Quick Facts
Biography
Ratko Svilar (Serbian Cyrillic: Ратко Свилар; born 6 May 1950) is a Serbian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Having played for Antwerp for nearly 20 years, he also coached the Belgian club on several occasions.
Football career
Born in Crvenka, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Svilar joined Royal Antwerp F.C. in November 1980 from FK Vojvodina – he started his career with lowly hometown club FK Crvenka – and proceeded to endure a 16-year spell with the Belgian side, alternating between the posts and the bench; in the 1991–92 season, he contributed with 12 league appearances to help his team finish in fifth position, winning the Belgian Cup – his only piece of silverware – in the process.
Svilar retired from professional play aged 46, going on to have several coaching spells with his last and most important club. On the international level, he represented Yugoslavia and was a participant at the 1982 FIFA World Cup; he gained his first cap on 25 September 1976, starting in a 0–3 friendly away loss to Italy.