Velija "Dedo" Bećirspahić (1943-1987) was a Bosnian football player and a coach. Widely known by his nickname Dedo (grandpa) due to early hair hoariness, he spent his entire professional career with FK Željezničar.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Velija Bećirspahić | ||
| Date of birth | 1 January 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Sarajevo, Independent State of Croatia | ||
| Date of death | 1987 | ||
| Place of death | Sarajevo | ||
| Position(s) | Leftback or Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Pofalićki | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1967–1974 | Željezničar | 191 | (9) |
| 1975 | Jedinstvo | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career edit
He started his career in FK Pofalićki, a small club from Sarajevo. He was spotted there by coaches of Željezničar Sarajevo and in 1967 signed a contract with the club[1] in which he would spend the rest of his career. At first, this left-footed player was a winger, but later he was moved to defence. He would become one of the most recognizable left backs in Yugoslav First League with a hard-nosed, old school attitude - "ball can get through, but not the player".[2]
He played 222 matches in all competitions for Željezničar, scoring 12 goals. He was a member of the team that won Yugoslav championship in 1971–72 season.[3] He retired in 1975.
Managerial career edit
After that, he became a coach of FK Željezničar youth squad. In 1978, Ivica Osim selected him to be one of his assistant coaches in FK Željezničar.[2]
Personal life edit
He suffered from and then died of cancer.
References edit
- ^ Sastavi po sezonama - FK Željezničar
- ^ a b Iz ugla | Velija Bećirspahić - 1921 (in Bosnian)
- ^ History: Željo’s Generation that won the first Championship Title - Sarajevo Times