Frane Matošić

Frane Matošić (25 November 1918 – 29 October 2007) was a Croatian football player and coach who played as a striker. He is regarded as one of Hajduk Split's greatest players and he is the club's all-time leading goalscorer.

Playing career Club Born in Split, Matošić started to play football with NK Hajduk. In his very first game for Hajduk in 1934 against Slavija from Sarajevo, Matošić scored two goals. He played 16 seasons for Hajduk. His older brother Jozo Matošić was also a football player with whom he was a teammate at Hajduk.

While serving the obligatory military service in the 1939–40 season, he played for the BSK from Belgrade. Next season, he returned to Hajduk. After Hajduk's management suspending the work of Hajduk in 1941, he went abroad to play for Bologna, played in the 1942–43 season. When the information about restoring of Hajduk's work came to Matošić, he returned to Croatia and smuggled himself on the free territory. There he joined Hajduk, that restarted its work on the free, Allied-controlled part of Croatia, on the island of Vis. Since then, Matošić was playing the games for Hajduk (that was playing friendly games against Allied teams on the Mediterranean). After the war Matošić as a team captain twice refused Josip Broz Tito's offer of transferring Hajduk to Belgrade and renaming it into "Partizan". His final international was a May 1953 World Cup qualification match against Greece.

Managerial career After the ending of career as player, he turned to coaching career. He was the coach of Hajduk, few years after his brother Jozo was coaching it. He was also the coach of the Tunisia football team and of RNK Split.

Death Matošić died in Split on the anniversary of Hajduk's historical victory over Red Star Belgrade in 1950.

Honours Player Hajduk Split Banovina of Croatia Championship: 1940–41 Socialist Republic of Croatia Championship: 1945, 1946 Yugoslav First League: 1950, 1952, 1955

Yugoslavia Olympic Silver Medal: 1948

Individual Socialist Republic of Croatia Championship top goalscorer: 1946 Yugoslav First League Top Goal Scorer: 1948–49

Manager RNK Split Yugoslav Second League (West): 1959–60 Tunisia Africa Cup of Nations: third place 1962

Records Hajduk Split all-time leading goalscorer: 211 goals Hajduk Split all-time Leading goalscorer: 729 goals (unofficial matches included) Hajduk Split all-time appearance maker: 739 games (unofficial matches included)