Dragomir Ilic (16 August 1925 – 18 June 2004) was a Yugoslav professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Werder Bremen in the Oberliga Nord.[1]

Dragomir Ilic
Personal information
Date of birth (1925-08-16)16 August 1925
Date of death 18 June 2004(2004-06-18) (aged 78)
Place of death Bremen, Germany
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
BSK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948 Werder Bremen
1949 1. FC Saarbrücken
1949–1961 Werder Bremen
1963–1964 Werder Bremen 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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In his youth, Ilic played as a forward for BSK before his goalkeeping skills were found by Yugoslavian international Rajko Mitić.[2]

He was discovered in a camp for displaced persons in Ostholstein.[3] He played for a team called Serbische Weiße Adler in 1948 in Bremen.[2] In January 1949 he made his first appearance for Werder Bremen in a match against Bremerhaven 93.[2] He made his 500th appearance for the club in April 1959.[2] He first retired in 1961 at the age of 36, having made over 300 appearances for Werder Bremen in the Oberliga Nord.[3] He briefly came out of retirement in the 1963–64 season after six goalkeepers had sustained injuries and made four appearances in the Bundesliga,[3] becoming the first non-German player for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.[4] He was one of the oldest players to make their debuts in the newly formed Bundesliga, when he played against 1. FC Köln on 5 October 1963, aged 38 years and 50 days.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ Dragomir Ilic at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c d "500mal Dragomir Ilic" [500 times Dragomir Ilic]. Oldenburger Nachrichten (in German). 6 April 1959. p. 2.
  3. ^ a b c "Dragomir Ilic: Vom Rentner zum Bundesliga-Profi" [Dragomir Ilic: From pensioner to Bundesliga professional]. NDR (in German). 15 August 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  4. ^ Bürger, Malte; Walenziak, Fynn (12 December 2022). "54 Nationen spielten bei Werder Bremen! Eine Zeit- und Weltreise!" [54 nations played at Werder Bremen! A journey through time and the world!]. Kreiszeitung (in German). Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Bonucci & Co.: Die ältesten Bundesliga-Debütanten je Klub" [Bonucci & Co.: The oldest Bundesliga debutants per club]. kicker (in German). 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  6. ^ "1. FC Köln 4–3 Werder Bremen" (in German). Reviersport Online.
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