Best Bosnian Footballer of the Last Century Celebrates Birthday

(Patria) - Safet Sušić - Pape was born on April 13, 1955. Sušić was one of the best footballers in Europe and the world in his generation. He began his career at Krivaja from Zavidovići, where he started playing in the first team at the age of 16. He started the 1972/73 season as a player for FK Sarajevo, first as a junior, and then on August 3, 1973, he debuted in the starting lineup of the seniors.

After his debut, came the days that fans of the team from Koševsko brdo, as well as all football lovers, fondly remember. Namely, in the next ten years, and in 350 matches played, Sušić scored about 250 goals for the team from Koševsko brdo, and also recorded a large number of assists. Sušić debuted for the SFR Yugoslavia national team on October 5, 1977, in Budapest against Hungary, scoring 2 goals on that occasion. In the next match, against Romania in Bucharest, he scored 3 goals - his first hat-trick for the national team, followed by another against Italy, in a match played in Zagreb in June 1978, and another against the then world champions Argentina, two months later in Belgrade. In total, Pape played 51 matches and scored 21 goals for the national team of the former Yugoslavia between 1977 and 1990.

Regarding the awards won, in 1979 Sušić was chosen as the best athlete of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as the best footballer of Yugoslavia. In 1981, he received the Sixth of April Award of the City of Sarajevo. After brilliant performances for the national team and club, he finally met the legal requirement (28 years of age needed to move abroad), and the first offers from major European clubs arrived. The affair with Inter is well-known, where Sušić allegedly signed a preliminary contract, however, Torino got involved with a better offer, and after Sušić decided to sign for Torino, Inter appealed to the Italian Football Federation, and as a result, Sušić received a one-year suspension for entering Italy.

After that, Pape moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 1982, where he stayed for 9 years, leaving a significant mark, and was declared the best player of the club of all time. In 1983, he was officially declared the best foreign player in France.

In 1992, Pape ended his football career at the French club Red Star. As is usually the case, after his playing career, Pape started coaching. He coached French club Cannes, Turkish clubs Istanbulspor, Konyaspor, Ankaragücü, clubs in Saudi Arabia, and then Turkish club Rizespor. As a coach of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian national football team, he managed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

It should also be added that in 2000, on the occasion of UEFA's 50th anniversary, Pape was officially declared the best Bosnian footballer of the last century.