One of the most elegant footballers the audience at Bežigrad has ever seen, was destined for a football career from the cradle. It was his father Branko Elsner, a coaching legend at Olimpija, who brought Marko to the green and white team. He left Slovan in 1977, and the following year, he made his debut for Olimpija’s senior team. Over the course of seven seasons, he played 112 matches and scored 12 goals.

He impressed fans with his cold-bloodedness, but at the same time with his incredible technical skill, which was not common for central defenders in those days. Marko Elsner initially played as a midfielder, often playing in attack, but in the end he proved himself and established himself as a defender. A defender whose journey has taken him very far. Among other things, he played 14 matches for the Yugoslav national team and two in a jersey with the Slovenian emblem.

In 1984, he competed with Yugoslavia at the Olympic Games and celebrated winning a bronze medal in Los Angeles. After bidding farewell to Olimpija, he became a fan favorite at Crvena Zvezda, later moving to France to play for Nice, then to Austria with Admira, before returning to the French Riviera to conclude his career. He chose to stay there even after retiring from football, running a restaurant and passing his love for football on to his sons, Luka and Rok. Luka Elsner later went on to become the head coach of Olimpija. Marko Elsner passed away in 2020 at the age of 61 after a severe illness.

Achievements