Dejan Osmanović (; born 29 January 1973) is a
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
n former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
of
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
descent.
One of the most prolific
strikers
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
in FR Yugoslavia during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Osmanović is the third-highest scorer in the top flight of his country (including
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
and its
predecessors) with 101 goals (behind only
Saša Ilić and
Nenad Mirosavljević). He is best remembered for his time at
Hajduk Kula
FK Hajduk Kula (Serbian Cyrillic: ФК Хајдук Кула) was a Serbian football club based in Kula. The club was named after a Hajduk, a much celebrated hero figure in the Serbian epic poetry. On 30 July 2013, just eleven days before start ...
, becoming the club's all-time top scorer.
Club career
After starting at his hometown club
Dinamo Vranje, Osmanović was transferred to
Hajduk Kula
FK Hajduk Kula (Serbian Cyrillic: ФК Хајдук Кула) was a Serbian football club based in Kula. The club was named after a Hajduk, a much celebrated hero figure in the Serbian epic poetry. On 30 July 2013, just eleven days before start ...
in the summer of 1996. He helped the side to a fourth-place finish in his
debut season, as they qualified for the
1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup
The 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup finals were won by three French teams -- Lyon, Bastia, and Auxerre. All three teams advanced to the UEFA Cup.
Qualified teams
Group stage Group 1
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
Group 2
...
. With 16 goals, Osmanović would become the
First League of FR Yugoslavia top scorer in the
NATO bombing-suspended
1998–99 season.
In August 1999, after scoring in Hajduk's opening round of the
new campaign, Osmanović moved abroad to Spain and signed with
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...
club
Extremadura. He, however, failed to make an impact with the team, appearing in just four league matches, before leaving in December. Upon his return to Kula, Osmanović scored 25 times in 24 fixtures (1.04 goals per game) during the
2000–01 season, but finished second in the league behind
Petar Divić
Petar Divić (; born 11 July 1975) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career
Divić played for Dinamo Pančevo in the 1994–95 Second League of FR Yugoslavia, as the club suffered relegation. He spent one ...
with 27 goals.
In July 2001, Osmanović moved abroad for the second time to play for Brazilian club
Vitória. He scored two goals until the end of
the year. In early 2002, Osmanović was loaned to his former club Hajduk Kula until the end of
the season, before returning to Brazil.
In December 2002, it was reported that Osmanović would be rejoining Hajduk Kula for the third time. He scored five goals in 22 appearances during the
2003–04 season. In the summer of 2004, Osmanović was loaned to
Second League club
Budućnost Banatski Dvor ahead of their
UEFA Cup campaign.
In August 2007, shortly after leaving
Bežanija, Osmanović was signed by fellow
Serbian SuperLiga side
Smederevo
Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
According to ...
. He scored his 100th goal in the top flight while playing for
Banat Zrenjanin
FK Banat Zrenjanin () was a Association football, football club based in Zrenjanin, Vojvodina, Serbia.
History
The club was founded in June 2006 by the merger of FK Budućnost Banatski Dvor, Budućnost Banatski Dvor and FK Proleter Zrenjanin, Pro ...
in 2008. In February 2009, Osmanović returned to his parent club Dinamo Vranje.
International career
In January 2001, Osmanović represented
FR Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup
A relationship breakup, breakup, or ...
at the
Millennium Super Soccer Cup, as the team won the tournament. He made three (non-official) appearances in the process.
Career statistics
Honours
*
First League of FR Yugoslavia Top Scorer:
1998–99
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osmanovic, Dejan
Men's association football forwards
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
CF Extremadura footballers
Esporte Clube Vitória players
Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
First League of Serbia and Montenegro players
FK Banat Zrenjanin players
FK Bežanija players
FK Budućnost Banatski Dvor players
FK Dinamo Vranje players
FK Hajduk Kula players
FK Smederevo 1924 players
Sportspeople from Vranje
Romani footballers
Segunda División players
Serbia and Montenegro expatriate men's footballers
Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Brazil
Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers
Serbian First League players
Serbian men's footballers
Serbian Romani people
Serbian SuperLiga players
1973 births
Living people