Snješko Cerin

A native of Zagreb, Cerin started playing at NK Trnje, a small local amateur club, in the early 1970s. In 1976, he moved to another local side, third-level minnows NK Zagrebački Plavi, who later merged with NK Zagreb in 1980. In April 1976 the Yugoslavia national football team decided to play a training match against Zagrebački Plavi in preparation for their UEFA Euro 1976 qualifier versus Wales played in Zagreb. The game proved to be a turning point for Cerin, as he managed to score a hat-trick for him humble side against the national team and their stalwart goalkeeper Ognjen Petrović. The 21-year-old Cerin instantly became sought after by top clubs in Yugoslavia. He was first invited by Tomislav Ivić to join Hajduk Split, but the deal never materialised, as Ivić left Hajduk for Netherlands only a few months later, at the end of the 1975–76 season, to take over Ajax. Local powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb then offered him a professional contract, so Cerin joined the club for the 1976–77 season. Cerin then had to wait for his Dinamo debut almost six months under coach Mirko Bazić. Cerin eventually scored his first goal for Dinamo in a 3–1 friendly win against GOŠK Dubrovnik on 10 November 1976. His league debut came a week later, on 17 November, in a 6–1 home win against Budućnost, in which he scored a brace. His first goal for Dinamo against international opposition came in a 4–0 win against Ajax led by Tomislav Ivić at the Trofej Marjan international tournament played in Split…

Club Yugoslav League Championship Winner: 1981–82 Runner-up: 1976–77, 1978–79 Yugoslav Football Cup Winner: 1979–80, 1982–83 Runner-up: 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86 Individual Yugoslav League Championship top scorer: 1981–82