Josip Pirmajer

Josip Pirmajer

Pirmajer ahead of Partizan's 1966 European Cup Final versus Real Madrid
Personal information
Date of birth	(1944-02-14)14 February 1944
Place of birth	Trifail, Nazi-occupied Slovenia
Date of death	24 June 2018(2018-06-24) (aged 74)
Place of death	Srbobran, Serbia
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
	Elan Srbobran
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1960–1963	Novi Sad	44	(7)
1964–1968	Partizan	121	(28)
1968–1972	Vojvodina	81	(15)
1972–1975	Nîmes	60	(5)
1975–1977	Novi Sad	35	(7)
International career
1964	Yugoslavia	4	(0)
Managerial career
	Novi Sad
	Jedinstvo Novi Bečej
1997–1998	Vojvodina
	Bečej
	Elan Srbobran
	Beograd
2006	Sileks
	Big Bull Bačinci
2011	Sloga Erdevik
Medal record Men's Football Representing Yugoslavia Mediterranean Games 1971 Izmir Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Josip Pirmajer (14 February 1944 – 24 June 2018) was a Yugoslav football player and manager who played as a winger. At international level, he represented the Yugoslavia national team.

Playing career

Club

Pirmajer was born in Trbovlje in present-day Slovenia. At the time of his birth, Trbovlje was renamed Trifail by the occupying Nazi German forces. He moved with his family to Serbia to Srbobran in 1947. His football skills were spotted while he was in elementary school and he joined the youth-team of Elan Srbobran. When he was 16, with a special medical permission, he was allowed to start playing in the main team of Elan Srbobran. After a handful of games he attracted attention from bigger clubs, and shortly after he joined RFK Novi Sad. He debuted in the season 1960–61 in which Novi Sad made their historical promotion to the Yugoslav First League after winning the 1960–61 Yugoslav Second League East. Pirmajer played the following 2+1⁄2 seasons with Novi Sad in the First League, until the winter-break of the 1963–64 season when he was brought by FK Partizan. Pirmajer moved to the capital and played with Partizan a total of 4+1⁄2 seasons during which he won one championship and was European vice-champion after losing the 1966 European Cup final. During his spell in Partizan he got the record of having played 252 consecutive competitive matches.

In summer 1967 Pirmajer returned to Novi Sad this time joining FK Vojvodina where he played further four seasons in Yugoslav top-flight. Afterwards, he played 2+1⁄2 seasons abroad, in France, with Nîmes Olympique in League 1. During the 1974–75 winter break, Pirmajer returned to Yugoslavia and, aged 30, he joined his former club RFK Novi Sad playing with them until summer 1977 in the Yugoslav Second League.

International

Pirmajer played for all youth levels of the Yugoslavia national team, including the Olympic team, before debuting for Yugoslavia national team in 1964. He made four appearances for Yugoslavia.

Managerial career

After retiring, Pirmajer became a coach and he worked at RFK Novi Sad, FK Jedinstvo Novi Bečej, FK Vojvodina, FK Elan Srbobran, FK Beograd, FK Sileks, FK Big Bull Bačinci and FK Bečej.

Pirmajer continued living in Serbia where he became president of FK Srbobran.

In January 2009, the Sports Association of the municipality of Srbobran gave Pirmajer a special award as recognition of him as the most successful sportsman from Srboobran and for his overall contribution for development of sport in the municipality. As well as being an excellent footballer, Pirmajer played also handball with RK Bačka, basketball with KK Akademik, and table tennis.

Death

Pirmajer died on 24 June 2018 in Srbobran, Serbia at the age of 74.

Honours

Novi Sad

• Yugoslav Second League

Partizan

• Yugoslav First League: 1964–65
• European Cup: 1965–66 finalist

External links

• Josip Pirmajer at WorldFootball.net
• Josip Pirmajer at National-Football-Teams.com
• Josip Pirmajer at EU-Football.info
• Josip Pirmajer at Olympedia