Stjepan Lamza
Encyclopedia
Stjepan "Štef" Lamza is a former Yugoslav football
player. He is considered as one of the greatest Croatia
n players of all time and played for much of his career for NK Dinamo Zagreb, whom he helped in winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
in 1967. He has made seven appearances for Yugoslavia
national team.
where he played for a local club Segesta and later transferred to a Slovenia
n club Maribor
. It was in Maribor when his talent was spoted by, then Yugoslav giants, Dinamo Zagreb and he soon moved there.
It was in Zagreb where Lamza made his name and he played a total of 281 games for the blues, scoring 72 goals in the process. He is considered as one of the greatest Croatian football players of all time and a leader of Dinamo's golden generation that won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
in 1967 and was runner-up four years earlier in 1963. It was in 1967 and the age of only 27 when his career made a dramatic twist as Lamza was involved in an accident that prevented him in reaching football greatness. After the 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup semifinal against Eintracht Frankfurt
, when Dinamo managed to overturn their first leg defeat in Germany
(3-0) with a home victory (4-0) after extra time, he and his teammates went on to celebrate the victory to a luxury restaurant, that lasted late into the night. The next morning Lamza woke up early in the morning in one of the rooms upstairs and found a bar in the lobby below that was empty and started drinking. When other teammates and guest started to woke up they found Lamza drunk in the lobby and one of Dinamo's officials (Karlo Žagar) ordered the waitress to take him back to his room so others would not see him in the state he was in. She has done just that and took Lamza to his bed and then locked the door of the room. Later, when Lamza woke up, he was still intoxicated and found the doors locked and went into the balcony where he fell down, hitting the chair with his shoulder and a concrete floor with the right side of his head. He was immediately rushed to a hospital where he stayed for 40 days and was diagnosed with a severe head fracture and most importantly the damage to his nerve center that hurt his center of balance, which subsequently affected his career as Lamza never demonstrated the level of football he did prior to the accident. He followed the final of the 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (won by Dinamo) by a radio broadcast from a hospital room in Bled
.
It was this accident that shattered his dreams of playing top football abroad as just after the historic return leg against Eintracht and hours before the accident itself he had immediately signed a contract with Belgian
club Standard Liège
worth 280,000 dollars
(around 1.8 million in today's currency), which was a huge amount of money for a player at that time. With his accident and injuries the contract was then never carried out.
Lamza returned to football one year later but was not given a chance by the new coach of Dinamo, Ivica Horvat. He made his final appearance for Dinamo on 21 April 1970 on a farewell match, organized by the club, that was played against Benfica and their star player Eusébio
. Dinamo won the match 2-0, with Lamza scoring the first goal. Later he had a couple of unsuccessful and short lived spells at clubs home and abroad (Châteauroux
, Rijeka, 1860 München
, Melbourne Croatia), but never fully demonstrated the level of football he did prior to the accident.
He returned to football at the beginning of the nineties as a Dinamo's scout.
national team. The reason for so few caps being the accident and the supposed discrimination of Dinamo's players at the time.
Zdravko Mamić
and head coach at the time Miroslav Blažević
offered him to work for the club, at the beginning of the nineties, as he had only around 200 euros
of pension
from which he does not know how would he been able to survive. He also stated that he sees Luka Modrić
as his successor due to his similar style of playing and physique.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. He is considered as one of the greatest Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n players of all time and played for much of his career for NK Dinamo Zagreb, whom he helped in winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
in 1967. He has made seven appearances for Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
national team.
Career
Lamza started his career in his hometown SisakSisak
Sisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the Sisak-Moslavina county...
where he played for a local club Segesta and later transferred to a Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n club Maribor
NK Maribor
Nogometni Klub Maribor , commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from...
. It was in Maribor when his talent was spoted by, then Yugoslav giants, Dinamo Zagreb and he soon moved there.
It was in Zagreb where Lamza made his name and he played a total of 281 games for the blues, scoring 72 goals in the process. He is considered as one of the greatest Croatian football players of all time and a leader of Dinamo's golden generation that won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
in 1967 and was runner-up four years earlier in 1963. It was in 1967 and the age of only 27 when his career made a dramatic twist as Lamza was involved in an accident that prevented him in reaching football greatness. After the 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup semifinal against Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
, when Dinamo managed to overturn their first leg defeat in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(3-0) with a home victory (4-0) after extra time, he and his teammates went on to celebrate the victory to a luxury restaurant, that lasted late into the night. The next morning Lamza woke up early in the morning in one of the rooms upstairs and found a bar in the lobby below that was empty and started drinking. When other teammates and guest started to woke up they found Lamza drunk in the lobby and one of Dinamo's officials (Karlo Žagar) ordered the waitress to take him back to his room so others would not see him in the state he was in. She has done just that and took Lamza to his bed and then locked the door of the room. Later, when Lamza woke up, he was still intoxicated and found the doors locked and went into the balcony where he fell down, hitting the chair with his shoulder and a concrete floor with the right side of his head. He was immediately rushed to a hospital where he stayed for 40 days and was diagnosed with a severe head fracture and most importantly the damage to his nerve center that hurt his center of balance, which subsequently affected his career as Lamza never demonstrated the level of football he did prior to the accident. He followed the final of the 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (won by Dinamo) by a radio broadcast from a hospital room in Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
.
It was this accident that shattered his dreams of playing top football abroad as just after the historic return leg against Eintracht and hours before the accident itself he had immediately signed a contract with Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
club Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
worth 280,000 dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
(around 1.8 million in today's currency), which was a huge amount of money for a player at that time. With his accident and injuries the contract was then never carried out.
Lamza returned to football one year later but was not given a chance by the new coach of Dinamo, Ivica Horvat. He made his final appearance for Dinamo on 21 April 1970 on a farewell match, organized by the club, that was played against Benfica and their star player Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
. Dinamo won the match 2-0, with Lamza scoring the first goal. Later he had a couple of unsuccessful and short lived spells at clubs home and abroad (Châteauroux
LB Châteauroux
La Berrichonne de Châteauroux is a French association football club based in Châteauroux. The football team is a part of a sports club that consists of several other sports and was founded in 1883. The team currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division of French football, having finished 16th in...
, Rijeka, 1860 München
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
, Melbourne Croatia), but never fully demonstrated the level of football he did prior to the accident.
He returned to football at the beginning of the nineties as a Dinamo's scout.
International career
Lamza has made a total of seven appearances for YugoslaviaYugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
national team. The reason for so few caps being the accident and the supposed discrimination of Dinamo's players at the time.
Personal life
Lamza once stated that he was probably saved when Dinamo's patronagePatronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
Zdravko Mamić
Zdravko Mamic
Zdravko Mamić is a Croatian football administrator and football manager. Since 2003 he is the executive manager of Dinamo Zagreb, the most successful football club in Croatia....
and head coach at the time Miroslav Blažević
Miroslav Blaževic
Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević is a Bosnian Croat football manager. He is the current head coach of Mes Kerman in Iran Pro League....
offered him to work for the club, at the beginning of the nineties, as he had only around 200 euros
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
of pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
from which he does not know how would he been able to survive. He also stated that he sees Luka Modrić
Luka Modric
Luka Modrić is a Croatian footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and for the Croatia national football team.Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After showing promise in hometown club Zadar's youth team, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in 2002. His...
as his successor due to his similar style of playing and physique.
External links
- Stjepan Lamza at Reprezentacija.rs