Boban Babunski

Personal information
Date of birth	(1968-05-05) 5 May 1968 (age 55)
Place of birth	Skopje, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Centre back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1986–1993	Vardar	141	(14)
1993–1994	CSKA Sofia	40	(4)
1994–1996	Lleida	63	(3)
1996–1998	Gamba Osaka	38	(6)
1998–1999	AEK Athens	8	(0)
1999–2000	Logroñés	34	(0)
2000	Sint-Truiden	1	(0)
2000	Chemnitzer FC	8	(1)
2001	Rabotnichki	3	(1)
2008	Kozhuf	1	(0)
Total		337	(29)
International career
1991	Yugoslavia	2	(0)
1993–2000	Macedonia	23	(1)
Managerial career
2002–2003	Macedonia (assistant)
2005	Macedonia (assistant)
2005–2006	Macedonia (interim)
2008–2009	Rabotnichki (coach)
2009–2014	Macedonia U21 (coach)
2011	Macedonia (caretaker)
2011–2012	Macedonia (assistant)
2018	Vardar
2022	Pobeda
2023	Pelister
Medal record Representing  Yugoslavia UEFA U-21 Euro 1990
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Boban Babunski (Macedonian: Бобан Бабунски; born 5 May 1968) is a Macedonian retired footballer who played as a central defender, and a coach.

Playing career

Babunski was born in Skopje, SR Macedonia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On the club level he started playing with hometown's FK Vardar, then spent two seasons in Bulgaria with PFC CSKA Sofia to become of the first Macedonians to compete in the A Football Group.^[1] After two solid years in the Spanish second division with UE Lleida he played the same time in Japan, at Gamba Osaka.

Babunski retired professionally in 2001 at the age of 33, after stints with AEK Athens FC, CD Logroñés, K. Sint-Truidense V.V. and Chemnitzer FC – he left Germany in December 2000, signing with native FK Rabotnichki – the second and the last teams two also in the respective countries' second level.

Babunski was capped two times for Yugoslavia in 1991. Subsequently, during seven years, he played 23 matches and scored once for the newly formed Macedonia.

Manager career

Babunski began his coaching career as assistant in the Macedonian national side, under Slobodan Santrač. When the latter resigned on 23 August 2005 he was appointed interim manager but, on 17 February of the following year, Srečko Katanec took over the job on a permanent basis.

On 23 July 2009, Babunski was signed as head coach of Macedonian First Football League champions Rabotnichki, also from Skopje, winning the domestic cup in his sole season. Four years later he returned to the national team.

Personal life

Babunski's sons, David and Dorian, are also footballers. The former played youth football with FC Barcelona, whilst the latter did the same at Real Madrid.^[2][3] Babunski's great-grandfather was Jovan Babunski, a Serbian Chetnik vojvoda.^[4]

Statistics

Club

^[5]

National team

^[6]