Legendary Vili Ameršek revealed why, when he was 20 years old, he rejected Red Star Belgrade: “It felt like I had caught God by… You know!”
Photo: NK Olimpija Ljubljana
Vili Ameršek is a living legend of Olimpija, even though it’s true that the younger generation may not be familiar with one of the best footballers in Yugoslavia at the time. This is a harsh reality of Slovenian football, where we often do not give enough credit to the legends from the times of the former country. However, Vili Ameršek is precisely that – a legend. The iconic Ameršek played an incredible 432 matches for Olimpija, which is still a club record. He also scored 106 goals, placing him second on the all-time goalscorers list. Only the late Zoran Ubavić scored more goals.
“Vili Ameršek, the elegant attacking midfielder with exceptionally refined technique, spent an astonishing 16 seasons in the jersey of Olimpija, the most of any player who ever played for the Dragons. He was also the club captain and, in every aspect, one of the greatest footballers in the history of Olimpija,” reads about Zasavec on the club’s website.
Today, at 75 years old, Vili Ameršek dedicated his entire career to Olimpija, except for three years spent in France with Angers. Even though, as he revealed, he had a splendid opportunity in his youth to move to one of the giants of Yugoslavia. Literally, one day, a delegation from Crvena zvezda knocked on his door.
Vili Ameršek: “I was a bit scared”
“When I was 20 years old, not yet as recognized as later, a delegation from Crvena zvezda came to our home in Trbovlje. It included director Aca Obradović and coach Miljan Miljanić. They didn’t announce themselves, so you can imagine the surprise when they rang the doorbell. When we sat at the table, they asked my father, as there weren’t many managers back then, if I would go to Belgrade with them. My father told them to negotiate directly with me,” revealed Vili Ameršek in an interview with Sportal.
The footballer from Trbovlje added about the incident that occurred in 1968: “When I got the chance to speak, I told them I wouldn’t go. So, I turned down the offer from Crvena zvezda. Why did I do that? I was a bit scared. At that time, I had only been in Ljubljana for two years. And I had just gotten used to it. I commuted from Trbovlje by train every day. Up and down. Playing in the first Yugoslav league suddenly, from Rudar’s youth team, was something extraordinary for me. Like catching God by… You know (laughter, ed.). That’s why I preferred to stay at Olimpija.”
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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