Predrag Stanković (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, th ...

: Пpeдpaг Cтaнкoвић; born 17 September 1968 in Leskovac, Jablanica District) 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 retired

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

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Football career

In his country, Stanković played for

OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma, ...

, FK Zemun and

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...

. At age 28, in January 1997, he moved abroad, signing with Spanish side

Hércules CF Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish football team in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community. Founded on 25 October 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 3 and plays its hom ...

. On 5 January, Stanković made his

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

debut in a home match against

Sporting de Gijón Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting (although in an international context this can lead to confusion with Sporting Clube de Portugal) is a Spanish football club from Gijón, P ...

(1–1), and managed to appear regularly until the end of the season as his team was eventually relegated. He shared teams with compatriot

Josip Višnjić Josip Višnjić ( Cyrillic: Jocип Bишњић; born 17 November 1966) is a Serbian retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and a coach. His first name has also been spelled as Josif. After starting out at Radnički Niš, he ...

during his spell in

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

. In 1999, Stanković and Hércules suffered another relegation, now to the

third division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

. He then signed with

CP Mérida Club Polideportivo Mérida was a Spanish football team based in Mérida, in the autonomous community of Extremadura. Having played twice in La Liga ( 1995–96 and 1997–98), the club was dissolved in 2000, due to serious economic debts. Its ...

but the club folded soon after, immerse in a deep financial crisis, and the player retired at 32.

Drug scandal

After retiring, Stanković settled in Spain and became a player's agent. In February 2009 he, alongside Rayo Vallecano footballer

Carlos de la Vega Carlos de la Vega Díaz (born 24 January 1980) is a Spanish retired Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right back. Football career After emerging through Rayo Vallecano's youth system, de ...

, was arrested in connection with an anti-drug operation in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. He was condemned to nine years in 2014 (confirmation in 2015) alongside fellow footballer

Txutxi Jesús Emilio Díez de Mier (born 7 January 1973), known as Txutxi, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender. He appeared in 304 Segunda División games during 11 seasons, mainly in representation of Bilbao Athletic and B ...

– as five other people received sentences that ranged from four to 12 years, with de la Vega being one of two persons acquitted – for smuggling 950 kg of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

into the country.Nueve años de cárcel por narcotráfico a Stankovic y a Txutxi (Nine years in prison for Stankovic and Txutxi for drug traffic)

Marca Marca may refer to: Places * Marca, Sălaj, a commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Marca, a tributary of the Barcău in Sălaj County, Romania * an alternative name for Merca, Somalia * Marca District, in the province Recuay, Peru * Marçà, a vil ...

, 9 February 2015 (in Spanish)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stankovic, Pedrag 1968 births Living people Sportspeople from Leskovac Yugoslav footballers Serbian footballers Association football defenders Yugoslav First League players OFK Beograd players FK Zemun players Red Star Belgrade footballers La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Hércules CF players CP Mérida footballers Serbian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Spain Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Spain People convicted of drug offenses