Boban Babunski

Early Life

Boban Babunski was born in Skopje, SR Macedonia, in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He began his football journey at a young age, joining the local club FK Vardar, where he developed his skills as a central defender.

Career

Babunski's professional career took off when he moved to Bulgaria to play for PFC CSKA Sofia from 1992 to 1994, becoming one of the first Macedonians to compete in the A Football Group. After his time in Bulgaria, he transitioned to Spain, where he played for UE Lleida in the Spanish second division from 1994 to 1996. His career also included stints in Japan with Gamba Osaka and Greece with AEK Athens, where he was transferred for a significant fee of 330 million drachmas in 1998. Despite a promising start, he struggled to secure a permanent place in the squad and subsequently moved to CD Logroñés.

After a brief period in Germany with Chemnitzer FC and Sint-Truidense V.V., Babunski returned to his roots, finishing his playing career with FK Rabotnički in 2001. Internationally, he represented Yugoslavia twice in 1991 and later played for the North Macedonia national team from 1993 to 2000, earning 23 caps and scoring once.

Managerial Career and Personal Life

Following his retirement, Babunski transitioned into coaching, initially serving as an assistant for the Macedonian national team. He briefly took on the role of interim manager before becoming the head coach of FK Rabotnički, where he led the team to win the domestic cup in his first season. Babunski's legacy continues through his sons, David and Dorian, who are also footballers, with David having played youth football for FC Barcelona and Dorian for Real Madrid. His family history includes a notable figure, his great-grandfather Jovan Babunski, a Serbian Chetnik vojvoda.