| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1913-01-07)7 January 1913 | ||
| Place of birth | Sarajevo,Austro-Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 1 March 2003(2003-03-01) (aged 90) | ||
| Place of death | Zagreb,Croatia | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1929–1930 | Hajduk Sarajevo | ||
| 1930–1932 | Slavija Osijek | ||
| 1932–1937 | BSK | 46 | (0) |
| 1937–1940 | Građanski Zagreb | 43 | (0) |
| 1945–1947 | Partizan | 16 | (0) |
| 1947–1949 | Mornar Split | ||
| International career | |||
| 1933–1940 | Yugoslavia | 35 | (0) |
| 1940–1944 | Croatia | 11 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1945–1946 | Partizan | ||
| 1947–1948 | Kvarner Rijeka | ||
| 1948–1949 | Mornar Split | ||
| 1949–1950 | Kvarner Rijeka | ||
| 1950–1953 | Vardar | ||
| 1954–1956 | Rijeka | ||
| 1968–1970 | NK Zagreb | ||
| Borac Banja Luka | |||
| Sloga Doboj | |||
| Trešnjevka | |||
| Rudar Breza | |||
| Bratstvo Novi Travnik | |||
| Klagenfurt | |||
| Velež Mostar | |||
| Sartid Smederevo | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Franjo Glaser (alternativelyGlazer; 7 January 1913 – 1 March 2003)[1] was a Croatianfootballgoalkeeper andfootball manager. He is the only Yugoslav footballer who won national titles before and after the Second World War, with three clubsBSK Belgrade,Građanski Zagreb andFK Partizan.[2]
Glaser was born inSarajevo.[2] He started playing for SK Hajduk Sarajevo having debuted for their first team being only 15. He was Hajduk goalkeeper in their games in the1930 Yugoslav Cup.[3] In 1930 he moved toNK Slavija Osijek where he will play until 1933 when he moved toBSK. With BSK he made an immediate impact becoming the club's main goalkeeper, and already that year he became a national team player, as well. He played with BSK between 1933 and 1937 winning theYugoslav championship on two occasions, in1935 and1936, and playing a total of 269 matches with the club.[4]
In summer 1936 he was considered guilty by the court in Belgrade of the drowning of one boy in the Sava river resort. The episode affected Glaser and ended up being decisive in his to move to another giant of Yugoslav football, Zagreb'sHŠK Građanski. He acquired an almost a legendary status there. He restored his place as the national team main goalkeeper, and with Građanski he will win another Yugoslav championship in1940 as well as theCroatian championship in 1943. He played a total of 623 games for Građanski.[4]
After the end of the Second World War,Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was formed, he signed withPartizan where he won another Yugoslav title in1947. After that season, he became simultaneously coach and goalkeeper of NK Mornar Split, where he will stay until 1949.[4]
Between 1933 and 1949 he played a total of 1,225 matches. Tall, strong, elastic, with excellent reflexes and brave interventions, he is definitely considered one of the best Yugoslav players from that period. He has also the impressive record of having defended 73 of 94 penalties he stood against.[5]
While playing for BSK and Građanski Glaser was the regular goalkeeper of theYugoslavia national team having earned a total of 35 caps. His debut was on 3 April 1933 in a friendly match against Spain, 1–1 draw, and his fairway was in a friendly played on 3 November 1940 against Germany, 2–0 win.[4]
After the invasion ofYugoslavia, Glaser played further eleven matches for theCroatia national team, all four matches thatBanovina Croatia played, and seven matches for theIndependent State of Croatia.[5] His final international was an April 1944friendly match againstSlovakia.[6]
When coming to the newly formedFK Partizan in 1945 Glaser beside their goalkeeper became their first manager. However that year the league has not been yet reestablished and by the end of the year he was replaced by the HungarianIllés Spitz. He stayed in Belgrade until 1947, but when he moved to Mornar Split he would experience again the feeling of being a manager/player. This early coaching experiences proved to be an excellent way of gaining experience, and Glaser later managed numerous clubs, such asNK Dinamo Zagreb,NK Kvarner Rijeka,NK Proleter Osijek,FK Borac Banja Luka,NK Trešnjevka, Austria FC Klagenfurt (today'sFC Kärnten) andFK Sartid Smederevo, among others.[4]
He spent his final years at a retirement home in Zagreb. He is buried inMirogoj Cemetery.[7]
BSK
Građanski Zagreb
Partizan