Xhevat Prekazi

Dževad Prekazi

Personal information
Full name	Xhevat Prekazi
Date of birth	(1957-08-18) 18 August 1957
Place of birth	Kosovska Mitrovica, Yugoslavia
Height
Position(s)	Left wing
Youth career
1970–1975	Trepča K. Mitrovica
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1975–1984	Partizan Belgrade	151	(20)
1984–1985	Hajduk Split	20	(3)
1985–1991	Galatasaray	169	(41)
1992	Altay Izmir	8	(1)
1992–1993	Bakirköyspor	7	(1)
1993–1994	Trudbenik
Managerial career
2001–2002	Železnik
2010–	OFK Beograd (youth team)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Xhevat Prekazi (born 18 August 1957) is a football manager and former player of Kosovar Albanian descent. He holds both Serbian and Turkish citizenship.

He is generally considered one of the best players to have worn the jersey of the Turkish club Galatasaray. Prekazi was instrumental in building up the Galatasaray team to a point where it became the strongest Turkish league team and a major force in European football. His typical "banana crossings" from left-line into the penalty box always created danger for opponent defence. He is renowned for his brilliant technique, dribbling, long shots and crosses.

He became a Turkish citizen as Cevad Prekazi in his late career. In Serbia, he is referred to as Dževad Prekazi. His older brother Luan also played for Partizan.

Career

Yugoslavia

Xhevat Prekazi started playing at "Remont" football club in Kosovska Mitrovica, he also spent a short time at Trepča`s junior team before he started his professional career at Partizan Belgrade in 1976, where he was seen as a player with great potential. During this period, he won two Yugoslav Championships in the seasons 1977-78 and 1982-83. With Partizan he also won Mitropa cup (1978). Prekazi spent almost ten years in Partizan, and moved to Hajduk Split after a dispute with the management of the team. Prekazi was a part of Hajduk team that played in the semifinals of the UEFA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur.

After spending a year in Split, Prekazi moved to the United States where he played indoor soccer for six months under the name Jeff Prekazi with Baltimore Blast where other Serbian players such as Srboljub Stamenković and Rešad Kunovac already played.

Turkey

A Galatasaray board member noticed his talent on the pitch and arranged a transfer. Prekazi joined to Galatasaray in time for the 1985-1986 season.

He failed to sparkle initially, but eventually his skill rose to the surface. Xhevat Prekazi scored 40 goals in 174 league games for Galatasaray. He won 2 national league championships with Galatasaray and was an instrumental part of the side which reached the European Cup semi final in the 1988/89 season. Prekazi is one of the Galatasaray greats. His freekick goal from almost 40 meters against Monaco is often considered an exceptional and unforgettable memory for Turkish fans.

In 1991 he left Galatasaray and moved to Altay. At that year in the match between Galatasaray and Altay, Galatasaray fans showed their love and loyalty to him by singing a march titled "We cannot forget you". After this event Prekazi couldn't hide his tears and he left the pitch crying. He finished his career at Bakırköyspor.

In summer 1993 Prekazi returned to Yugoslavia and played with FK Trudbenik Beograd in the 1993–94 season.

Following a successful playing career, Prekazi had a few coaching stints, the most notable of which was his short time at the helm of Belgrade's FK Železnik during 2001/02 season.

Prekazi lives in Belgrade. He's currently coaching in the youth system of OFK Beograd.

Full Playing Career

Team	Season	Matches	Goals
Bakirköyspor	1992–1993	7	1
Altay	1991–1992	8	1
Galatasaray SK	1991–1992	4	0
Galatasaray SK	1990–1991	22	7
Galatasaray SK	1989–1990	27	6
Galatasaray SK	1988–1989	27	8
Galatasaray SK	1987–1988	31	6
Galatasaray SK	1986–1987	34	5
Galatasaray SK	1985–1986	24	9
NK Hajduk Split	1984–1985	8	1
NK Hajduk Split	1983–1984	12	2
FK Partizan Beograd	1983–1984	11	1
FK Partizan Beograd	1982–1983	19	4
FK Partizan Beograd	1981–1982	0	0
FK Partizan Beograd	1980–1981	17	1
FK Partizan Beograd	1979–1980	23	4
FK Partizan Beograd	1978–1979	30	2
FK Partizan Beograd	1977–1978	22	2
FK Partizan Beograd	1976–1977	28	5
FK Partizan Beograd	1975–1976	3	0
FK Trepča Kosovska Mitrovica	1974–1975	0	0

External links

• Profile at Strukljeva.net
• Profile at TFF.org
• Xhevat Prekazi career stats in Turkey at mackolik.com