Mladen Božović (, ; born 1 August 1984) is a Montenegrin former professional

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 ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. Internationally, he earned 42

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for the Montenegro national team.

Club career

Beginnings

Light enough on his feet, and quick enough with his reflexes to dominate between the sticks, Božović started out with his local club

Zabjelo Below is a list of selected neighbourhoods and suburbs of Montenegrin capital of Podgorica. Note that there are many different interpretations on boundaries and existence of certain neighbourhoods, as neighbourhood is not an administrative categ ...

, and joined Budućnost Podgorica in the 2004 winter

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...

. He was later loaned to

Mladost Podgorica OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tr ...

and

Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...

, before returning to the club and becoming the first-choice goalkeeper in the 2006–07 season.

Partizan

On 14 January 2008, Božović was transferred to

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

, on a four-year deal. He made his competitive debut for the club in a 2–0 home league win over

Bežanija Bežanija ( sr-cyr, Бежанија, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd, in the Syrmia region. Location Bežanija is located west of the downtown Belgrade, across the Sav ...

on 22 March 2008, replacing his compatriot Darko Božović in the 87th minute of the game. Until the end of the 2007–08 season, Božović became the first-choice goalkeeper, as Partizan won the double. He played the full 90 minutes in all of his team's league fixtures in the 2008–09 campaign. In April 2009, he first broke the club record (previously held by

Ivica Kralj Ivica Kralj (, ; born 26 March 1973) is a Montenegrin former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. During his playing career, Kralj was best known for his time at Partizan, having three spells at the club and winning five major trophies. He als ...

) in consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (840 minutes), after which he became the record holder in Serbian football after not conceding a goal for 916 consecutive minutes. The previous record holder was former FK Obilić goalkeeper Nenad Lukić who did not concede a goal for 903 consecutive minutes in the 1998–99 season. He was eventually named in the team of the season and also helped Partizan win the 2008–09 Serbian Cup, collecting the double for the second year in a row. He briefly lost his place in the team to Aleksandar Radosavljević between late September and early November 2009, before again becoming Partizan's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. In May 2010, Božović celebrated his third Serbian championship title with the club. During his tenure with Partizan, Božović played with the club twice in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

group stage: in 2008–09 and 2009–10.

Later career

On 4 June 2010, Božović moved to Hungarian side Videoton. He was a regular starter in his debut season at Sóstói Stadion, helping the club win their first championship title ever. In the following two years, Božović added three more trophies to his collection, one

Ligakupa The Hungarian League Cup ( hu, Magyar Ligakupa) was an annual football tournament contested by clubs in the Hungarian League. It was created in 2007 and the competition only lasted for 8 seasons, being cancelled in 2015/2016. Ligakupa Finals The ...

and two Szuperkupa trophies (2011 and 2012). On 23 June 2013, Božović joined Russian club

Tom Tomsk FC Tom Tomsk (russian: Футбольный клуб Томь Томск) is a Russian professional football club, based in the Siberian city of Tomsk. The team plays in Trud Stadium (Tomsk). History The team was previously named ''Burevestnik'' ...

on a free transfer. He was the first-choice goalkeeper at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, before losing his place in the starting lineup. In August 2014, Božović was loaned to Khimik Dzerzhinsk. He returned to the Siberian club in December 2014, making one league appearance until the end of the 2014–15 season. In the 2016 winter transfer window, Božović returned to his homeland and signed with

Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...

. He spent the next 18 months at the club, making 50 official appearances (league and cup). On 20 June 2017, Božović moved to Greece and signed with AEL on a two-year deal.

International career

On 3 June 2007, Božović made his international debut for

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

in a 0–1 loss to

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

at the

Kirin Cup The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which national ...

. He then served as a backup goalkeeper for

Vukašin Poleksić Vukašin Poleksić (Serbian Cyrillic: Bукaшин Пoлeкcић, born 30 August 1982) is a Montenegrin retired football goalkeeper. Club career Poleksić started his career at FK Sutjeska Nikšić, breaking into the first team in 2000. During t ...

during the team's unsuccessful qualification campaign for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. Subsequently, Božović played the full 90 minutes in all of his team's UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying games, including a

play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

tie against the

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. However, Montenegro failed to reach the

final tournament Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. During the World Cup 2014 qualifying stage, Božović maintained his role as Montenegro's first-choice goalkeeper, appearing in eight games (out of 10), as the team finished in third place behind

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. In August 2016, Božović was called up to the national team after more than a year of absence. He helped Montenegro make a successful start of the World Cup 2018 qualifying phase, winning seven points in the first three games.

Personal life

After his playing career ended, Božović began suffering from poverty and depression. On 8 March 2022, he attempted suicide but survived.

Statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

;Budućnost Podgorica *

Second League of Serbia and Montenegro The Second League of Serbia and Montenegro was the second tier of the football league system in Serbia and Montenegro, one level below the First League of Serbia and Montenegro. History Formed in 1992 after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it consisted ...

: 2003–04 ;Partizan *

Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League ( sr, Супер лига Србије / Super liga Srbije), referred to as the Mozzart Bet Super League ( sr, Моцарт Бет Супер лига / Mozzart Bet Super liga) for sponsorship reasons, is a Serbian profes ...

: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 *

Serbian Cup The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије, Kup Srbije) is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. From 2006 to 2010, the competition was known as the Lav Cup ...

: 2007–08, 2008–09 ;Videoton *

Nemzeti Bajnokság I The Nemzeti Bajnokság (, "National Championship"), also known as NB I, is the top level of the Hungarian football league system. The league is officially named OTP Bank Liga after its title sponsor OTP Bank. UEFA currently ranks the league 28th ...

: 2010–11 *

: 2011–12 * Szuperkupa: 2011, 2012

Individual

Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season The Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season is an annual award given to a set of 11 footballers in the top tier of Serbian football, the SuperLiga, who are seen to be the best 11 players of the calendar season. Winners 2008–09 Source 2009–10 ...

: 2008–09

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bozovic, Mladen 1984 births Living people Footballers from Podgorica Association football goalkeepers Serbia and Montenegro footballers Montenegrin footballers Montenegro international footballers FK Zabjelo players FK Budućnost Podgorica players OFK Titograd players FK Kom players FK Partizan players Fehérvár FC players FC Tom Tomsk players FC Khimik Dzerzhinsk players FK Zeta players Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C. players Second League of Serbia and Montenegro players Montenegrin First League players Serbian SuperLiga players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Russian Premier League players Russian First League players Super League Greece players Montenegrin expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Serbia Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Serbia Expatriate footballers in Hungary Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Expatriate footballers in Russia Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Russia Expatriate footballers in Greece Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Greece