Quotes
What the famous said about Bajdo
He ranks among the great football artists I have ever met; and he knows this art so exceptionally well that he makes it useful to his team's play. To me, he represents the epitome of his country's artistry and style of play.
Bernard Vukas is not only one of the best players in the world, but he is also, among the few, a flawless and exemplary sportsman.
Vukas, the wiry player with a powerful strike and intelligence, who can be deployed anywhere in attack, is the pride of Yugoslavia; experts outside his homeland hold his expertise in unusually high regard, as evidenced by his call-up to the FIFA team.
May the 50th cap for the national team see Bernard always as equally useful to his side; may his international career be as long as possible thanks to a sporting and healthy lifestyle. These are my sincerest wishes for this likeable and distinguished player.
I know Vukas as such; I had the opportunity to see for myself in London, Belfast, Helsinki, Vienna, Paris and Budapest his excellent play and sporting behaviour.
Bernard Vukas is a very well-known figure in international football, not only in Yugoslavia but also throughout Europe. I have watched him play on many occasions and he has always impressed me with his speed, skill and sporting demeanour. It is often said that a top footballer can play in any position in the team. That is true of Vukas, for he seems to be 'at home' in every position.
The final confirmation of this player's perfection was given to me during the Italy vs. Yugoslavia match in Turin, in which my friend Bernard was a spectacle in himself.
The 1953 match at Wembley for the "Rest of the World" confirmed to me this athlete's limitless technical capabilities, which I do not hesitate to describe as "out of class."
In my opinion, if the best team in the world were to be put together today, there would be no question as to who would get the centre-forward's spot. The choice would surely fall on Vučko.
His play is clever and is well-constructed tactically and technically. He dribbles excellently and is difficult to separate from the ball.
I had the opportunity to see Bernard Vukas develop on several occasions, during the last three France-Yugoslavia matches and the Great Britain versus the Rest of Europe match, and each time I was able to appreciate his great technique and his outstanding sense of the game. To me, and to most French people, he is the best Yugoslav player.
His game is compared to that of the best Hungarians, Puskas, Kocsis and others.
It was a real gift in Belfast to be able to play alongside Vukas.
Vukas played for Europe against Britain at the start of this season and he was certainly one of Europe's stars. I will never forget his outstanding hat-trick and his brilliance in the match in Belfast, which marked him out as one of the greatest players in the world.
Vukas is one of the best forwards I have played against in my footballing life, and I am not exaggerating when I say that he is the finest forward in the world.
I had the opportunity to play alongside Bernard Vukas for the Rest of Europe against England and Great Britain.
I would like to say that my only wish is that I would be happy if I could and was allowed to play with footballers like Vukas.
When it comes to good football, Yugoslavia is also mentioned, and when the question of the world's best footballers is raised, your name appears among the first.
Dear friend Vukas, I respect and honour you as a top-class player, and it has long been my wish to play for you and with you.
What we saw from that Vukas; during the game, not only did he switch all the positions in the attack, but he also showed us his full penetrating power, technical perfection, with a powerful shot, he created the most intricate situations, but also resolved and exploited them perfectly in a fraction of a second, all of which places him among international-class footballers.
In such an environment, Vukas became the exponent of his country's football school. At the same time he was both a master and a servant of the attack; he possessed the virtues of a centre-forward in his finishing and shot-taking readiness, those of a link man in his work-rate and the immense mileage he could cover in a single match, and the qualities of a winger in his long runs in behind the defence. On the basis of all this, it is the indispensable art of ball control.