Miodrag Ješić

Miodrag Ješić (; 30 November 1958 – 8 December 2022) was a Serbian football manager and player.

Club career After starting out at Žarkovo, Ješić was recruited by Vladica Kovačević to join Partizan in 1976. He was promoted to the first team by manager Ante Mladinić, but made his competitive debut under the guidance of Tomislav Kaloperović in the 1980–81 season. During his stint which lasted until 1985, Ješić amassed 144 appearances and scored 13 goals for Partizan in the Yugoslav First League, helping the club win the national championship in the 1982–83 season led by Miloš Milutinović. He also found the back of the net in a memorable 4–0 victory over English side Queens Park Rangers in the return leg of the 1984–85 UEFA Cup second round.

Subsequently, Ješić moved abroad to Turkey and signed with Altay on the invitation of his compatriot Kemal Omeragić. He was the team's top scorer in his first three seasons with the club. In total, Ješić collected 136 appearances and netted 40 goals for Altay in the top flight of Turkish football over his four seasons from 1985 to 1989.

Following a season-long spell with Trabzonspor, Ješić returned to his homeland and rejoined Partizan in the summer of 1990 on the recommendation of his former manager Miloš Milutinović. He saw limited playing time that year, before deciding to hang up his boots, aged 32. In November 1992, Ješić came out of retirement to rejoin Altay. He definitely retired from playing when his second spell with the club ended in November 1993. During his time in Turkey, Ješić was given the nickname "The Butcher" due to his highly aggressive and physically uncompromising style of play.

International career At international level, Ješić was capped eight times for Yugoslavia between 1982 and 1984, scoring two goals. He played the full 90 minutes in a memorable 3–2 win over Bulgaria in December 1983 that qualified the nation for UEFA Euro 1984, but was omitted from the final squad for the tournament. His final cap came on 12 September 1984 in a heavy 6–1 friendly defeat to Scotland at Hampden Park.

Managerial career After hanging up his boots, Ješić returned to his homeland and started his managerial career at Obilić in 1994. He later took charge of newly relegated Second League club Radnički Beograd. In May 1997, with five games left in the season, Ješić resigned from his position after the club's president allegedly "proposed" him to draw with Dinamo Pančevo. He subsequently took over fellow Second League side Mladi Radnik, before making his First League debut as manager of Radnički Niš in April 1998. He served in the same role for OFK Beograd during the NATO bombing-suspended 1998–99 campaign.

In June 1999, Ješić was unveiled as new manager of Partizan, replacing recently departed Ljubiša Tumbaković. He guided the club to two convincing aggregate wins over Estonian champions Flora (10–1) and Croatian champions Rijeka (6–1) in the opening two qualifying rounds of the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, before losing 5–1 on aggregate to Russian powerhouse Spartak Moscow in the final qualifying round. After suffering an early exit from the national cup and finishing as runners-up in the league, Ješić was dismissed and replaced by his predecessor Ljubiša Tumbaković in May 2000.

During the summer of 2000, Ješić moved to Tunisia and agreed terms with CS Sfaxien. He won the 2000 Arab Club Champions Cup, but soon left his position due to a family tragedy and took a break away from football. After a comeback stint with Radnički Beograd in the Second League, Ješić was appointed as manager of his former club Altay in July 2002, but resigned the following month due to a lack of squad reinforcements for the new season. He subsequently took charge of Bulgarian side Slavia Sofia in December 2002, replacing compatriot Žarko Olarević. In August 2003, Ješić parted ways with them, having finished fourth in the league the previous campaign. He then went to Iran and spent some time with Pegah Gilan during 2004.

In February 2005, Ješić was appointed as manager of Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia, winning the league title at the end of that season. He managed the team to a 1–0 away win over Premier League side Liverpool in the return leg of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, but lost the tie 3–2 on aggregate. Subsequently, Ješić qualified them to the 2005–06 UEFA Cup group stage with two 1–0 wins over Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in the first round. He was consequently named the Coach of the Year in Bulgaria for 2005. In April 2006, Ješić resigned from his position following a 1–0 home loss to arch-rivals Levski Sofia.

In May 2006, Ješić rejoined Partizan as manager on a three-year contract. He led the team to a 3–2 aggregate victory over Slovenian club Maribor in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup second qualifying round, followed by a 4–3 aggregate win over Dutch side Groningen in the first round to qualify for the group stage, but finished bottom of the table with just one point in four games. After a turbulent first half of the season, Ješić left the club by mutual consent in January 2007 and was replaced by Miroslav Đukić.

In November 2007, after being dismissed by Shirin Faraz, Ješić departed Iran and returned to Bulgaria, accepting an offer to manage Litex Lovech. He won the 2007–08 edition of the Bulgarian Cup with the club. In June 2008, Ješić moved to neighbouring Romania, becoming manager of Liga I newcomers Otopeni, spending less than two months in charge.

In September 2008, Ješić was unveiled as manager of Montenegrin champions Budućnost Podgorica. He guided them to a runner-up finish in the 2008–09 season. In June 2009, Ješić agreed terms with Libyan club Al-Ittihad Tripoli on a contract until June 2010. He won the 2009 Libyan Super Cup, as well as the 2009–10 Libyan Premier League title. In June 2010, Ješić was appointed as manager of Chinese Super League side Changsha Ginde in an attempt to save the club from relegation.

After his brief stint with Al-Tahaddy ended abruptly due to the civil war in Libya, Ješić became manager of Persian Gulf Cup club Shahrdari Tabriz in June 2011. He was relieved from his duties in December of that year due to poor results in the first half of the season. In May 2012, it was announced that Ješić would be taking the helm of Saudi Pro League side Najran. He was sacked and replaced with Khemais Labidi in January 2013. Less than a week later, Ješić was confirmed as manager of CSKA Sofia, returning for his second spell with the club. He was surprisingly dismissed after just two months, having won one of his two games in charge.

In March 2014, Ješić returned to Litex Lovech and managed them until the end of the season. He was subsequently manager of Myanmar National League side Yangon United for the majority of the 2015 campaign. In September 2015, Ješić took over the helm of defending Bosnian champions Sarajevo. He left the club by mutual consent in March 2016 following the team's elimination from the national cup in the quarter-finals by Sloboda Tuzla. Between November 2016 and March 2017, Ješić served as manager of Kuwaiti club Al-Arabi.

In June 2017, Ješić was appointed as manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq. He was dismissed from his position in December and replaced by Saad Al-Shehri. In June 2018, Ješić agreed terms with UAE First Division League side Khor Fakkan. He was relieved from his duties in October following the team's poor performances in the 2018–19 UAE President's Cup preliminary round. In August 2019, Ješić was announced as new manager of Egyptian Premier League club Ismaily. He parted ways with them in early December after winning two and losing three out of their five matches at the start of the league campaign.

In July 2021, Ješić returned to Libya as manager of Al-Ahly Benghazi. He subsequently took charge of Maldivian champions Maziya in February 2022. After securing the Dhivehi Premier League title two games before the end of the season, Ješić mutually terminated his contract with the club in order to take over as manager of Saudi First Division League side Al-Shoulla in July 2022. He departed the club in September.

Death Ješić died in a car accident near the town of Ruma on 8 December 2022. He was buried next to his daughter Jelena, who died from complications following a car accident in December 2000 at the age of 18.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial

Honours

Player Partizan Yugoslav First League: 1982–83

Manager CS Sfaxien Arab Club Champions Cup: 2000 CSKA Sofia Bulgarian A Professional Football Group: 2004–05 Litex Lovech Bulgarian Cup: 2007–08 Al-Ittihad Tripoli Libyan Premier League: 2009–10 Libyan Super Cup: 2009 Maziya Dhivehi Premier League: 2022 Individual Coach of the Year in Bulgaria: 2005