Dejan Stefanović
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dejan Stefanović | ||
Personal information | ||
---|---|---|
Full name | Dejan Stefanović | |
Date of birth | October 28, 1974 | |
Place of birth | Vranje, SFR Yugoslavia | |
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |
Playing position | Centre back, left back | |
Club information | ||
Current club | Fulham | |
Number | 6 | |
Senior clubs1 | ||
Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
1994–1995 1995–1999 1999 2000 2000–2003 2003–2007 2007– |
Red Star Belgrade Sheffield Wednesday Perugia OFK Belgrade Vitesse Arnhem Portsmouth Fulham |
66 (4) 0 (0) 0 (0) 94 (4) 112 (3) 13 (0) |
46 (9)
National team2 | ||
1995–2004 | Serbia & Montenegro | 20 (0) |
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
Dejan Stefanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дејан Стефановић), (born October 28, 1974 in Niš, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian football player who currently plays for Fulham. He is a central defender who can also play at full back.
Contents |
[edit] Football career
Stefanović began his career in his home town with Dinamo Vranje before being signed by Red Star Belgrade. Whilst at the club he made his international debut for FR Yugoslavia, aged 20, against Hong Kong in January 1995.[1]
For the second part of the 1995/96 season, English club Sheffield Wednesday signed both Stefanović and compatriot, striker Darko Kovačević. Stefanović cost the English club £2 million. However, Stefanović struggled to break into the Wednesday side with Emerson Thome and Des Walker among those ahead of him in the pecking order.
In 1998/99, after playing 72 games for the club, Stefanović was released on a free transfer, signing for A.C. Perugia. However, the move did not work out and before long he returned to Serbia with OFK Belgrade.
Stefanović moved to his third club of the 1999/2000 season when transferring to Vitesse Arnhem of the Netherlands. He quickly became a first team regular, and spent four years at the club, becoming captain during that time.
At the start of the 2003/04 season, he returned to England with Premiership newcomers Portsmouth for £1.85million.[2] He established himself as a first choice defender during the club's first season in the top-flight, and was a regular in the 2004/05 campaign, winning the fans' player of the season award.[3] He was made Portsmouth captain by Alain Perrin in the 2005/2006 season, although a dip in form and a habit of speaking out to the press earned him the ire of some supporters. Indeed, he confessed to "not giving 100%" under Perrin due to disliking the French coach, comments criticised as highly unprofessional by some fans.
Stefanović's influence on chairman (and fellow Serbian) Milan Mandarić is said to have been an important factor in the dismissal of Perrin and the re-appointment of Harry Redknapp and he was an important member of the side that survived at Wigan in the penultimate game of the season.
Stefanović was converted to a left back at the start of 2006/07 and was a mainstay of the defence that performed so well for Portsmouth during the season. However, the arrivals of Hermann Hreidarsson and Sylvain Distin during the summer of 2007 cast his position as a first team regular into doubt and he was replaced as captain by Sol Campbell for the 2007/08 season.
In August 2007 Rangers revealed an interest in signing Stefanović[4] but he signed for Fulham.[5]
[edit] International career
Stefanović is a full Serbian international, earning his first call-up in 1995 (The country was then known as Yugoslavia, changing to Serbia and Montenegro in 2000). He has a total of 20 caps to his name. Stefanović retired from international football in 2004.
[edit] External links
- Dejan Stefanovic career stats at Soccerbase
- BBC profile
- FootballDatabase provides Dejan Stefanović's profile and stats
[edit] References
- ^ Dejan Stefanovic Profile
- ^ "Pompey seal Stefanovic deal", BBC Sport, 2003-06-20. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
- ^ "Dejan Stefanovic", The Portsmouth News, 2007-02-28. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
- ^ "Smith reveals Stefanovic interest", BBC Sport, 2007-08-22. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
- ^ "Fulham complete Stefanovic deal", BBC Sport, 2007-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
Sporting positions | ||
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Preceded by Arjan de Zeeuw |
Portsmouth F.C. captain 2005–2007 |
Succeeded by Sol Campbell |
Awards | ||
Preceded by Arjan de Zeeuw |
Portsmouth F.C. Fans' Player of the Year 2004–2005 |
Succeeded by Gary O'Neil |
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