Josip Bukal

Josip Bukal

Personal information
Date of birth	(1945-11-15) November 15, 1945
Place of birth	Okešinec, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1964-1973	FK Željezničar	290	(111)
1973-1976	Standard de Liège
1976-1978	FK Željezničar
International career
1966-1974	Yugoslavia	24	(10)
Managerial career
1988	FK Željezničar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Josip Bukal (born November 11, 1945) is a former Yugoslav and Bosnian football player of Croatian ethnicity.

Bukal was born in the village of Okešinec near Ivanić-Grad where he began primary education, before moving to Veliki Crljeni in Serbia for the fifth, sixth, and seventh grade. He then came to Sarajevo at the age of 15.

Bukal's involvement with football began in Sarajevo where he started playing for FK Željezničar youth team. His subsequent career in football is all the more remarkable considering he didn't play any organized football until almost 16 years of age.

It is recorded that he scored 10 goals in one game for the youth team. In 1963, he made his debut for the first team. He played 464 games for Željezničar (290 league matches). He is a record goalscorer for the club in official (127) and league games (111). He was a member of the FK Željezničar team that won Yugoslav championship title in 1972.

In 1973, he moved to Belgian Standard Liège. He played there for three seasons where he was a topscorer of UEFA Cup 1973-1974 season with 12 goals. After one more season in Željezničar, he retired in 1978. He was known for his powerful shot. During one game in Belgium, it is recorded that the ball was heading 141 km/h after his shot.

He also played for the national team. He played for junior and Under-21 and in 1966. he made his debut for the Yugoslav national team. He has collected 24 caps in blue national shirt. He scored 10 goals.

After retirement, he was employed in FK Željezničar. He is working with youth squads, but he was also an assistant coach to Blagoje Bratić in 1987-1988 season.

External links

• Josip Bukal – FIFA competition record
• Serbian football federation