Saša Ćurčić

OFK Beograd

Nineteen-year-old Ćurčić cracked OFK Beograd's first team towards the end of the 1990–91 season while the club played in the Yugoslav Second League under head coach Ilija Petković. Ćurčić featured in three matches that season. Despite failing to gain promotion on the pitch, OFK still got to play in the Yugoslav First League for the following 1991–92 season due to the withdrawal of Slovenian and Croatian teams (a season that would turn out to be the last in SFR Yugoslavia). Against the backdrop of a country falling apart, Ćurčić became first team regular, playing 24 league matches and scoring two goals. His talent and exuberance turned some heads, including the national team head coach Ivica Osim who gave Ćurčić his international debut on 30 October 1991 in an away friendly versus Brazil. He continued improving during the 1992–93 season (first one in FR Yugoslavia) with 3 goals from 32 league appearances, earning himself a big time summer 1993 move to Yugoslav champions FK Partizan.

Partizan

Coached by Ljubiša Tumbaković, Partizan was in a transitional phase despite coming off the title winning campaign. With team leader Predrag Mijatović leaving for Valencia CF and other important players like Vujadin Stanojković and Zlatko Zahovič departing as well, it was up to the new arrivals to carry the torch. For his part, Ćurčić responded with a fine overall season (seven goals from 33 league matches), contributing greatly to another Partizan league…

Ćurčić's international football career that spanned seven years during the 1990s, started and ended with away friendlies versus Brazil. Ivica Osim gave the 19-year-old his debut in late October 1991 in Varginha vs Brazil when the country was still called SFR Yugoslavia. He came on as the 46th minute substitute for Siniša Mihajlović. His final international was for the Serbia and Montenegro team in September 1998.

As of June 2018, Ćurčić ran a football academy in West London prior to a short period as a coach with the Palace for Life Foundation. In November 2021 Ćurčić became manager of Serbian League Belgrade club Borac Lazarevac but resigned in April 2022.

Growing up on the banks of Danube in the Belgrade suburb of Besni Fok, Ćurčić was a lively kid who took to football very early. His involvement with the sport came at the expense of everything else, including school as he only completed primary education. After playing youth football with several local area clubs, he caught the attention of OFK Beograd, a more established club that included Ćurčić in their youth system. In a 1991 interview for Tempo, Ćurčić (then with OFK Beograd) admitted to have been a Red Star Belgrade fan since adolescence — however, later on after transferring to FK Partizan, he repeatedly stated to have always been a FK Partizan supporter.