Zlatko Čajkovski


Zlatko "Čik" Čajkovski was a Croatian and Yugoslavian football player and coach. His brother, Željko Čajkovski, was a football player as well. Normally a defensive midfielder, Čajkovski was renowned for his tremendous physical condition and marking ability and is considered to be one of the finest Yugoslav footballers. Despite his normally defensive role he was also a fine passer and possessed top-class technical ability.

Playing career

On club level Čajkovski played initially for HAŠK. After WW2 he moved to the newly established Partizan Belgrade.

Partizan Belgrade

Čajkovski was one of the star players in first 10 years of club's history. He went on to win two Yugoslav league titles and three Yugoslav Cup trophies .
Čajkovski amassed 391 appearances, scored 97 goals and wore the captain armband, in his closing years with Partizan.
"Čik" played as many as 80 international friendlies for the Belgrade side, including a highly rated South American tour in the winter of 1953/54.

Yugoslavia

Between 1946 and 1955 he played 55 times for the Yugoslav national team scoring seven goals. Participating at the Olympic Games 1948 and 1952 he won the silver medal on both occasions. The final of the 1952 tournament in Helsinki was lost against the then ascending Hungarian side of the Magic Magyars.
He also participated in the FIFA World Cups of 1950 and 1954. In 1950, Yugoslavia only lost to hosts Brazil in the group phase, during which Čajkovski scored two goals versus Mexico. In 1954, Yugoslavia drew in the group phase against Brazil, but were eliminated in the subsequent quarter final match against eventual tournament winners Germany. In 1953, Čajkovski was one of four Croatian players on the FIFA Select XI who played against England.
After this he finished his career as player with 1. FC Köln and Hapoel Haifa.

International goals

Style of play

Although Čajkovski played as a defender, he was equally good in the offense and, due to his exceptional stamina and tenacity, he was able to cover virtually the entire field. His unusual zigzag dribbling technique made his moves difficult to predict for the opposing players. Čajkovski was also very skilled in heading the ball, despite his short stature.

Coaching career

Čajkovski acquired his coaching licence under Hennes Weisweiler at the German Sports Academy in Cologne. His first appointment were in Israel, Turkey and the Netherlands.
His first great success was the German Championship 1962 with 1. FC Köln. In 1963 he took over the reins at FC Bayern Munich, which he guided from the second division into the first division, two wins in the German Cup and the win in the European Cup Winners Cup final against Rangers FC from Glasgow in 1967. In this period he formed around the goalkeeper Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and, the later legendary, striker Gerd Müller, then all in their very early twenties, one of the top teams in Europe and the whole world.
Later "Czik" Čajkovski coached Hannover 96, 1. FC Nürnberg, Kickers Offenbach, which he took as a second division club to win the German Cup in 1970. After NK Dinamo Zagreb and 1. FC Nürnberg, he had another stint 1. FC Köln and also returned once more to Kickers Offenbach.Then he went to Greece in AEK Athens where he won the double. He then went to Switzerland to coach FC Zürich and FC Grenchen, having his final assignment with Grazer AK in 1981. After that, he coached AEK Athens and Apollon Kalamarias.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

;Partizan Belgrade
;Yugoslavia
;Köln
;Bayern Munich
;Kickers Offenbach
;AEK