Colo Colo to Honor Mirko Jozic With a Statue Alongside Club Legends

It took twenty years for Mirko Jozic to set foot in Chile again. And when he did, the Monumental gave back everything he had given it in 1991, and then some. The Croatian coach, the only one to ever lead a Chilean club to the top of the Copa Libertadores, returned to the country this week for a series of tributes that Colo Colo organized in its centennial year.

It all began Wednesday at the Teatro Caupolican, at an event called "Siempre Colocolino," organized by the Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo. There, Jozic was showered with affection from fans, club officials and several of the players who made him a continental champion 34 years ago. The next day, Thursday, the club took an even more symbolic step: it renamed Casa Alba, the corporate building at Estadio Monumental, after him.

Broadcaster Vladimiro Mimica had the honor of reading the inscription on the plaque unveiled in Macul: "In tribute to the man who led our club to eternal glory and will light the way for future generations of 'caciques.' Mirko Jozic, 1991 Copa Libertadores champion."

A statue alongside the club's historic figures

In the middle of the ceremony, Blanco y Negro president Anibal Mosa surprised everyone with an announcement that goes well beyond renaming a building. He confirmed that Colo Colo will build a statue of Jozic, joining those of other pivotal figures in the club's history.

"We're going to build a statue of Mirko Jozic. I'm committing, as president, that we will build a statue and place it next to David Arellano, next to Carlos Caszely and 'Chamaco Valdes.'"Anibal Mosa

Mosa also used the moment to highlight Jozic's legacy beyond the titles, recalling a phrase the Croatian himself repeated during his visit.

"There are so many lessons to take from him, he taught us so much. He said in his speech yesterday, and I was reminded of it today, that if you can't run, you walk, and if you can't walk, you crawl, but you never give up. That's Colo Colo, we never give up."Anibal Mosa

The idea of the statue found immediate backing from Club Social y Deportivo president Edmundo Valladares, who emphasized something that doesn't always happen in soccer: honoring idols while they are still around to enjoy it.

"We'll have to take it step by step, but for us the most important thing is being able to create these moments and honor our idols while they're still alive, when we can. We managed it with Carlos Caszely, fortunately, as a club, together with our fans, and now with Mirko too."Edmundo Valladares

It's worth remembering why Jozic means so much to Colo Colo. Born on April 8, 1940, in what is now Croatia, he arrived in Chile in 1990 with an impressive resume: he had coached the Yugoslav under-20 national team to the 1987 world title, with names who would later become legends such as Davor Suker, Robert Prosinecki and Zvonimir Boban. But it was in Macul where he built his most memorable body of work.

On June 5, 1991, with a packed Monumental, Colo Colo routed Paraguay's Olimpia 3-0 in the second leg of the final to claim the only Copa Libertadores a Chilean club has ever won. That team, featuring Daniel Moron, Leonel Herrera, Jaime Pizarro and Marcelo Barticciotto among others, remains etched forever in the memory of Colo Colo fans.

The celebrations surrounding his visit aren't over yet. Still to come are a tribute at the former National Congress building and a ceremony at the Monumental this Sunday, during the match against Deportes Concepcion for matchday 23 of the National Championship.