Croatia and Split mourn Ivan Gudelj, one of football’s greats

Ivan Gudelj, one of the greatest footballers in the history of Hajduk Split and Yugoslav football, has died at the age of 67 after a serious illness.

Gudelj spent his entire senior club career with Hajduk, making 362 appearances and scoring 93 goals. A versatile player who operated in defence and midfield, he won the Yugoslav championship in the 1978-79 season and the Yugoslav Cup in 1983-84.

His reputation extended well beyond Split. In 1979, he captained and starred for Yugoslavia’s European champion youth team, earning recognition as Europe’s best young footballer. He played at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, then made 33 appearances for the senior national team, scoring three goals. In 1982, he became the youngest captain in Yugoslav national-team history. He wore the armband for the first time against Bulgaria in Sofia, in a 1-0 victory, and later played at the World Cup in Spain. France’s L’Equipe included him in its ideal tournament XI, while domestic polls named him Yugoslavia’s best footballer. He also captained the team at Euro 1984.

Several major European clubs wanted him, including Bordeaux and especially Real Madrid. According to the Croatian Football Federation, Real offered him a pre-contract. Gudelj later said he planned to move to Madrid once Yugoslav football regulations allowed transfers abroad.

That future disappeared in September 1986. During Hajduk’s match against Red Star Belgrade at Poljud on Sept. 13, Gudelj left the game in the second half because of exhaustion. Medical tests diagnosed hepatitis B, and the match became his last as a professional. He was only 26 and at the peak of his career. He later spoke about the loneliness and fear he faced after the diagnosis, including people avoiding him or refusing to shake his hand. He lived with the virus for decades. In 2023, tests found no detectable hepatitis B surface antigen or viral DNA in his blood.