A lot has changed in the 25 years since the war in Yugoslavia split the country into several nations. One noticeable impact is the way that it changed the face, and history, of international football forever. Although the ban on the Yugoslav national team was not implemented until 1992, the conflict had begun more than a year previously.
In 1991, Red Star Belgrade became the first Yugoslavian side to win the European Cup, and many pundits predicted that the country’s national team would go on to win the European Championship the following year. Unfortunately, these predictions never had a chance to be put to the test. On 31st May 1992, UEFA banned Yugoslavia from international football, and replaced them with Denmark at the tournament. This was less than two weeks before the 1992 European Championship was due to begin.
Those who had predicted a Yugoslav triumph believed they were correct in their assumptions when the Danes went on to win, beating Germany in the final of a tournament they hadn’t originally qualified for. They could also point to the fact that only a penalty shootout against Argentina stopped them reaching the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup.
One impact of the war was that Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia broke away and formed their own national teams, with Bosnia and Herzegovina following shortly after. All that remained were Serbia and Montenegro, who were readmitted in 1995 under the Yugoslavian name.
There is no doubt that, in contrast to the country as a whole, Yugoslav football was at an all-time high at this time. Red Star’s European Cup win and the fact that the national team were seen as outright favourites for Euro ‘92 leaves one wondering how they might have fared in the later tournaments, based on the assumption that they would have qualified. Featured below is a summary of what might have happened, along with what their 22 man squad might have looked like and the clubs those players actually played for at the time.
World Cup ‘94
There can be no doubt that this was a fantastic tournament. It was one of those World Cups where every star player seemed to be on top form. Stoichkov, Romário, Baggio, Hagi, Batistuta and Klinnsmann all dazzled in the United States, who had waited a lifetime to host the most prestigious of football events. It was also a tournament of upsets, with Argentina and Germany both suffering exits to teams they were expected to beat comfortably.
Many believe that had Roberto Baggio been fully fit, instead of playing with his leg strapped up to protect a hamstring injury, the Italian legend would not have been in a position to miss that crucial penalty that handed the trophy to Brazil. Even though he was injured, he almost won the World Cup Final on his own. As great a team as Brazil were, they probably would not have been have as effective without Romario leading their attack.
A team featuring the majority of that Red Star side would not have feared anybody at the tournament, and most of them were in their early to mid-twenties at the time. Dejan Savićević had just destroyed Barcelona in the Champions League Final, and would have fancied his chances on the biggest stage of all.
Throw in a few from Croatia; by this time a striker by the name of Davor Šuker was making a name for himself in Spain (although the rest of the world had not yet been alerted to his talents) with Sevilla. It is well-documented as to how Darko Pančev suffered a massive dip in form following his move to Inter, but he may well have stayed at Red Star had the country’s circumstances not changed. Had this been the case, he probably would have continued scoring at the same rate. The thought of those two strikers up front, with Alen Bokšić pushing them for a place, would be enough to give any defence a sleepless night.
The Yugoslav national team would have had quality all through the squad and, unlike a lot of teams at the tournament, not reliant on one star player.
Goalkeepers: Dražen Ladić (Dinamo Zagreb), Tomislav Ivković (Vitória Setúbal), Stevan Stojanović (Antwerp)
Defenders: Refik Šabanadžović (AEK Athens), Miroslav Đukić (Deportivo La Coruna), Siniša Mihajlović (Roma), Robert Jarni (Torino), Slaven Bilić (Karlsruher), Ilija Nadjoski (Real Valladolid), Nikola Jerkan (Real Oviedo), Željko Petrović (Den Bosch)
Midfielders: Vladimir Jugović (Sampdoria), Dragan Stojković (Marseille), Robert Prosinečki (Real Madrid), Dejan Savićević (Milan), Zvonomir Boban (Milan), Mario Stanić (Sporting Gijón), Ljubinko Drulović (Porto)
Forwards: Darko Pančev (Inter), Davor Šuker (Sevilla), Alen Bokšić (Lazio), Predrag Mijatović (Valencia)
Euro ‘96
After a build up to the 1996 European Championship that promised little, host nation England surprised everyone at the tournament by reaching the semi-final and restoring some national pride. There were, however, a few surprise packages at the tournament – one of which was Croatia.
Little was known about the team in the red and white chequered shirts prior to the tournament, as most of their players were scattered all over Europe in teams not regarded as elite clubs. The player who was tipped to be a star was the captain, Milan midfielder Zvonomir Boban. While he had a solid tournament, a new star was born in Davor Šuker who made Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel look very foolish in the group stages, beating him with a beautifully chipped finish. Shortly after the tournament he signed for Real Madrid.
Robert Prosinečki was the only player in the squad to have played in Red Star’s triumph five years earlier, and by this time he was clearly not the same player – although still a class act in his own right. Croatia gained many admirers during Euro’96, and could consider themselves unfortunate to be eliminated at the hands of eventual winners Germany.
Imagine if some of his old team-mates had been alongside him at the tournament, which would have been the case had Yugoslavia still been one nation. With five years more experience, and most of them at their peak by this point, they would have been considered one of the favourites, possibly even defending a title they may have won four years earlier.
Goalkeepers: Dražen Ladić (Dinamo Zagreb), Stevan Stojanović (Antwerp) Tomislav Ivković (Vitória Setúbal)
Defenders: Miroslav Đukić (Deportivo La Coruna), Siniša Mihajlović (Sampdoria), Robert Jarni (Real Betis), Slaven Bilić (Karlsruher), Igor Štimac (Derby County), Goran Đorović (Red Star Belgrade), Zvonimir Soldo (Dinamo Zagreb)
Midfielders: Vladimir Jugović (Juventus), Zvonomir Boban (Milan), Robert Prosinečki (Barcelona), Dejan Savićević (Milan), Dragan Stojković (Grampus Eight), Mario Stanić (Club Brugges), Aljoša Asanović (Hadjuk Split), Ljubinko Drulović (Porto)
Forwards: Alen Bokšić (Lazio), Goran Vlaović (Padova), Davor Šuker (Sevilla), Predrag Mijatović (Valencia)
World Cup ‘98
Another World Cup that included plenty of shocks, none more so than in the Final itself. Prior to the tournament, everyone was certain that the Ronaldo-inspired Brazil would walk away with the trophy. As everyone now knows, that didn’t happen, but what did happen was that Croatia once again showed everyone just how talented the players from the Balkan regions could be.
Davor Šuker walked away with the Golden Boot by scoring six times at the tournament, as Croatia surprised the entire world by claiming a third place finish, beating Holland and Germany along the way. They could also consider themselves unlucky that the only goals Lillian Thuram scored for France in his entire career happened to be against them in the semi-final.
The new Yugoslavia team, consisting of players from Serbia and Montenegro, also competed at the tournament, but were eliminated by Holland in the first knockout round. Their squad included the striker who had recently scored the winning goal in that season’s Champions League Final, Predrag Mijatović.
By the time this tournament was contested, most of the Red Star team that had made Yugoslavia such a force were either retired, reaching the end of their careers or past their best. As you can see by the difference in the squad below, new faces were starting to make their presence felt on the European stage.
This tournament may well have represented the weakest squad of the three tournaments, but they still would have had a good chance. Croatia finished third at the tournament, and were 44 minutes away from the final. Players like Mijatović, Jugović and Mihajlović may well have made them stronger, and pushed them the extra mile to glory.
As separate nations there were a few holes in their respective teams, but as one country they might well have flourished. Then again, if Ronaldo hadn’t had a seizure just hours before the final, it might have been a different game altogether and Brazil may have retained their trophy. Unfortunately, in both cases, we’ll never know for sure.
Goalkeepers: Dražen Ladić (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivica Kralj (Partizan Belgrade), Stevan Stojanović (Antwerp).
Defenders: Goran Đorović (Celta Vigo), Slaven Bilić (Everton), Siniša Mihajlović (Sampdoria), Robert Jarni (Real Betis), Miroslav Đukić (Valencia), Dario Šimić (Dinamo Zagreb).
Midfielders: Vladimir Jugović (Lazio), Zvonomir Boban (Milan), Aljoša Asanović (Napoli), Dragan Stojković (Grampus Eight), Dejan Savićević (Milan), Robert Prosinečki (Dinamo Zagreb), Mario Stanić (Valencia), Slaviša Jokanović (Tenerife).
Forwards: Davor Šuker (Real Madrid), Predrag Mijatović (Real Madrid), Goran Vlaović (Valencia), Darko Kovačević (Real Sociedad), Alen Bokšić (Lazio)
Conclusion
While nobody can say for sure that Yugoslavia would have dominated the international scene in the 1990’s had they stayed as one country, the evidence above shows that they would have had a strong team. A good number of these players went on to have long and successful careers in Italy and Spain, quite a few playing for the biggest clubs in these countries. Italy was generally accepted as the best league in the world during this period, and the best players plied their trade there at that time. Look how many of the players above did just that.
The hardest part to judge is exactly how many of the players that would have made up a Yugoslav national team would have stayed in their home country, had it not been for the war. There is no doubt that a few would have defected, as Red Star’s European triumph put the spotlight on all of those players, and the big money offers would have rolled in.
Another point worth considering is that the ban on international football will probably have impacted the careers of some of the players listed above. There have been many instances of players securing big money moves to high profile clubs following a great showing at an international tournament. In the days before the internet and every Champions League game being available at the touch of a button, showpieces such as the World Cup provided the best exposure a footballer could have. Many of those players probably look back and wonder what might have been.
If the war had not happened, or been delayed by maybe five to ten years, there is a good chance that the European Championship or the World Cup would have Yugoslavia written on it. Unfortunately, because of it, all one can do is speculate about another team that never had a chance to realise its true potential.
