Ivica Šurjak

Ivan "Ivica" Šurjak (born 23 March 1953) is a Croatian retired football midfielder. He was the driving force behind the success of Hajduk Split as it became a force in the Yugoslav First League in the 1970s.

Club career He started his career as a left back, but with time learned total football, according to which all players can, during the ebb and flow of the match, slot into every position as needed. He continued his career at Paris Saint-Germain and Udinese, but turned down offers by the New York Cosmos and Real Madrid. He concluded his playing career in Spain at Real Zaragoza.

International career Šurjak made his debut for Yugoslavia in an October 1973 World Cup qualifier against Spain, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute for Petar Krivokuća.

Over the subsequent 9 years, Šurjak ended up earning a total of 54 caps, scoring 10 goals. His final international was a June 1982 FIFA World Cup match against Honduras.

Post-playing career He served as a sports director at Hajduk Split of the Croatian First Football League from 1999 to 2003.

Personal In 1980, Šurjak recorded songs "Ni ljubav nije kao što je bila" and "Julija" and released them as a 7-inch single through Jugoton. In 2018, "Julija" was included in Croatia Records' compilation album Socialist Disco. Dancing Behind Yugoslavia's Velvet Curtain 1977–1987.

Speedboat incident In July 1999, while piloting his seven-meter 1989 Formula F-242 runabout speedboat on the Croatian Adriatic coast, Šurjak was involved in a boating accident that resulted in a swimmer's death. The victim, 29-year-old Okrug resident Miroslav Didak, sustained life-threatening head injuries in the Bušinci inlet, 400 meters off the Čiovo island shoreline near Trogir on 21 July 1999 around 5pm when Šurjak struck him with his boat's propeller, reportedly after suddenly noticing the swimmer in the water and attempting to swerve out of the way. then reportedly took comatose and severely injured Didak out of the water and brought him to the shoreline where an ambulance rushed him to Split.

Didak died a few days after the accident, while in a coma in the intensive care unit of the Firule hospital. The Municipal Court judge's verdict cited that by swimming 400 meters from the shore Didak violated a by-law prohibiting swimming farther than 100 meters from the shore, and additionally stated that "Šurjak couldn't swerve out of the way due to having sun in his eyes and facing waves mater-and-a-half high".

Accomplishments Champion of Yugoslavia – 1974, 1975 and 1979 Co-champion of Yugoslavia – 1976 and 1981 Cup winner of Yugoslavia – 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1977 Coupe de France – 1982 54 caps for Yugoslavia, 10 goals scored between 1973 and 1982 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year – 1976