Josip Skoblar

Josip Skoblar is one of the greatest legends in the history of the French league and Olympique de Marseille, with whom he broke the incredible record for most goals scored in a French league season: 44.

547

Games

317

Goals

Assists

Trophies

1958/59 NK Zadar (formerly YOU)

1959/66 OFK Belgrade (formerly YOU) 200 matches, 82 goals

(Yugoslav League: 162 matches, 63 goals)

(Yugoslav Cup: 20 matches, 10 goals)

(UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 9 matches, 5 goals)

(UEFA Cup: 9 matches, 4 goals)

1966/70 Hannover (GER) 68 matches, 37 goals

(German League: 57 matches, 30 goals)

(German Cup: 4 matches, 3 goals)

(UEFA Cup: 7 matches, 4 goals)

1966/67 Olympique de Marseille (FRA) (Loan) 18 matches, 17 goals

(French Championship: 15 matches, 13 goals)

(Coupe de France: 3 matches, 4 goals)

1969/75 Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 192 matches, 159 goals

(French Championship: 159 matches, 138 goals)

(Coupe de France: 22 matches, 15 goals)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 5 matches, 2 goals)

(UEFA Cup: 6 matches, 4 goals)

1974/77 NK Rijeka (formerly YOU) 37 matches, 11 goals

(Yugoslavian Championship: 36 matches, 11 goals)

(Yugoslavian Cup: 1 match)

With the National Team :

32 caps, 11 goals

(Friendly matches: 17 caps, 7 goals)

(World Cup Qualifiers: 4 caps)

(World Cup Qualifiers: 5 caps, 1 goal)

(Euro Qualifiers: 6 caps, 3 goals)

First cap: May 7, 1961 against Hungary (2-4)

Last cap: October 7, 1967 against West Germany (1-3)

Josip Skoblar

Born March 12, 1941 in Privlaka (YOU)

Croatian/Yugoslav, Striker/Left-Winger, 1.82m

Nicknames: The Dalmatian Angel, "Josko"

The very promising player from Yugoslavia

Josip Skoblar was born on March 12, 1941, in Privlaka, Yugoslavia. He began his career in 1958, at the age of 17, with NK Zadar. It didn't take long for OFK Belgrade to decide to recruit him and make him their center forward. There, he played 200 matches, but above all, he proved decisive in matches, scoring 5 goals in 9 Cup Winners' Cup matches and 4 goals in 9 Europa League matches. With his club, he finished runner-up in the Yugoslav championship in 1964 and won two Yugoslav Cups in 1962 and 1966. Skoblar was already one of the best strikers in Eastern Europe.

A Yugoslav international at the age of 20, his career with Yugoslavia lasted only six years, due to his desire to play abroad. He therefore only played 32 times and scored 11 goals for his country.

The legendary striker of Olympique de Marseille

Yes, in the summer of 1966, the striker decided to join the German club Hannover, but a letter from the Yugoslav federation prevented him from playing his first season in Germany, so he was loaned to Olympique de Marseille, the beginning of a wonderful adventure in Western Europe.

In his first match with Olympique de Marseille, Skoblar scored his first goal. With a goal-per-game ratio of almost 1 (17 goals in 18 matches), he was the number one attraction of the 1966/67 season in France. But he was quickly forcibly recalled by the German club, where he waited until the end of his contract to return to Olympique de Marseille.

Nicknamed "the Dalmatian Eagle" for his precision in front of the opposing goal, he was a complete player. At 1.82 meters tall, he was one of the best aerialists. Excellent with both feet, he loved to make subtle shots and score goals after goals, a trait that would continue to be confirmed at Marseille.

Alongside another Olympique de Marseille legend, Roger Magnusson, he formed one of the most legendary duos in the history of the French league. Becoming one of the most decisive strikers of his decade, he won two French championships in 1971 and 1972 and the 1972 Coupe de France. But what will forever be remembered is his goal-scoring record during the 1970/1971 season, with 44 league goals.

He scored nine braces, three hat-tricks, and one quadruple during that fabulous 1970/71 season. In the last five matches of the season, he scored 12 goals! His season was completely crazy, scoring a total of 58 goals in 52 matches! He won the European Golden Shoe and was one of the best strikers in the world. He then continued his career in the 1971/72 season, where he was once again phenomenal, scoring 40 goals in 45 matches.

Scoring a string of goals, he finally left France in the 1974 winter transfer window to join Rijeka, his native country. He then spent three final seasons in Yugoslavia before retiring at the age of 36. He will have scored a total of 27 goals in 42 matches in European competitions.