Aleksandar “Saša” Viciknez (

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 ...

: Александар Саша Вицикнез; born 30 May 1974) is a retired Serbian

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 mostly as a left winger. Viciknez debuted in the Second League of FR Yugoslavia in 1995 with FK Dinamo Pančevo, and ultimately reached the highest tier in 1997 with

FK Obilić Fudbalski klub Obilić (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Обилић) is a Serbian football club based in Vračar, a neighbourhood of Belgrade. It was named after medieval Serbian hero Miloš Obilić, a legendary 14th-century knig ...

. During his tenure in Belgrade he won the 1997-98 Yugoslav Championship, and featured in the

1998–99 UEFA Champions League The 1998–99 UEFA Champions League was the 44th season of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club football tournament, and the seventh since it was renamed from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The competition was w ...

. Following an early successful domestic career and a brief stint with FK Hajduk Kula he ventured abroad to play in the

Chinese Jia-A League The National Football Jia A League (simplified Chinese, commonly known as Jia-A, was the highest tier of professional football in the People's Republic of China, during 1994 through 2003, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Associ ...

, and

Bulgarian A PFG The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...

. He returned home in 2004 to spent time with Crvena Zvezda Pavliš, and

FK ČSK Čelarevo Fudbalski klub ČSK Pivara (Serbian Cyrillic: ЧСК Пивара) is a football club from Čelarevo, a village near Bačka Palanka, Serbia. It was founded in 1925 as ČOSK ( sr, Čebski Omladinski Sportski Klub or ЧОСК, Чебски Ом� ...

. In 2006, he went abroad for the third time to play in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (C ...

with the Serbian White Eagles FC. The acquisition of Viciknez played a prominent role in the procession of European professional players to the CSL, which ushered in an era of a large volume of import players to the league. Throughout his time in Toronto he served numerous times as the club's team captain, and won several accolades such as the CSL Championship, International Division title, and the CSL MVP award.

Playing career

Viciknez began his career in 1995 with FK Dinamo Pančevo in the Second League of FR Yugoslavia. In 1997, he signed with

of the First League of FR Yugoslavia. In his debut season he was part of the famed Obilić squad that won the 1997–98 Yugoslav Championship. As a result, participated in the

, where he played against

FC Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which play ...

. In 2000, he went abroad to China to play with Shanghai Shenhua in the

. While playing in China, he was sometimes mistakenly referred to as Sasa Racha (his name was confused with his teammate

Saša Raca Saša Raca (born 9 May 1975) is a retired Bosnian Serb football midfielder who, after finishing his career, spent some time as sports director at the major football club at his hometown and later opened a football academy. Playing career Club He ...

). His stay in China was short-lived and he returned to Europe to briefly play with FK Hajduk Kula, before heading abroad once more to Bulgaria. During his time in Bulgaria he played with

PFC Naftex Burgas ''For the new club claimed as the successor, see PFC Neftochimic Burgas.'' PFC Naftex Burgas ({{Lang-bg, ПФК Нафтекс) is a former football club from Burgas, Bulgaria. History The club was created in 1962 by a group of workers, laying t ...

in the

. After two seasons abroad he returned to Serbia to play in the Serbian League Vojvodina, and the

Serbian First League The Serbian First League ( sr, Прва лига Србије / Prva liga Srbije), referred to as the Mozzart Bet First League ( sr, Моцарт Бет Прва лига / Mozzart Bet Prva liga) for sponsorship reasons, is the name for the second ...

with Crvena Zvezda Pavliš, and

. In 2006, he went overseas to play with the

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club ( sr, Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови / ''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, an unsanctioned socce ...

in the

. He made his debut on 19 May 2006 against

Italia Shooters York Region Shooters is a Canadian soccer team, that plays in the Canadian Soccer League. The Shooters played their home games at the St. Joan of Arc Turf Field in the City of Vaughan, Ontario. The team's colours were blue and white, mirroring t ...

, where he also recorded a goal in a 3-2 victory. In his debut season he was named to the CSL All-Star roster against

Clyde F.C. Clyde Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional Association football, football club who play in Scottish League One. Formed in 1877 at the River Clyde in Glasgow, the club host their home matches at New Douglas Park, having played at Broad ...

, where he scored the lone goal in a 2-1 defeat. He finished as the club's second highest goal scorer, and clinched the International Division title. In the postseason he scored both goals in a 3-0 victory over

Toronto Supra Portuguese SC Toronto was a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1994. The team was a member of the Canadian Soccer League, and played its final home games at Lamport Stadium in the city of Toronto, Ontario. The club found success early on since its incepti ...

to advance Serbia to the semi-finals. He featured in the CSL Championship final against Italia Shooters where Italia managed to upset Serbia with a 1-0 defeat. At the conclusion of the season he received the MVP award. During the 2007 season he contributed to Serbia's second International Division title, and reached the championship final for the second straight season. He also was named to the all-star squad for the second year in a row. Viciknez added the championship to his resume in the 2008 season, where in the finals Serbia faced

Trois-Rivières Attak Trois-Rivières Attak was a Canadian soccer team that played three seasons in the Canadian Soccer League. They formally served as a reserve and academy team for the USL First Division side Montreal Impact. The club was an instant success withi ...

and won the title after a 2-1 victory in a penalty shootout. The following season, Serbia added their third International Division title to their trophy cabinet. During the preliminary round of the postseason he contributed significantly by recording several goals in their series against

TFC Academy Toronto FC Academy, also known as TFC Academy, is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. The academy has divisions from U14 to U19 and includes over 110 young players. The senior academy team is ...

. He featured in his fourth championship appearance in a rematch against Trois-Rivières, where the Attak denied Serbia their championship after a 3-2 defeat in a penalty shootout. The league recognized his efforts by awarding him with his second CSL MVP award.

Honours

Obilić

* First League of FR Yugoslavia: 1997–98

Serbian White Eagles

* CSL Championship:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

International Division:

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viciknez, Sasa 1974 births Living people People from Vršac Sportspeople from Vojvodina Expatriate footballers in Bulgaria Expatriate footballers in China Expatriate soccer players in Canada Men's association football wingers Serbian expatriate footballers Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Serbian footballers Serbian White Eagles FC players PFC Neftochimic Burgas (2009–2014) players FK Dinamo Pančevo players FK Obilić players FK ČSK Čelarevo players Serbian expatriate sportspeople in China FK Hajduk Kula players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Shanghai Shenhua F.C. players China League One players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players Serbian League players