Živko Lukić

Serbian footballer (1943–2015)

Živko LukićPersonal information

Date of birth|  (1943-07-05)5 July 1943[1]
Place of birth|  Belgrade, German-occupied Serbia
Date of death|  2015 (aged 71–72)
Place of death|  Železnik, Belgrade, Serbia
Height|  1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)|  Midfielder, defender
Youth career
0000–1961|  Napredak
1961–1963|  Partizan
1963–1965|  Rijeka
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
1965–1966|  Maribor|  0|  (0)
1970–1971|  Paris Saint-Germain|  1|  (0)
Total|  |  1|  (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Živko Lukić (Serbian Cyrillic: Живко Лукић; 5 July 1943 – 2015) was a Serbian footballer who played as a midfielder and defender. He is known for being the first foreign player in Paris Saint-Germain history, making his way onto the team in a deceptive manner.[2]

## Career

[edit]

Lukić was a youth player for Partizan from 1961 to 1963. He made one appearance for the reserve team of the club on 6 June 1963, coming off the bench in a friendly against German club SV Merbeck.[1] From 1963 to 1965, he played youth football for Rijeka; he was the captain of the club's team that won the 1964 Kvarnerska Rivijera without conceding a goal.[3] In 1965, Lukić left for Maribor, where he would never play a first team match.[3] By 1969, he was studying in Osijek to become a dentist.[4]

In 1970, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was formed with the merging of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain; Lukić took advantage of the ambitious but disorganized project in Paris to hoax his way into the team. He tricked the entire PSG staff into believing that he had been an important player for Partizan in the past, and that he was the brother of Rennes player Ilija Lukić.[4] Up to this point, Lukić's plan was succeeding; he even received a welcome from the well-known magazine France Football several days before his debut for PSG.[5] On 14 August 1970, he played in a friendly for PSG against Red Star.[6][7]

On 29 August 1970, Lukić played in his first and only official game with Paris Saint-Germain, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 Division 2 win over Quevilly.[8] In his 1992 autobiography, then-PSG president Guy Crescent wrote: "[Lukić's] mission was to neutralise our opponent's key player, [Daniel] Horlaville, whom we feared the most. And Lukić... he clung to him like an octopus to a rock! But Horlaville would quickly dribble past him once, then again, then make a pass, while my unfortunate Lukić would inevitably end up on his behind!"[4]

Lukić only played a total of 53 minutes for PSG, and his deception was revealed after his appearance in a match. Despite his identity hoax, he was able to obtain a medal at the end of the season, as the Parisian club gained promotion to the Division 1 in 1971.[9]

## Personal life and death

[edit]

After his football days, Lukić lived the rest of his life running a dental clinic in Železnik. The clinic closed in 2012.[1] He died in 2015.[4]

Lukić is survived by his son Marko, who also became a dentist. According to Marko, his father is indeed related to Ilija Lukić, although they are not brothers as it was reported in France.[3]

## Career statistics

[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[10] Club  | Season  | League  | Cup  | Total

|
|
|
|

Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals
Paris Saint-Germain | 1970–71 | Division 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0
Career total  | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0

## Honours

[edit]

Rijeka

* Kvarnerska Rivijera: 1964[3]

Paris Saint-Germain

* Division 2: 1970–71[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Živko Lukić – misterija se razrešava…" [Živko Lukić - the mystery is being solved...]. Crno-bela Nostalgija (in Serbian). 26 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
2. ^ Kollar, Michel (14 August 2020). "50 ans : Aux origines du club (10/12)" [50 years: At the origins of the club (10/12)] (in French). Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
3. ^ a b c d "Živko Lukić: priča je rasvetljena!". Crno-bela Nostalgija (in Serbian). 29 September 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
4. ^ a b c d Babić, Bojan (1 September 2016). "Živko Lukić: Paris St.Germain's Foreign Hoaxer". Beyond the Last Man. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
5. ^ "révélations sur Zivko Lukic, le mystérieux premier joueur étranger du PSG" [revelations on Zivko Lukic, the mysterious first foreign player of PSG]. Paris.canal-historique (in French). 1 October 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
6. ^ "Misterija zvana Živko Lukić". Crno-bela Nostalgija (in Serbian). 6 September 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
7. ^ "Red Star – PSG 1-2, 14/08/70, match amical 70-71". Histoire du PSG (in French). Retrieved 15 December 2024.
8. ^ "Saga Yougoslavie : les statistiques" [Yugoslavian saga: the statistics]. Paris United (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
9. ^ Ikhsan, Harley (13 November 2020). "Bola Ganjil: Hoax dari Yugoslavia Bikin PSG Gigit Jari" [Odd Ball: Hoax from Yugoslavia Makes PSG Bite the Finger]. Liputan6 (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 February 2021.
10. ^ "Zivco LUKIC". PSG70 (in French). Retrieved 9 September 2020.
11. ^ "Zivko LUKIC". Histoire du PSG (in French). 30 May 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Živko Lukić at WorldFootball.net

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals