Ivan Bek

Ivan Bek

Personal information
Date of birth	29 October 1909(1909-10-29)
Place of birth	Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia
Date of death	2 June 1963(1963-06-02) (aged 53)
Place of death	Sète, France
Playing position	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1925–1928	BSK Belgrade
1928	FK Mačva Šabac
1928–1931	FC Sète
1931–1932	Urania Genève Sport	16	(16)
1932–1935	FC Sète	69	(33)
1935–1939	AS Saint-Étienne	109	(93)
1940–1942	Nîmes Olympique
National team
1927–1931	Kingd. of Yugoslavia	7	(4)
1935–1937	France	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ivan "Ivica" Bek (or Yvan Beck; 29 October 1909 in Belgrade – 2 June 1963 in Sète) was a football (soccer) player. Born to a German father, and a Czech mother in Belgrade borough of Čubura. At age of 16, started playing in BSK Belgrade for which he scored 51 goal in 50 matches. In 1928 Bek moved to Mačva, and soon proceeded to French FC Sète. In his first season he reached the Cup finals, but lost 0-2 against Montpellier. Next year in Cup finals against PSG,was victorious for Sète (3:1) with Bek scoring two decisive goals in extra time. Four years later with the same club, Bek was part of the first team that win the Double in France.

International

Internationally, Bek represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (7 caps, 4 goals) and France (5 caps). For Yugoslavia he debuted in 1927 against Bulgaria (2-0), participated Olympic tournament in 1928 in Amsterdam and played in the 1930 FIFA World Cup for Yugoslavia scoring three goals. In 1933 Bek taken French citizenship and renamed himself Yvan Beck, in February 1935 he was picked for the first time in the Equipe Tricolore.

After playing career

During the Second World War, Bek was a member of the French Resistance. After the war, he worked as a dockworker in Sète, where he died from a heart attack.

Honours

Champion of France: 1934 Winner of the French Cup: 1930, 1934

External links

• Profile on French federation site
• Profile on Serbian federation site
• Ivan Bek at National-Football-Teams.com.