History of FK Partizan
At the time, just months after the World War II in Yugoslavia ended, no organized football competition was yet restored, so Partizan played only friendly games and tournaments both home and abroad.
His implementation of top European training methods and playing tactics, combined with technically gifted squad, proved essential in winning the first championship in debut season, along with the first cup title, thus the first Double winner in the country.
Despite the absence of domestic titles, Partizan's great performances on high quality tournaments throughout Europe gained them significant continental reputation.
The rise of the generation began with Milutin Šoškić, Fahrudin Jusufi, Jovan Miladinović, Velibor Vasović, Milan Galić, Ilija Mitić, Zvezdan Čebinac and Vladica Kovačević.
Very soon, they were joined by Lazar Radović, Velimir Sombolac, Ljubomir Mihajlović and Mustafa Hasanagić, and finally Ivan Ćurković, Josip Pirmajer, Branko Rašović and Radoslav Bečejac.
After eliminating French FC Nantes (2–0, 2–2) and German champion Werder Bremen (3–0, 1–0) in the first two rounds, Partizan were drawn against Sparta Prague in the quarterfinals.
Although they were not given any chances in the return leg in Belgrade, Partizan pulled off a convincing 5–0 win in front of 50.000 spectators,[10] and with aggregate score 6–4 qualified for the semifinals.
The semi-finals would see Partizan taking part in an emotional tie that would bring Manchester United, in their first season back in the European Cup after the Munich disaster, returning to the scene of their final game, at the JNA Stadium, before embarking on that fateful journey home (on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory against Red Star, which was played at JNA Stadium, the aircraft carrying the Manchester United players, officials and journalists crashed while attempting to take off after refuelling in Munich).Manchester United, led by George Best and Bobby Charlton, awaited finally them on the last step to the finals.
Partizan won in a first leg on JNA Stadium with 2–0,[11] and resisted the heavy pressure on Old Trafford, conceding only once, so with 2–1 on aggregate they eliminated English giants.
The arrival of the talented young players Momčilo Vukotić, who came through Partizan's youth ranks, and Nenad Bjeković from Proleter Zrenjanin, announced better days for the Black & Whites.
On 11 July 1976, in Ljubljana, Partizan played the last game of the season against Olimpija and needed a win to clinch the title ahead of rivals Hajduk Split.
Partizan won its 8th title in 1977–78 season,[16] enforced with Nikica Klinčarski, Petar Borota, Slobodan Santrač, Aleksandar Trifunović, Xhevat Prekazi, Pavle Grubješić.
When Momčilo Vukotić, Nenad Stojković, Nikica Klinčarski were joined by Ljubomir Radanović, Zvonko Živković, Zoran Dimitrijević and Dragan Mance, another great generation was formed.
However, after a sequence of appeals and lawsuits which eventually led to Yugoslav Constitutional Court, the original final table of 1985–86 season, with Partizan as champions, was officially recognized in mid-1987.
These controversial events prevented the generation of Milko Đurovski, Fahrudin Omerović, Zvonko Varga, Vladimir Vermezović, Admir Smajić, Goran Stevanović, Nebojša Vučićević, Miloš Đelmaš, Srečko Katanec, Fadil Vokrri and Bajro Župić from showing their full potential in Europe.
[23] After the death of President Josip Broz Tito in 1980, ethnic tension grew in Yugoslavia, with the follow, that in the early 1990s the Yugoslav state began to fall apart, and the civil war broke out.
The confrontations led to the Kosovo War and finally to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, which started 4 days after the 112th Red Star - Partizan derby, and this without UN Mandate,[24] and thus without the permission of the UN.
Well, this decade has been marked by numerous team changes and the circle of selling the best players to richer European clubs after just a couple of seasons of first-team football and replacing them with fresh young talents.
Many players are credited with the successes of the nineties, such as Predrag Mijatović, Slaviša Jokanović, Savo Milošević, Albert Nađ, Dragan Ćirić, Zoran Mirković, Saša Ćurčić, Branko Brnović, Goran Pandurović, Dražen Bolić, Niša Saveljić, Damir Čakar, Budimir Vujačić, Ivan Tomić, Georgi Hristov, Đorđe Tomić, Ivica Kralj, Mateja Kežman and many others.
For the first time in its history, the club played in the UEFA Champions League after eliminating Bobby Robson′s Newcastle United with its star Alan Shearer.
In Belgrade, Partizan lost by 0–1, but in rematch at St James' Park, they won by Ivica Iliev's goal in regular time and achieved the group stages after penalty shoot-out.
[29] The Partizan Stadium was a tough ground for the opposition and the team did not lose a home match, playing 0–0 with the famous Galácticos Real Madrid side which included Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl and David Beckham; and 1–1 with Porto, led by manager José Mourinho; and Marseille with its superstars Fabien Barthez and Didier Drogba, while playing some inspired football in the away match in Madrid (0–1), Marseille (0–3) and Porto (1–2).
The last two rounds in the group have also brought inspired football, but unfortunately it wasn't enough so Shakhtar Donetsk and The Gunners defeated Partizan once again, 0–3 in Belgrade and 1–3 at the Emirates Stadium.
In the following season, the elimination during the 2012 Europa League qualifying stage, did not affect the club in national championship, but after the half-season, Stanojević was released.
[50] Following the victory in the eternal derby and in pre-last round, Rašović secured a sixth consecutive title, a total of 25th in history of the club.
[53] Popular "black and whites" began excellent the Europa League and remained undefeated against the English giant Tottenham, but in the next four games were defeated.
The club failed to reach the group stage of UEFA Europe League, after eliminating Rudar Pljevlja, Trakai and FC Nordsjaelland in the qualifiers, but suffering 1-4 (1-1, 0-3) aggregate defeat against Besiktas in the play-offs.
[68] Milošević experienced a difficult start of his coaching career, but managed to consolidate the team, promote several excellent prospects from the youth academy, and lead Partizan to win the record, fourth consecutive Serbian Cup, after beating the arch-rivals Red Star at their stadium on 23 May 2019.
[69] Capo Verde international Ricardo Gomes finished the season with 26 goals under his belt, which made him the joint best foreign striker in club history.
[70] Many players contributed to successes of the last twelve years, some of them are Mladen Krstajić, Saša Ilić, Ivica Iliev, Zvonimir Vukić, Igor Duljaj, Vladimir Ivić, Danko Lazović, Taribo West, Andrija Delibašić, Ivan Tomić, Simon Vukčević, Milan Smiljanić, Zoran Tošić, Stevan Jovetić, Ivan Obradović, Veljko Paunović, Nenad Đorđević, Radosav Petrović, Almami Moreira, Lamine Diarra, Cléo, Prince Tagoe, Stefan Savić, Adem Ljajić, Vladimir Stojković, Nemanja Tomić, Mohamed Kamara, Ivan Ivanov, Miloš Jojić, Lazar Marković, Aleksandar Mitrović and many more.
