Božo Janković

Božidar Janković (Serbian Cyrillic: Божидар Јанковић; 22 May 1951 – 1 October 1993), also known as Božo Janković and Boško Janković, was a professional footballer from Yugoslavia.

Club career Željezničar Born in Sarajevo, Janković grew up in the Grbavica area, passing through every youth level at the local club Željezničar. In that same season, Željezničar enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in Europe with a UEFA Cup run, getting passed Club Brugge, Bologna and St Johnstone before losing in the quarter-finals to Ferencváros.

Željezničar faced Derby County in the 1972–73 European Cup first round, however lost 4–1 on aggregate, with Janković receiving a red card in the final minutes of the second leg. After relegation from the Yugoslav First Division in the 1976–77 season, Željezničar were promoted at the first opportunity, winning the Yugoslav Second League the following season.

Middlesbrough At the age of 28, Janković received permission to leave Yugoslavia to play football abroad in line with the rules of the state, having completed compulsory military service. Middlesbrough manager John Neal had sent assistant-boss Harold Shepherdson to access him before he came for a trial. In February 1979, Janković signed for Middlesbrough in the English First Division for a reported sum of £110,000, becoming their first ever foreign player following a change in English transfer regulations. The 1980–81 season that followed saw him finish as Middlesbrough's top scorer with 12 goals. Janković is regarded as a cult hero amongst Aston Villa fans having scored two against Ipswich Town at the end of the season, aiding them to win the title. As a result of this, they also qualified for the European Cup which they would go on to win the following season. At the end of that season, he turned down a new contract in order to pursue a career in law, having qualified as a lawyer prior to arriving at the club.

Metz Janković later reversed this decision but instead signed with Metz, despite attempts by Chelsea to sign him. He scored 3 goals in 21 matches in all competitions that season, which came against Paris Saint-Germain, Bastia and Tours.

International career Janković made a youth appearance for the under 23 side in 1971, versus East Germany where he scored the games only goal.

He made his debut for Yugoslavia on 29 April 1972 in a 0–0 European Championship qualification match against the Soviet Union having been selected by manager Vujadin Boškov. His second international appearance came the next month, again against the Soviet Union, however this time his side lost 3–0.

Personal life Janković wrote a thesis on the literature of Ivo Andrić. In 1993, it is believed he died of cancer in Kotor, at the age of 42.

Honours Željezničar Yugoslav First League: 1971–72 Yugoslav Second League: 1977–78

Middlesbrough Kirin Cup: 1980

Individual Yugoslav First League top scorer: 1970–71