Fikret Mujkić

File:Fikret Mujkic.jpg

Mujkić (in the middle) with NAC Breda in May 1975.

Fikret "Pike" Mujkić (born May 13, 1949 in Sarajevo) is a former Yugoslav and Bosnian football player.

Remembered as an able striker with excellent technique, Mujkić, widely known by his nickname Pike, was one of the more promising young players of his generation. At the time when he was coming up (late 1960s and early 1970s) his skill caught the attention of many observers who predicted great things for him in the future. However, he never actually managed to reach the predicted level due to a variety of reasons mostly having to do with his inability to fully focus on football and develop his game.

Club career

His career began in FK Željezničar's youth team. As one of the most talented players of his generation, he was soon included in the first team. He was on FK Željezničar's roster for the first part of the 1971-1972 season at the end of which the club won its only league title. Mujkić, however, left the club during the course of the season, signing a contract with Dinamo Zagreb, which meant that he didn't get to lift the trophy.

He played for Dinamo until 1974 appearing in 73 matches (42 goals).

After that, he played for NAC Breda and Panathinaikos.

He returned to FK Željezničar during the 1976/77 season's winter break. His second stint, however, lasted only half a season. Željezničar got relegated at the end of that season and Mujkić retired from football. During his two stints with Željezničar he played 140 league games (43 goals) for the club.

Mujkić also played for Yugoslav national team. He collected 5 caps and scored one goal. He is a record holder for number of appearances for Yugoslav under-21 team as he played 45 times. He played 23 games for the Olympic team as well.

Post-playing

After retiring from playing football, Mujkić ran a kafana in Sarajevo during the 1980s with his brother Midhat "Medo" Mujkić. The place was called Kod Piketa (Pike's).

Mujkić is currently a member of Bosnian Football Association's executive board where he's representing Tuzla Canton's FA.

In popular culture

A Zabranjeno Pušenje track "Probušeni dolar" off their 1987 album Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari features a reference to Đulijano Pike, a fictional character from Sarajevo reportedly inspired by Mujkić. In the context of the song, Đulijano Pike is a local playboy who seduces young girls in Sarajevo's Veliki Park, sleeps with them, and then publicly brags about his sexual conquests thereby tarnishing the girls' reputations.

External sources

• Profile at Serbian Federation site.

• Fikret Mujkić at National-Football-Teams.com