Snješko Cerin

Snježan "Snješko" Cerin(born 18 January 1955; also known asJohn Cerinin the United States) is a retiredCroatianassociation footballstrikerwho spent most of his career playing for his hometown clubDinamo Zagrebin theYugoslav First Leaguein the 1970s and 1980s.

Snješko Cerin

Personal information
Full name	Snježan Cerin
Date of birth	(1955-01-18)18 January 1955
Place of birth	Zagreb,FPR Yugoslavia
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1972–1975	Trnje
1976	Zagrebački Plavi
1976–1986	Dinamo Zagreb	216	(101)
1985	Kansas City Comets(indoor)	3	(1)
1986–1987	Austria Klagenfurt	14	(1)
Total		233	(103)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

A native ofZagreb,Cerin started playing atNK Trnje,a small local amateur club, in the early 1970s. In 1976, he moved to another local side, third-level minnows NK Zagrebački Plavi, who later merged withNK Zagrebin 1980.

In April 1976 theYugoslavia national football teamdecided to play a training match against Zagrebački Plavi in preparation for theirUEFA Euro 1976qualifier versusWalesplayed in Zagreb. The game proved to be a turning point for Cerin, as he managed to score ahat-trickfor him humble side against the national team and their stalwart goalkeeperOgnjen Petrović.

The 21-year-old Cerin instantly became sought after by top clubs in Yugoslavia. He was first invited byTomislav Ivićto joinHajduk Split,but the deal never materialised, as Ivić left Hajduk for Netherlands only a few months later, at the end of the 1975–76 season, to take overAjax.Local powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb then offered him a professional contract, so Cerin joined the club for the 1976–77 season.

Cerin then had to wait for his Dinamo debut almost six months under coach Mirko Bazić. Cerin eventually scored his first goal for Dinamo in a 3–1 friendly win againstGOŠK Dubrovnikon 10 November 1976. His league debut came a week later, on 17 November, in a 6–1 home win againstBudućnost,in which he scored a brace. His first goal for Dinamo against international opposition came in a 4–0 win against Ajax led by Tomislav Ivić at the Trofej Marjan international tournament played in Split on 17 February 1977.

By the late 1970s Cerin established himself as one of Dinamo's most prolific scorers, and is best remembered for leading the club to the Yugoslav championship title in the1981–82 season,their first national league title in 24 years. He was also the league's top scorer with 19 goals that year.

In spite of his prolific abilities, now 27-year-old Cerin was not selected for the Yugoslavia squad which played at the1982 FIFA World Cupin Spain that summer, with national managerMiljan Miljanićopting to take Cerin's Dinamo teammateStjepan Deverićinstead.

Between 1976 and 1986 Cerin spent ten seasons with Dinamo, and was the club's leading goalscorer in five of those seasons. Apart from the 1981–82 league title he also helped Dinamo win twoYugoslav Cups(in 1980 and 1983). He made a total of 474 appearances for Dinamo across all competition, scoring 295 goals for the club. This includes 216 appearances and 101 goals in the Yugoslav First League, which made him the club's top all-time scorer of the Yugoslav era.

Alongside players such asMarko Mlinarić,Velimir Zajec,Stjepan Deverić,andZlatko Kranjčar,Cerin was part of one of the most successful periods in Dinamo's history, as during his time at the club they also finished runners-up in the league twice (1976–77, 1978–79) and runners-up in the national cup three times (1982, 1985, 1986). However, in spite of his excellent scoring record, Cerin was constantly overlooked by national team managers and was never called to play for Yugoslavia.

In 1985 Cerin left Croatia briefly to play in the AmericanMajor Indoor Soccer League(MISL), where he was known as "John Cerin". He scored a single goal in three matches for theKansas City Comets.

He was recalled to Dinamo by his former managerMiroslav Blaževićin the winter break of the 1985–86 season. Cerin played for Dinamo one half-season under Blažević, finishing sixth in the league, and missing out on qualifying for an UEFA Cup spot by a single point, in a season best remembered for the hugematch-fi xing scandal on the last match day.

Cerin then left left the club for good in 1986, to play a single season atSK Austria Klagenfurtin Austria. He then returned to Zagreb and appeared in a handful of games for another small local sideNK Novi Zagreb,before retiring from football completely by the late 1980s.

After retirement, Cerin opened a pub in Zagreb which he ran well into the 1990s. By 2001, he had moved toPrivlaka,a small seaside town nearZadar,where he opened a small privately-ownedretirement home.

Honours

Club

• Yugoslav League Championship
  • Winner:1981–82
  • Runner-up:1976–77,1978–79
• Yugoslav Football Cup
  • Winner:1979–80,1982–83
  • Runner-up:1981–82,1984–85,1985–86

Individual

• Yugoslav League Championship top scorer: 1981–82

External links

• Career summaryat Zagreb Blues, Dinamo Zagreb fan site
• Snješko Cerinat WorldFootball.net