Ex-Yugoslavia international footballer Gudelj dies at 66
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Former Yugoslavia defensive midfielder and Croatia’s first-division side Hajduk Split legend Ivan Gudelj died aged 66, the club said Wednesday.
“The entire Hajduk family was saddened today by the news that Ivan Gudelj has passed away,” the club said in a statement.
Joining Hajduk Split as a boy, he quickly progressed from a highly talented youngster to one of the most prominent players of his generation and a true club legend, it added.
He remained a one-club player, with Hajduk saying he made 362 appearances and scored 93 goals for the club as youth and senior between 1976 and 1986.
Gudelj played 33 matches for the former Yugoslavia, scoring three goals, and became national team captain at 22.
He was one of the stand-out players of the 1982 World Cup and also played in the 1984 European Championships.
But his career was abruptly cut short in 1986 due to hepatitis B, forcing him to retire as he was about to move to Bordeaux
As a coach Gudelj also briefly led Hajduk Split, as well as Croatia’s Under-17 and Under-19 teams.
AFP
