Full name Blagoje Bratic Role Footballer Name Blagoje Bratic | Playing position Position Defender | |
Date of birth (1946-03-01)March 1, 1946 Date of death July 31, 2008(2008-07-31) (aged 62) Place of death Toronto, Ontario, Canada Died July 31, 2008, Toronto, Canada | ||
Place of birth Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | ||
Blagoje “Blažo” Bratić (March 1, 1946 – July 31, 2008) was a Bosnian footballer and manager.
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Playing career
Born in Sarajevo, he started playing football in Pretis Vogošća (later known as UNIS, and today as FK Vogošća) at the age of 14. As a talented youngster, he moved to FK Željezničar where he would become one of the more notable Yugoslav defenders at the time. He made his debut for Željo's first team in 1964, and was a standout member of the club's greatest generation that won its only Yugoslav First League title in 1972. He played 343 official competitive games for FK Željezničar, more than anyone in the club's 86-year-old history. He scored a total of 32 goals for the club in all competitions.
Bratić collected three caps for the Yugoslav national team.
He decided to end his playing career in 1976, at the age of 30.
Coaching career
He stayed in football, however, as the head coach of lower division sides such as Lokomotiva Brčko, Famos Hrasnica, GOŠK Dubrovnik, and Iskra Bugojno, before finally getting a chance to lead a top-division team with FK Željezničar in the first part of 1987/88 season. In the early 1990s he coached in Malaysia.
In 1994, Bratić and his family fled to Toronto to escape the Bosnian War. For some time, he worked as sports director and coach of the Toronto Metro Lions.
Personal life
Bratić was married to his wife Miza with whom he had two sons named Denis and Saša.
Death
Bratić died on July 31, 2008 at the age of 62. He is interred in Toronto's York Cemetery.