A youngster named Milan Galić began his journey in football with now defunct Serbian side Proleter Zrenjanin. After 6 years at the club, his next chapter took him to Partizan in the 1958–59 campaign. It was the beginning of a beautiful story, one that lasted for the next 8 years.
The Partizan era
Galić won his first league title with Partizan in the 1960–61 season. The Yugoslav striker was integral in achieving this historic feat. He managed to score 14 goals in 21 league matches that campaign, including a hat trick against Radnički Beograd in a 4-2 victory. This also made him the league top scorer, and Partizan the league champions.
The next season saw Partizan win a second consecutive league title, but Galić only managed to score 7 goals in 21 appearances. Thus, the question came, if the Yugoslavian was a one-season wonder.
Those questions were put to bed in the following season, as Galić returned to his scoring ways with 15 goals in 24 league games. He led them to yet another league title as well.
Shockingly, the same pattern repeated for the player once again. His form dipped again in a second season, as the Partizan striker only managed to score 4 goals that season. Partizan suffered due to this as well, as the Serbian side only managed to finish the league in 5th place.
Partizan and Galić were back to winning ways in the 1964–65 season, finishing the campaign as champions once again. As for Galić, he finished as joint league top scorer with teammate Vladica Kovačević.
The 1965–66 season was a legendary one for the players and club, as they shocked the footballing world by reaching the 1966 European Cup Final. They were on the verge of making history. However, they suffered a 1–2 defeat on the 11th May against Real Madrid. That was also Galić's final year with Partizan.
Life after Partizan
After leaving his homeland, Galić moved to Belgian side Standard Liège in 1966. At Belgium, he won the Belgian First Division twice (1969 and 1970) and the Belgian Cup in 1967. His stint at Standard Liège finished in 1970, as he chose French side Reims as his final destination.
Galić continued to play for the next 3 years, before finally deciding to retire from football in 1973.
International legacy
Although Galić proved his goalscoring excellence at the club, it was his international heroics that gave him worldwide recognition at the time. He made his international debut for Yugoslavia in a 2–0 home win over Bulgaria on 31st May 1959. It was a dream debut for the striker, as he opened the scoring.
He is widely remembered for being a part of the legendary Yugoslavian team that finished as runner-up to the Soviet Union in the 1960 European Nations' Cup. Galić was the tournament's joint-top scorer with two goals, and he also scored the first goal ever in the UEFA Euro tournament. He later appeared for Yugoslavia at the Summer Olympics that same year, winning the gold medal. He also finished this tournament as top scorer with 7 goals, including the opening goal in Yugoslavia's 3–1 final victory over Denmark.
Galić represented his country at the 1962 FIFA World Cup as well, scoring three goals during the tournament. Yugoslavia finished the tournament in 4th place.
As evident after reading these, Yugoslavia was going through a golden age at the time, and they were one of the finest international sides in world football at the time. The same can be said about Galić, who was one of the finest strikers in football back then. His legacy will forever live in the footballing history books of his country.
