Mirko Braun (20 August 1942 β 22 March 2004) was a Croatian association football player.
Born in Hrvatska Dubica, Braun began playing as a youngster for the local club NK Una.
While playing for Una in Bjelovar he was spotted by NK Dinamo Zagreb's scouts who invited the talented left back to come to Zagreb for a trial in late 1960.
After impressing Dinamo's manager MΓ‘rton Bukovi he signed for the Blues and quickly went on to establish himself as a regular member of the team's defensive line in the 1961β62 season.
By 1964 Braun had 57 appearances and 2 goals for the club in the Yugoslav First League and was an important member of the squad which won the 1963 Yugoslav Cup and reached the 1962β63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final, in which they lost to Valencia CF 4β1 on aggregate.
Led by the prolific goalscorer Slaven Zambata the team also finished runners up in the 1962β63 Yugoslav First League.
Braun's good performances earned him a call-up for the Yugoslavia national football team and he had his international debut in a crucial 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifier against Sweden on 18 September 1963.
Although Braun's club teammate Zambata scored to put Yugoslavia 1β0 up in the opening minutes, the game eventually ended in a 3β2 defeat.
Nevertheless, Braun earned his second and third cap in friendlies against Romania and Czechoslovakia in October and November, and in December 1963 he played in Dinamo's 1963β64 European Cup Winners' Cup first round second leg win over Celtic F.C.
at Maksimir Stadium - although Celtic progressed through due to the Scots' earlier 3β0 win in Glasgow.
In early 1964 Braun was seriously injured in a car accident.
He then spent the entire 1964β65 and 1965β66 seasons recovering away from the pitch.
He tried to return to football in the following season and even had 15 appearances in the 1966β67 Yugoslav First League, but his good form never returned.
After a single league appearance in 1967β68 Braun decided to retire from the game in his mid-twenties.