On 4 October 1945, a few months after the end of the Second World War, young officers of the Yugoslav army founded a football team in Belgrade. On 4 October 2027 Partizan turn 82 years old. It is a story of generals who loved the game, a shirt that changed colour thanks to Juventus and a final lost in the last twenty minutes.

Generals, goals and a first double

Partizan was born as the football section of the Central House of the Yugoslav Army. Athletics, chess, basketball and volleyball sections were founded on the same day.

Behind the founding were young officers, among them Spanish Civil War veterans such as Koča Popović and Peko Dapčević. Svetozar Vukmanović "Tempo" was the one who pushed hardest for the club.

The name honours the Partisans, the resistance movement that fought in Yugoslavia during the war.

Just two days after its founding, Partizan played a friendly against a Zemun select side and won 4-2. The first goal in its history was scored by Florijan Matekalo.

The club gathered talent from all over the country, such as Stjepan Bobek, who became its leader in the 1950s. As early as 1946-47 it won both league and cup, becoming the country's first double winner.

From blue and red to black and white

Few remember that Partizan did not start out in black and white. The first kits were dark red, blue or white, and from the founding the team mostly wore blue and red.

The big change came in 1957-58. According to the story the club tells, Juventus president Umberto Agnelli gave the team two sets of black-and-white shirts after a friendly in 1957.

Since then Partizan have been the "Crno-beli", the Black-Whites. Their other nickname, "Parni valjak" (the Steamroller), came from the press in 1953 after a 7-1 win over Red Star.

A crest with a star and torches

The first crest of 1945 was a blue disc with a red five-pointed star and the letters "JA", for the Yugoslav Army. In the early 1950s the army wording was replaced by "Sports Society" and the crest turned black and white.

After 1963 a sixth torch was added, and in 1992 the words "Football Club" arrived. In 2007-08 two stars were placed above the crest for 20 league titles.

The night at Heysel and the legends

The 1965-66 season is the brightest in the club's history. Partizan knocked out Manchester United in the semi-finals and became the first team from the Balkans and Eastern Europe to reach a European Cup final.

On 11 May 1966, at Heysel in Brussels, Velibor Vasović put them ahead and the team held the 1-0 lead until the 70th minute. Real Madrid, however, turned the game around and won 2-1.

Milutin Šoškić, Ivan Ćurković, Predrag Mijatović, Savo Milošević and Dušan Vlahović all wore the shirt. A special place belongs to Dragan Mance, the fans' idol who died in 1985 aged just 22.

The Grobari and their home

The organised supporters, the Grobari (Gravediggers), appeared in 1970. According to the usual account, the name was given to them by Red Star rivals because of the black colour.

Partizan Stadium, formerly known as the JNA Stadium, opened on 22 December 1951. Today the team plays in the Serbian SuperLiga, where it finished third in 2025-26.

Celebrate with us

From the army club of 1945 to the black-and-white stripes that came from Turin, Partizan have written a story all their own. Happy 82nd birthday, Crno-beli!

See our Partizan jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Partizan Stadium in Belgrade – David Holt, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.