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.
| 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 | |||
His family originates from Čakovec, Međimurje County, and he spent most of his time there.
Playing career
editVabec 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
editAlthough 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
editIn 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
