Ico Hitrec
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ivan Hitrec | ||
| Date of birth | 13 April 1911 | ||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 11 October 1946 (aged 35) | ||
| Place of death | Zagreb, FPR Yugoslavia | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1924–1927 | Ilirija Zagreb | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1927–1931 | HAŠK | ||
| 1931–1932 | Grasshopper Club Zürich | ||
| 1933 | Krajišnik Banja Luka | ||
| 1933 | Sparta Zagreb | ||
| 1933–1940 | HAŠK | ||
| International career | |||
| 1929–1939 | Kingdom of Yugoslavia | 14 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1945 | OSK Mladost | ||
| 1945–1946 | Dinamo Zagreb (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ivan "Ico" Hitrec (13 April 1911 – 11 October 1946) was a Croatian football player.
He was the first technical officer and in his office in the Zagreb power-works in Gundulićeva Street, the best players from Građanski met and discussed forming a new club with blue shirts which later became Dinamo Zagreb.
Club career[edit]
The centre-forward became a legend after scoring twice against then famous Spanish keeper Ricardo Zamora during the first night game in Zagreb between Zagreb and Madrid in 1931. As one of the first Croatian international players, he went on to play for Grasshopper of Switzerland, and "Kicker", at the time the foremost sports journal in Europe, chose him as a member of the European elite 11.[1][2]
International career[edit]
Hitrec was a goal-scorer for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national team. He appeared in 14 international games and scored 9 goals in 7 of them. He was one of seven Croatian players to boycott the Yugoslavia national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup after the Football Association of Yugoslavia was moved from Zagreb to Belgrade.[1][2] His final international was an October 1939 friendly match against Germany.[3]
Style of play[edit]
Hitrec's play was characterized by excellent technique and dribbling skills. He was able to sprint 100 meters in under 12 seconds in football conditions making him one of the fastest footballers of the era.[1][2] He was also known for very powerful kicks, and was quoted as saying jokingly that he did not like to perform 11 m penalty kicks because they were "too close" (to the goal).[1][2] Severino Minelli, his Grasshopper teammate, reminisced about Hitrec: "I played many matches where Hitrec was brilliant, the best. But, above all, I remember his kicks. Frightful! Goalkeepers would move away from his balls, I'm not exaggerating, that's indeed how it was."[4]
Honours[edit]
Grasshopper Club Zürich[edit]
- Swiss Cup (1932)
HAŠK[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "100 godina Dinama - Povijest Dinama". gnkdinamo.hr (in Croatian). Zagreb: GNK Dinamo. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d Career story at Serbian Federation site
- ^ "Player Database". EU-football. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ "Imao je top u nogama, a Englezi se nisu mogli nadiviti njegovoj 'žabi': 'To je nesvakidašnji dribling'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). 19 June 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
External links[edit]
- Ico Hitrec at EU-Football.info
- Ico Hitrec at National-Football-Teams.com
- Ico Hitrec at WorldFootball.net
- 1911 births
- 1946 deaths
- Footballers from Zagreb
- Men's association football forwards
- Yugoslav men's footballers
- Yugoslavia men's international footballers
- HAŠK players
- Grasshopper Club Zürich players
- Yugoslav First League players
- Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland
- Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
- Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery