Dževad Prekazi

Dzevad Prekazi died on 8 November 2026 at the age of 69. His death was reported that day, with Turkish media describing him as a Galatasaray legend. The place and cause of death have not been made public.

Dzevad Prekazi was born on 18 August 1957 in Kosovska Mitrovica, then part of Yugoslavia, to Kosovo Albanian parents. He was known as Xhevat in Albanian and Cevat in Turkish. He identified as Yugoslav and later also held Turkish citizenship.

His older brother, Ljuan, also played for Partizan. Prekazi took his first football steps at his local club Remont, where he was registered for the youth team in early 1974.

Prekazi quickly stood out as one of the most promising young talents in Yugoslav football and signed with Partizan in December 1974. With the club he won the Yugoslav First League three times, in 1975-76, 1977-78 and 1982-83, and the Mitropa Cup in 1977-78.

In the 1984 winter transfer window he moved to Hajduk Split and won the 1983-84 Yugoslav Cup. He then spent time in the United States with the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

In the summer of 1985 he signed for Galatasaray in Turkey, where he stayed for six and a half years, making 185 league appearances and scoring 40 goals. He helped the club win back to back championships in 1986-87 and 1987-88. He left in late 1991 for Altay, briefly played for Bakirkoyspor in autumn 1992, and ended his career with Trudbenik in the Serbian League North.

At international level he played for Yugoslavia at the 1976 UEFA European Under-18 Championship and was capped at under-21 level. After retiring he managed Zeleznik twice and worked in the youth setups of Sindjelic Beograd, OFK Beograd and Partizan.

Prekazi was born into a Kosovo Albanian family but identified as a Yugoslav, and he held Turkish citizenship after his years in Istanbul. Beyond his family connection to football through his brother Ljuan, little else about his private life is documented in public sources.

Prekazi is remembered as a skilful attacking midfielder and as part of three Partizan title-winning sides, a Hajduk Split cup winner, and one of the Galatasaray team that won consecutive Turkish titles in the late 1980s. His long spell in Istanbul made him a lasting favourite with the club's supporters, and he went on to pass his experience to young players in Belgrade.