Slaviša Žungul

Hajduk Split

When he was sixteen, Žungul began his football career in Split, playing for Hajduk starting in 1972 and continuing until 1978. He led the team in scoring every season and finished his time at Hajduk with 176 goals. During his six years with the team, he led them to three Yugoslav First League titles, in 1974 and 1975 as well as four Yugoslav Cup trophies. At Hajduk he quickly established himself as the focal point of head coach Tomislav Ivić's setup as well as becoming a fan favourite for his off-the-cuff ways and jet-set lifestyle. He was often seen in bars around the city while dating models, pinups, singers, and pageant contestants. His scoring prowess at Hajduk drew comparisons to Gerd Müller in the Yugoslav press. By the time he turned 24, Žungul's prominence was such that he began receiving lucrative offers from NASL clubs in the United States. However, Yugoslav sporting regulations at the time stipulated that players could not transfer abroad until completing their mandatory Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) stint and turning 28 years of age. In certain cases exemptions were granted so that a player's transfer would be allowed in the calendar year during which he'll be turning 28 or even a year early, but the completion of the army stint was absolutely mandatory. While twenty-four-year-old Žungul was years away from even considering a move abroad, he was on increasingly bad terms with Hajduk management—led by club president Tito Kirigin—over unpaid…

Žungul made his debut for Yugoslavia in a September 1974 friendly match against Italy, coming on as a 46th-minute substitute for Danilo Popivoda, and earned a total of 14 caps, scoring no goals. He played in Euro 1976 but never played in the World Cup because he did not serve the mandatory stint in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). His final international was an October 1978 European Championship qualification match away against Romania.

Žungul was born Slaviša Ivanović in Požarevac. His biological father died when he was still an infant. His mother Danica quickly remarried and moved to Kaštel Lukšić near Split, PR Croatia where baby Slaviša was given his stepfather's last name.