Would Yugolsavia have won a major tournament

Alan_Morton

Well-Known Member
Had the region not descended into a brutal and bloody war?

Hard to think they wouldn't have been serious contenders especially in the 90s with the quality they would have had at their disposal.
 
I don't think so. You need something special to win one of the tournaments and Croatia have always been the better former Yugoslav team, would any Serbian, Bosnian or Slovenian players bring them to that level? Probably not.
 
I know what you mean mate but I'm not sure. Look at the talent available to the old USSR before the fall of communism, yet at every major tournament they played they were utterly unimpressive. Think history shows that the big boys win the tournaments with Greece and Denmark being a blip at the European level. Could the Yugos have been one of those blips? Certainly and due to the flow of history we will never know.
 
It's possible. They did pretty well at Italia 90, losing on penalties in the QF. Also impressive in qualifying for the 1992 Euro's before they were banned.

That tournament might've been the 'sweet spot' in terms given the group of players they had in that period.
 
Had the region not descended into a brutal and bloody war?

Hard to think they wouldn't have been serious contenders especially in the 90s with the quality they would have had at their disposal.
The infighting would have pit paid to any chance.
Depending on the manager, it'd basically be Croatia, with a few "cocky outsiders who think they are better than they are".
The lack of unity, although a better squad, would probably have seen them worse off rather than better.
 
Had the region not descended into a brutal and bloody war?

Hard to think they wouldn't have been serious contenders especially in the 90s with the quality they would have had at their disposal.


Doubt it mate.

They all hated each other so much, it would've been difficult to form any sort of team spirit.

Their hatred of each other is entrenched in their history and even in WW2 they were on different sides.
The Serbs still despise the Croatians for siding with Hitler and the Nazis, while Tito and his Partisans were fighting against them.

I think they had some great players in the 70s, but never managed to do themselves justice.
 
They’d some squad of players tho , mihjalovic , one o the best free kick takers ever , Robert prosineski , can’t quite believe they never won the euros but then imo there were far better footballers on the go back then than now and every country had them
 
I don't think so. You need something special to win one of the tournaments and Croatia have always been the better former Yugoslav team, would any Serbian, Bosnian or Slovenian players bring them to that level? Probably not.
I don't think so either but in the recent past some Serbs and Bosnians would have strengthened a 'Yugoslavia' team ie Kolarov, Tadic, Dzecko and Pjanic to name a few
 
Would a UK team have won more than England's 1 WC? Think it would've. Full UK team would be a rival for Germany for international success over the years imo.
 
I don't think so. You need something special to win one of the tournaments and Croatia have always been the better former Yugoslav team, would any Serbian, Bosnian or Slovenian players bring them to that level? Probably not.
With the team they would have had with Mikhailovic. Milosevic and Stankovic possibly.
 
Can never say for sure, but there is a very good chance.

For simplicity of argument sake. In the 2018 wc final, Croatia were extremely unlucky. Does everyone honestly believe that the Croatian squad that day, couldnt have been improved with players from other former Yugoslav states? What about Oblak in goal for starters? Matic and Kolarov as well. Yes they absolutely could have won a major tournament.
 
I don't think so either but in the recent past some Serbs and Bosnians would have strengthened a 'Yugoslavia' team ie Kolarov, Tadic, Dzecko and Pjanic to name a few
Plus had it been the full Yugoslavia Zlatan may have chosen to play for them him in a team with Modric and the best Croats and Serbs then who knows
 
Would a UK team have won more than England's 1 WC? Think it would've. Full UK team would be a rival for Germany for international success over the years imo.


Different scenario though mate.

The countries that made up former Yugoslavia despised each other, as the mass genocides after the break up of it, showed.

They could never function as a proper team.
 
Would a UK team have won more than England's 1 WC? Think it would've. Full UK team would be a rival for Germany for international success over the years imo.
That's a great point actually. Add Giggs (even tho he's a sleeze bag), Bale, George Best, Dalgliesh etc to any era and it undoubtedly strengthens the team.
 
I know what you mean mate but I'm not sure. Look at the talent available to the old USSR before the fall of communism, yet at every major tournament they played they were utterly unimpressive. Think history shows that the big boys win the tournaments with Greece and Denmark being a blip at the European level. Could the Yugos have been one of those blips? Certainly and due to the flow of history we will never know.

They had a very good record at the European Championships, even winning it.
 
The Red Star Belgrade team that knocked us out of the European Cup and went on to win the competition is the best team I have ever seen. I was in Belgrade and the atmosphere and football was top class. Yes, I think Yugoslavia would have won a major tournament, especially considering that the top nations are no longer all powerful.
 
I once watched a documentary about the Yugoslavian basketball team and the cultural tension destroyed them. There was no unity in the team at all. I imagine the football team would have been similar.

Yeah this 100% there is no unity between them and absolute hatred.

Not a chane in this world that they would have put differences aside in order to win a game of football.

On paper they were some side.

The Red Star Belgrade team that beat us were special in 91. If only they could promote that to the national side.
 
Can never say for sure, but there is a very good chance.

For simplicity of argument sake. In the 2018 wc final, Croatia were extremely unlucky. Does everyone honestly believe that the Croatian squad that day, couldnt have been improved with players from other former Yugoslav states? What about Oblak in goal for starters? Matic and Kolarov as well. Yes they absolutely could have won a major tournament.

this^^ , what that Croatia team was lacking in its squad would probably have been found in the other countries. Also it’s forgotten in France 98 “FR Yougslavia” got to last 16 & got Kb’b by an injury time goal against a very good Dutch side
 
I was actually thinking about this last night and I think yes. Some really good players over that neck of the woods.
 
Would a UK team have won more than England's 1 WC? Think it would've. Full UK team would be a rival for Germany for international success over the years imo.
Probably worthy of a thread in its own right but you would have to imagine it would have been close especially in around 82 when both Scotland and England had a strong team and Northern Ireland did well.

Peter Shilton rather than Alan Rough?
Phil Thompson coming in to play beside Hansen rather than him and Miller falling over each other?
Trevor Francis up front with Dalglish and Robson/Hoddle coming into the midfield?
 
the domestic game over there was awash with the violent clashes in the stands, even players got involved during this period.

1:05, that's Zvonimir Boban attacking a police officer who would turn out to be a great player for Croatia and the player who the whole country saw as the linchpin for all that they stand for

May 13, 1990 that was, game between Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb in the old Yugoslav league


some more information there about it, known as "the game that started the war"
 

1:05, that's Zvonimir Boban attacking a police officer who would turn out to be a great player for Croatia and the player who the whole country saw as the linchpin for all that they stand for

May 13, 1990 that was, game between Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb in the old Yugoslav league


some more information there about it, known as "the game that started the war"

Cheers for that.

loads of other wee documentaries on YT about the political situation and the aftermath.

I read a lot of the history about the start of that war and by the time I was three quarters of the way through it turns into mental gymnastics trying to keep up with it.

that stuff is centuries old. some of the worst things like digging up dead bodies so that they can never rest in peace is way beyond human actions!
 
They would have had much chance as Greece of winning a euros. Considering Red Star were that good, the NT might have been in with a shot.
 
As mentioned before they qualified standing on their head unbeaten winning 6 out of 8 for Euro 92 before the Balkans war started and they were turfed out.
Supremely talented squad at that time, made up predominantly of the Red Star Belgrade team but as with the basketball team that won the World Championship just before the war started, the old ethnic tensions would have resurfaced.
If you haven’t seen it watch “Once Brothers” about 2 lifelong friends, one Serb and one Croat who fell out over an incident at the basketball it’s on BT Sport.
 
I know what you mean mate but I'm not sure. Look at the talent available to the old USSR before the fall of communism, yet at every major tournament they played they were utterly unimpressive. Think history shows that the big boys win the tournaments with Greece and Denmark being a blip at the European level. Could the Yugos have been one of those blips? Certainly and due to the flow of history we will never know.
Thing is, the USSR pretty much put all their sporting focus into ice hockey - largely down to climate.

Obviously they dominated the international hockey scene for the best part of 50 years at both national and club level as a result.

Perhaps if they'd invested in football just a fraction more compared to what they did for the hockey, who knows?
 
Had the region not descended into a brutal and bloody war?

Hard to think they wouldn't have been serious contenders especially in the 90s with the quality they would have had at their disposal.
They produced some excellent players over the years.......who knows ?
 
I think they could have done well, they have reached 2 European championship finals in the past.
 
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Had the region not descended into a brutal and bloody war?

Hard to think they wouldn't have been serious contenders especially in the 90s with the quality they would have had at their disposal.
They never won one in all the years they were together so probably not. They had some tremendous players in the 1990 world cup but were relatively shite.
 
IMO I reckon Yugo would have had a good shot at the Euros before they were kicked out and replaced by Denmark. Between Croatia and Serbia there were some great players at that time. Even in 98 WC Croatia were close to getting to the final. Who knows what a couple of other former Yugoslavia players could have added to the squad.

The 'hatred' between the countries populations is not quite so clear cut, as many were neighbours, friends, even family in the same villages (Tito encouraged inter ethnic marriages as a way to hold the state together). Of course ethnic cleansing on all sides put paid to that. Families were broken up by the war with some siding with Croatia while other family members sided with Serbia. As an example my mate, a Croat, and I went to the Crvena Zvezda game in 2007. We stayed with his Serb nephew (who's mother was my mates sister).
 
They certainly had/would have the talent pool but not sure if the underlying ethnic/nationalist tensions would allow a cohesive unit to prevail.
 
I had the Yugoslavia home kit from 2000, loved that top.

The strikers they had at time were unreal, Pedrag Mijatovic, Savo Melosevic, Darko Kovacevic and Mateja Kezman.

They had that mad bastard Senisa Mihajlovic at the back as well.

Dont think there has ever been a time since when the separate nations could have put a squad together that would have won the World Cup though.
 
Had the region not descended into a brutal and bloody war?

Hard to think they wouldn't have been serious contenders especially in the 90s with the quality they would have had at their disposal.
I have no doubt about it.
Elite football nation.;)
 
Yeah this 100% there is no unity between them and absolute hatred.

Not a chane in this world that they would have put differences aside in order to win a game of football.

On paper they were some side.

The Red Star Belgrade team that beat us were special in 91. If only they could promote that to the national side.

What on earth are you on about man? They won plenty of games of football together.
 
I don't think so either but in the recent past some Serbs and Bosnians would have strengthened a 'Yugoslavia' team ie Kolarov, Tadic, Dzecko and Pjanic to name a few
The team this thread is pretty much based on is the 90s one that would've had Pancev, Savicevic, Stojkovic, Mihajlovic and Mijatovic as its bette players alongside a few Croatians.
 
I know what you mean mate but I'm not sure. Look at the talent available to the old USSR before the fall of communism, yet at every major tournament they played they were utterly unimpressive. Think history shows that the big boys win the tournaments with Greece and Denmark being a blip at the European level. Could the Yugos have been one of those blips? Certainly and due to the flow of history we will never know.

The Soviet Union national team won the Euros and finished runners up 3 times.
 
The Soviet Union national team won the Euros and finished runners up 3 times.
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IMO I reckon Yugo would have had a good shot at the Euros before they were kicked out and replaced by Denmark. Between Croatia and Serbia there were some great players at that time. Even in 98 WC Croatia were close to getting to the final. Who knows what a couple of other former Yugoslavia players could have added to the squad.

The 'hatred' between the countries populations is not quite so clear cut, as many were neighbours, friends, even family in the same villages (Tito encouraged inter ethnic marriages as a way to hold the state together). Of course ethnic cleansing on all sides put paid to that. Families were broken up by the war with some siding with Croatia while other family members sided with Serbia. As an example my mate, a Croat, and I went to the Crvena Zvezda game in 2007. We stayed with his Serb nephew (who's mother was my mates sister).
I went to Yugoslavia for the Scotland game I think in 89/90 & we were well beat.
I was there with my family for a fortnight & septic were playing Partisan Belgrade the next week, I watched that game with the hotel staff in their quarters as it was the place to see the game these guys couldn't understand why I was supporting the same team as them , bearing in mind I was in what is now Croatia & Partisan were from Serbia.
Good result anyway as the rotten mob got beat

However in the same competition when Yugoslavia were put out & Denmark took their place, I remember my mate & I had a bet on the European final in 92
Denmark half time- Germany full time
Denmark half time- draw full time
Denmark half time- Denmark full time
Jon Jensen scored in the first half!!!!
We couldn't get beat, one of the best bets I've ever had

At that time the Yugoslav,s were some team & more than capable of going the full distance
 
What on earth are you on about man? They won plenty of games of football together.

They were one of the favs to win Euro 92 when war broke out, on the back of an undefeated qualifying campaign ffs. Loads of them have played as club teammates at points as well. Weird that people seem to think you cant play football in a team with people you dont like.

The Dutch notoriously couldnt stand one another, still got to major tournament finals. N.I played and won games together during the troubles. Pique declared himself Catalan, (others including Xavi and Iniesta felt that way too), not Spanish and won every tournament going. Teams have been dealing with divisions since the beginning of football.
 
On talent alone, they were very close.

Ive been looking for a book dedicated to that period in Yugoslavia. Only managed to find these two articles which are very good.


 

1:05, that's Zvonimir Boban attacking a police officer who would turn out to be a great player for Croatia and the player who the whole country saw as the linchpin for all that they stand for

May 13, 1990 that was, game between Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb in the old Yugoslav league


some more information there about it, known as "the game that started the war"
Actually there was a yugoslavian league the season after that game.

It was just a warm up for the future. Didnt start it though.
 
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