother. His nephew, Tino-Sven Sušić, is also a footballer.

References

External links