Hajduk's "Fantazista" Celebrates 77: The Record from Maksimir That No One Can Break
Drago Rukljač Gec, former Hajduk and NK Zagreb player, celebrated his 77th birthday. He recalled the record-breaking match from 1973 and his season at Stari plac.
Drago Rukljač Gec, former Hajduk and NK Zagreb player, celebrated his 77th birthday. He recalled the record-breaking match from 1973 and his season at Stari plac.
Drago Rukljač Gec, a Zagreb native whom the Split fans affectionately called Dragec, celebrated his 77th birthday. This former footballer is part of the legendary NK Zagreb team that still holds the attendance record at Maksimir Stadium for a single football match ever played in Croatia.
On July 19, 1973, in a qualifying match for promotion to the First Federal League, NK Zagreb hosted Osijek at Maksimir. The match ended 2:2, and after a penalty shootout, the team from Kranjčevićeva Street secured their place in the top tier. A total of 63,134 tickets were sold, with up to 70,000 spectators packed into the stands.
That Wednesday, Osijek arrived accompanied by 30,000 of their own fans. In Slavonia, people were released from work, and buses were organized so everyone could support their white-and-blue team in Zagreb.
"We were a formidable squad, all local lads, and we played beautiful football. We still hold the Maksimir stadium record, and we will hold it forever. Now there's no standing in the stands anymore, new regulations are in place, and it's impossible for anyone to fill the stands like that again," Rukljač Gec told DalmacijaDanas.
Rukljač Gec spent one season at Hajduk, the 1977/78 campaign, and Stari plac remembers him for his free-kick goals and reliable penalty taking. "It was a wonderful season; we had a great team, we were autumn champions, and later we qualified for the UEFA Cup. We were unlucky to be eliminated by Austria Vienna in the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup," he recalled.
That season was also marked by a great tragedy. The son of coach Vlatko Marković, Tvrtko, died in a traffic accident, so for part of the season, Stanko Poklepović took over as assistant, and later more than that.
"Yes, it was a great sadness and shock. I arrived before Vlatko; Hajduk had wanted me for a long time, even Ivić, when he returned from Ajax, asked me to stay, but I went back to Zagreb. That season, the 'Whites' were led by Vlatko Marković, and Stanko Poklepović played a significant role, more than an assistant. Špaco was also a great coach and expert," Rukljač Gec recounted.
Rukljač was a player of fine technique, wearing the white number 10 at Stari plac. Because of him, Jure Jerković, upon returning from the army and taking over the captain's armband, had to don the number 8. Free kicks at Stari plac were also taken by Šurjak, with his devastating left foot.
When Rukljač and Šurjak stood before the opposing wall, you could see fear in the opponents' eyes because no one knew who would take the shot, and both were formidable takers. In footage from that era, alongside Rukljač and Šurjak, you can also see Žungul, Mužinić, and other Hajduk players under the floodlights of Stari plac.
