The echo of a car crashing into a concrete pole on the old Belgrade–Novi Sad highway still hangs heavy over Zemun, just as the silence that fell in Humska when the news broke that a Partizan player would never arrive at the training he had set out for on that fateful September 3rd continues to resonate through the walls of the Temple of Football.
And how much pain and emptiness lies in the realization that it has been exactly 40 years since that tragic day. Four full decades of grief, disbelief, and unanswered questions—why did it happen, and is it truly possible that Dragan Mance is no longer with us?
Tragedy stopped him when no defender could. In 1985, he was the club’s best striker, adored by fans, admired even by those who weren’t football lovers. His premature departure was mourned not only by Partizan supporters but by rivals too, because Dragan Mance was not only a great player—with 174 goals in 279 appearances—but also a great person off the pitch.
For Partizan fans, he was always pure footballing class—a master they trusted, the scorer of one of the most beautiful volleys in Serbian football history. Beyond his legacy of goals, he left behind that unforgettable celebration immortalized in song—sliding on his knees across the grass, raising his arms to the sky in joy.
Dragan Mance is a legend—and legends live forever!