Yugoslavian star who was the playmaker on some of the New York Cosmos’ greatest teams. Bogicevic was perhaps the outstanding midfielder in the North American Soccer League’s history, famed for the pinpoint accuracy of his passes.
Bogicevic played for the Cosmos from 1978 to 1984, and was a star of the Cosmos’ NASL champion teams in 1978, 1980 and 1982, playing in the championship game in each of those years (as well as in the losing effort in 1981). Those three NASL championships supplemented the five Yugoslav first-division titles that Bogicevic had won in his 13 seasons with Red Star Belgrade.
Bogicevic played a total of 236 NASL games. He scored only 39 goals, but he had 166 assists, and led the NASL in that category in 1981, 1982 and 1983. Many of Giorgio Chinaglia’s flood of NASL goals were scored from assists by Bogicevic. Bogicevic was an all-star every season that he was in the NASL. He was a second team choice in 1978 and 1979, and then a first-teamer in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984.
Bogicevic, who was retired from the Yugoslav national team by the time he joined the Cosmos, even though he was only 27 at the time, played for Yugoslavia 47 times. Those included five of Yugoslavia’s six games at the 1974 World Cup, where he scored one goal and Yugoslavia reached the quarterfinals.
Inducted in 2002.
