Zdenko KOBESCAK
Presentation
Retired
CROATIA
Born | Dec 3, 1943 Zagreb, YUGOSLAVIA | |||||
Age | 80 years old | |||||
Size | 1.69 m | |||||
Position | Midfielder | |||||
Arrival(s) |
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Departure(s) |
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Selections | Yougoslavie A | |||||
Career |
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Zdenko Kobescak was a Yugoslav international who was awarded two caps for his national team. He began his footballing apprenticeship in his hometown, with Dinamo Zagreb, aged 14. He would go on to spend the majority of his career there, turning professional in 1962, notably winning two national cups for Zagreb, in 1963 and 1965. He was a predominantly a midfielder by trade, but was sometimes deployed in attack. He would see his game-time diminish over the years, and decided to leave the club in 1967. He signed for local rivals NK Zagreb, where he spent a season, but with much the same problem with a lack of action. In 1968, he moved on to Maribor (now in Slovenia), spending three seasons there, and where he would become a first-choice member in the starting line-up as a midfielder. After the departure of Naumovic, Stade Rennais signed Kobescak in 1971. A regular in the first XI at the beginning of the season, he found himself used both in midfield, but also as a winger. Unfortunately, he suffered from the competition for his place from Kéruzoré and Garcia, and gradually ended up being sidelined progressively. On 28th August 1971, he would score Rennes' 1500th competitive goal in the First Division, when he opened the scoring against Ajaccio. With twenty or so appearances to his name in a Red and Black shirt, he would leave the club after a reasonable 1971/1972 season. He remained in France for one more year, playing for Montluçon in the Second Division. He finished his playing career in 1973, and then returned home to his hometown club, Dinamo Zagreb as a manager and coach for the youth teams there. He would even take over on a couple of occasions as Caretaker-Manager of the First Team. In 1990, he was named Assistant Manager to Mirko Jozic for his national team in the U16 European Championships.