FK Crvena zvezda marked the 25th anniversary of the historic Intercontinental Cup victory. Players, legends, stars of the future all gathered in Belgrade’s Crowne Plaza Hotel for a gala to honour the red-and-white 1991 heroes.
On 8 December 1991 Crvena zvezda beat Chilean side Colo Colo 3-0 to win the competition just months after lifting the European Cup and become the best team in the world.
Along with remembering that famous day in Tokyo, the club acknowledged current players and awarded the recently departed Aleksandar Katai as club’s best player in 2016.
The best Zvezda goal fo the year award goes to Predrag Sikimić for his fantastic finish scored in the Eternal Derby at Rajko Mitić Stadium.
Youngsters Mateja Bačanin, Filip Vasilijević, Edin Ajdinović, Milan Savić and Lazar Romanić have been named best players of their respective youth teams.
Honorary president and Third Crvena zvezda’s Star Dragan Džajić fondly remembered the Tokyo triumph.
“It’s undoubtedly the biggest achievement of Serbian and Yugoslav football. Sadly, it will be difficult to win the competition again as the times have changed. But we will always look ahead and try to get as close as possible. I’m very proud to have been a member of that team. When we started the process of building that squad we set ourselves all the highest goals, but to achieve them was a thrill. Football is unpredictable and you really shouldn’t play if you don’t believe that such fairy tales can become reality. We were relaxed because we’ve won the European Cup a few months earlier in Bari. This was a bonus and we grabbed it by playing with confidence. With a team like that, we feared no opponent.”
Current Head Coach Miodrag Božović also spoke to the press at the event.
“Of course I remember Bari and Tokyo. I was glued to the TV screen. Those were beautiful, exciting times for the club. Football wasn’t all about money in those days and love for your club played a big role in international competitions. And Zvezda certainly is one of the most beloved European clubs.”
Club director Zvezdan Terzić has his feet on the ground.
“It’s nice to remember the fantastic Intercontinental Cup win, but today our priority is to make the club strong so we can again win something big. The first step is to play well this season and retain the title in the Serbian Superliga. We will do our best.”