Biography
Who is Branko Oblak?
Early life and playing career
Branko Oblak was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on May 27, 1947. He began his football path in the youth team of Svoboda before moving to Ljubljana club Olimpija in 1965. During his time with Olimpija, he made 181 appearances and scored 33 goals.
In 1973, Branko transferred to Hajduk Split, where the team won national champion and cup titles in consecutive seasons. He later joined the German Bundesliga club Schalke 04 in 1975 for a world record fee for that season. His second year with Schalke ended with a second-place league finish behind Borussia Mönchengladbach.
International and club success
In the summer of 1977, Branko moved to Bayern Munich, where he spent three seasons playing in the German league. He was among a small group of Slovenian players who played for the Yugoslavia national team during the 1945 to 1990 period.
He debuted for the Yugoslavia national team in a 1971 match against Romania and played at Pelé's farewell match at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. At the 1974 World Cup in Germany, he and Danilo Popivoda became the first Slovenians to play in a World Cup, and Branko earned a spot in the tournament best squad. He also played at the 1976 European Championship hosted by Yugoslavia before retiring from international football with 46 matches and six goals.
Coaching career
After finishing his playing career in various Austrian amateur clubs until 1987, Branko transitioned into coaching. He managed several Slovenian clubs, including three separate stints at Olimpija Ljubljana, as well as NK Naklo and FC Koper. Recognized for his work with young players, he was appointed as the Slovenia under-21 national coach in February 2004.
By May 2004, Branko replaced Bojan Prašnikar as the head coach of the senior Slovenia national football team. Under his management, the team secured a well-known 1-0 victory over Italy during World Cup qualifiers. After experiencing a series of unfavorable results, he left the position in late 2006 and was succeeded by Matjaž Kek. He briefly returned to manage NK Olimpija Ljubljana in 2009 before leaving after four games.
Birthday and age
Branko Oblak was born on May 27, 1947, which makes Branko 79 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Branko shares the date with 60 other famous people.
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