Vladimir Durković

Vladimir Durković (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Дурковић; 6 November 1937 – 22 June 1972) was a Serbian footballer who played as a defender. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Club career Durković played with Red Star Belgrade until he was 28 at which point he moved abroad and made a name for himself with Saint-Étienne, winning three Ligue 1 titles and the Coupe de France twice.

International career Capped 50 times by Yugoslavia between 1959 and 1966, Durković excelled as a 22-year-old at the first UEFA European Championship, offering defensive solidity and attacking penetration at right-back. Although Yugoslavia finished second in France, Durković won a gold medal at the Rome Olympics the following September. He also wore the number two shirt at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile and was an ever-present as Yugoslavia eliminated former winners Uruguay and West Germany and finished fourth. His final international was a June 1966 friendly match against Bulgaria.

Death He died when shot by a drunken policeman in Sion, Switzerland in June 1972 at the age of 34. The police officer was later sentenced to nine years prison of which he served seven years.

Honours Red Star Belgrade Yugoslav First League: 1955–56, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1963–64 Yugoslav Cup: 1957–58, 1958–59, 1963–64 Mitropa Cup: 1958

Saint-Étienne Ligue 1: 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 Coupe de France: 1967–68, 1969–70

Yugoslavia UEFA European Championship: runner-up 1960 Olympic gold medalist in 1960

Individual UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1960