Silvester TAKAC

Silvester Takac was developed by Vojdovina Novi Sad, and began his professional en 1958. A adept and formidable player, he enjoyed the heyday of the Yugoslav club over eight seasons. A prolific marksman, he regularly found himself in the top spots of the championship with his team, before finally winning a league title with them in 1966. This lively striker was called up no fewer than 15 times by his national team between 1960 and 1966, even winning a gold medal for his country at the 1960 Olympic Games. A technically-gifted player, he would finally leave his native country to try his luck in France, signing for Stade Rennais in December 1966, in spite of interest from Olympique de Marseille. In his first season, he would prove to be an instant hit, notching nine goals in 18 appearances, and with numerous assists to his name. He would entertain the Rennes fans with his tricky footwork, and would go on to finish the club's top-scorer for two consecutives seasons, scoring 15 and 13 goals respectively in the top flight. After two-and-a-half years in Brittany, he moved on to join Standard Liège in Belgium, with whom he would add to his medals tally, winning two Belgian League titles in 1970 and 1971. Whilst a player, he also studied Political Economics during his spare time, and he reached the peak of his career in 1972, finishing equal top scorer in the European Cup (today's Champions League) with Johan Cruyff on five goals in the tournament, even disposing of the mighty Real Madrid en route, He would eventually finish his playing days with Standard Liège, before embarking on a new career in football management the following season. He started with coaching roles in Germany and in Belgium, before returning to France in 1984 to take charge of Sochaux. He then moved on to RC Paris, with whom he would go on to win the Second Division league title, and then Nice, with whom he would win the French Cup in 1997. He finished his coaching career in Africa, firstly in Morocco, and then finally with one last post in Tunisia.