Ilija Petković

OFK Beograd

When Petković left his hometown Knin for the capital city Belgrade, he had not yet decided if he wanted to play football professionally because, in addition to training and playing with OFK Beograd, he simultaneously enrolled in and eventually completed the Economics college. He signed his first professional contract with OFK in 1964. Though the club was even then in the constant shadow of its big city rivals Red Star Belgrade and Partizan, it still managed to put in many memorable league campaigns as well as to win the 1965–66 Yugoslav Cup with a 6–2 final thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb. In 1972, Petković played as a guest for Uruguayan side Peñarol where he suffered a fracture caused by Nacional defender Juan Mujica.

Troyes

According to the strictly enforced sporting rules of communist Yugoslavia, no player was allowed to play for clubs outside the country before reaching the age of 28. Petković was no different and had to wait until 1973 to complete a move to Troyes where he spent three seasons.

Return to OFK Beograd

His second stint with OFK started in 1976 after returning from France at the age of 31. Even at the twilight of his career Petković managed to be an important contributor to the team. He played until 1983, retiring from the game close to the age of 38. Unfortunately, this time around the team's overall performance wasn't as glowing as was the case during Petković's first stint. They constantly hovered around the relegation…

FR Yugoslavia

Petković was named as an assistant to Slobodan Santrač in 1997, prior to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. FR Yugoslavia exited the tournament in the Round of 16 to the Netherlands which was labelled a disappointing result, leading Santrač and the entire coaching staff (including Petković) to resign after the tournament. In July 2000, Petković became the head coach of FR Yugoslavia after their exiting from UEFA Euro 2000 in the quarter-final to the Netherlands by a score of 6–1 and the subsequent dismissal of head coach Vujadin Boškov. Petković started off well with a 2–1 away win in a friendly against Northern Ireland and a 2–0 win against Luxembourg in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier. As the Football Association was getting ready to choose a new president in January 2001, Petković resigned from his post citing the departure of outgoing FA president Miljan Miljanić as the reason.

Serbia and Montenegro

In July 2003, Petković was named as the head coach of the Serbia and Montenegro national team by FA president Dragan Stojković. Petković managed to lead the team through 2006 World Cup qualifying in impressive fashion, with Serbia and Montenegro allowing only one goal in twelve matches. However, the team's showing at the World Cup final tournament in Germany was disastrous, with three losses from three matches including a 0–6 defeat at the hands of Argentina. Furthermore, Petković caused controversy ahead of the tournament when he named his son Dušan in…

Player

OFK Beograd

Yugoslav Cup: 1965–66

Manager

Servette

Swiss National League A: 1993–94 Individual

Serbian Coach of the Year: 2005