54 years since Rest of the World team appearance for Milutin Soskic

Legendary Partizan goalkeeper and skipper Milutin Soskic played for the Rest of the World team 54 years ago to this day, match played in honour of centenary of football in England. Wembley game played on 23^rd of Oct 1963 gathered best players in the world on one side and crème de la crème of English footie on the other.

This was the only official Rest of the World team playing under the umbrella of FIFA and former association President Sir Stanley Rous.

Game kicked-off at 3.45pm prompt and England team won it 2-1 at packed Wembley. Hundred thousand spectators watched as Paine scored 66^th minute opener followed by 82^nd minute Law equalizer and 90^th minute Greaves winner.

Only Milutin Soskic made it to Rest of the World team from Yugoslavia. He subbed famous Russian keeper Lev Yashin at half time.

England team:

Gordon Banks (Leicester City), Jimmy Armfield (Blackpool), Ray Wilson (Huddersfield Town), Gordon Milne (Liverpool), Maurice Norman (Spurs), Bobby Moore (WHU), Terry Paine (Southampton), Jimmy Greaves (Spurs), Bobby Smith (Spurs), George Eastham (Arsenal), Bobby Charlton (Man Utd)

Rest of the World team:

Lev Jashin (USSR), Milutin Soskic (Yugoslavia), Djalma Santos (Brazil), Luis Eyzaguirre (Chile), Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West Germany), Svatopluk Pluskal (Czechoslovakia), Jan Popluhar (Czechoslovakia), Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia), Jim Baxter (Scotland), Raymond Kopa (France), Eusebio Da Silva (Portugal), Dennis Law (Scotland), Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain), Uwe Seeler (West Germany), Pele (Brazil), Ferenc Puskas (Hungary), Francisco Gento (Spain).

One Puskas or  Seeler started this game from the bench, which gives you the hint what kind of team Rest of the World was. Unfortunately, Pele was sidelined due to injury.

England team was coached by Sir Alf Ramsey, Rest of the World by Chilean coach Fernando Riera.

Game officials were Davidson (Scotland), Mitchel (Ireland) and King (Wales).

– I have to admit I was glad to be part of one and only such spectacle in the history of football. This was the only such official game under the FIFA umbrella. I earned the call mainly due to my great performances at 1962 Chile World Cup but I also played great with Partizan away to Stuttgart and I was at luck that FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous was at the match and made a decision to have me next to Lev Jashin for that game, said Milutin Soskic today.

I had to travel alone but I was later joined by FIFA board member Mihajlo Andrejevic. I spent unforgettable five days in London, sharing hotel room with Jashin. I was gifted gold watch as well but I lost it moving around, as well as jersey that someone nicked from me later on. So, I have only beautiful memories left, says Soskic who captained Partizan side for 7 years.

Speaking today at Partizan Trophy Hall, Soskic remembers how he became Partizan skipper.

– I think we played against Dinamo Zagreb and it was last game in Partizan jersey for our skipper Bruno Belin. At one point, he made a clumsy tackle and conceded a penalty. Belin found it hard and came up to me saying, “Please, make a save and I`ll give you captain`s armband”. I saved the penalty kick and Belin took the armband off for me to wear it for the next seven years as it was…

Good old times….It was joy and privilege to watch such football greats back then…