Rudolf Belin Passed Away

In great sorrow and with a heavy heart, we announce that on Monday, November 3, in the afternoon hours, our celebrated football player and coach, one of the symbols of the Zagreb club, our dear and unforgettable - Rudolf Belin, left us forever.

Despite a long and brave battle with illness, he managed to maintain a cheerful spirit, and his positivity and wide smile almost daily illuminated Dinamo's halls. Until the very last moment, he closely followed the events in his favorite club, experienced every match with great emotion, watched over the results, over every move of his successors in the blue jersey. And it was this love that bound us until the last day.

He is one of the greatest Dinamo players of all time, a footballer with style, among the key figures of the celebrated generation that won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967, a competition that later evolved into the UEFA Cup, today's Europa League. 

Our dear Rudi left us the day before his 83rd birthday... Belin was the gentleman of our football. That's what the media, fans, teammates, and even opponents called him. A football aesthete who, in his career, tried almost every role except goalkeeper. Even in the days when he played in the center of defense, he elegantly took the ball without fouls.

Born in Zagreb on November 4, 1942 as the youngest of three brothers. The oldest, Roland, ended his career relatively early, while Bruno was one of the football stars of the league at the time and Rudij's first sports, as well as life, role model. Unfortunately, Bruno Belin died in a car accident at the age of just 33. After "training" with a makeshift ball in the meadows, Rudi started playing organized football at Jedinstvo in Zagreb, where he joined in 1957 along with half of his classmates. Dinamo noticed him at a republic tournament in Tuzla where Rudi shone in the Croatian youth national team jersey playing as a left half. This tournament also opened the doors for him to the national youth team.

Even in those early days, as a junior, he stood out with his excellent penalty kicks and free kicks, which became his trademark throughout his career. In the first team of the Blues, he played as a half, then a withdrawn playmaker, later as a right back, and finally as a defensive midfielder... At the beginning of his career in Maksimir, he established himself as a right back.

In the 1963/64 season, he was named the best player in Yugoslavia by the Sportske novosti newspaper. In a survey in which 3231 Dinamo members participated, he was chosen as the best player in 1964. Belin received 2803 votes, while the second-placed Slaven Zambata got 242 votes.

In March 1966, he went to the army, and rejoined the team in the spring part of the 1967 competition, just before the historic matches against Juventus in the quarterfinals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

What a comeback it was. In the return match in Zagreb against Juventus, in the middle of the second half, he took a free kick... The ball just missed the goal by a few centimeters. But the "radar" was accurate ten minutes later. The Blues took another free kick, almost in the same spot. Belin hit the net. The Blues won 3:0.

Probably the most important goal in his career was scored in the legendary return match against Eintracht in Zagreb, where they were chasing a three-goal deficit from the first leg. And it was Belin, with a penalty kick in extra time, in the 102nd minute, who calmly shook the net for the final score of 4:0 and a historic celebration.

After finishing his playing career, Belin also served as the first coach of the Blues. He led the main team in three terms: in the 1977/'78 season, then in August and September 1983, and at the end of the 1989 season. He was the coach of the Iraqi national team in 2002, where a particular attention was drawn to the match against Iran, with Miroslav Ćiro Blažević on the opposing bench. Belin was also Blažević's assistant in 1982 during the Blues' title-winning campaign.

He played for Dinamo from 1959 to 1970, reaching two finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: they were defeated by Valencia in 1963, while they won the trophy in 1967 by beating Leeds United. He also won the Yugoslav Cup with Dinamo in 1963, 1965, and 1969.

Belin played 410 matches for Dinamo, scoring 74 goals. He also played for Belgian club Beerschot from 1970 to 1974. He represented the Yugoslav national team in 29 matches, scoring six goals.

„It was beautiful when we played, but let's leave that now, tell me what's new today“, our dear Rudi would often ask, carefully listening to every detail related to the team from Maksimir. Despite health problems, he would visit the first team's training sessions to support the players and coach with an inspired speech full of optimism, lifting the mood. His words from that time will forever remain in our minds and will be passed on to all future generations:

"My boys, true Dinamo gentlemen! Know that all my thoughts are connected to your games. Tough matches await you, but - which one isn't tough? I just want to tell you that you are better and that you can win. It is important that you all play for one and one for all and proudly come off the field. You have quality, be confident in that. Know that I follow you everywhere, I am always with you. Boys, let's go on", Belin told his successors in Maksimir.

Dear Rudi, from the bottom of my heart thank you for everything, thank you for the emotions and cheerfulness you transmitted to all of us, thank you for the memories, trophies, for creating a great Dinamo history, but above all for the friendship and warmth you spread among all of us. May eternal glory and thanks be upon you.

GNK Dinamo hereby expresses deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends of our Rudi Belin.