Zvonimir Vukić (; born 19 July 1979) is a

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

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 ...

who played as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. A former Serbia and Montenegro international, Vukić appeared at the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

Club career

Vukić started out at his hometown club Proleter Zrenjanin, making his senior debut in the 1996–97 season, aged 17. He became a first-team regular in the following 1997–98 campaign, attracting the attention of numerous domestic and foreign clubs. In the summer of 1998, Vukić was snapped by Spanish club Atlético Madrid. After spending almost two years with Atlético's

B team B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It r ...

, playing in the Segunda División, Vukić returned to his homeland and signed with

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 ...

in April 2000. He made a name for himself over the next four seasons with the ''Crno-beli'', scoring 52 goals across all competitions. In the 2002–03 season, Vukić was the league's top scorer with 22 goals, as Partizan won the title. In June 2003, Vukić signed a five-year contract with Ukrainian runners-up

Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...

. He was their top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions during his debut season. In his second year at the club, Vukić helped the side win the championship despite being scoreless in the process. He also made his

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

debut that

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

against the likes of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. In August 2005, Vukić was loaned to

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

side

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

until the end of the 2005–06 season. He scored his first goal for Portsmouth in a 4–1 win over Sunderland on 29 October 2005. However, after the sacking of manager

Alain Perrin Alain André Christian Perrin (born 7 October 1956) is a French professional football manager and former player. Perrin made his managerial breakthrough at Troyes, whom he took from the fourth tier to Ligue 1 and UEFA Cup qualification by winni ...

and reinstatement of former manager Harry Redknapp, Vukić was deemed surplus to requirements. In January 2006, Vukić found himself back in familiar territory, having been loaned to his former club Partizan for the rest of the 2005–06 season. He rejoined the Belgrade side just a few days following

Danko Lazović Danko Lazović ( sr-Cyrl, Данко Лазовић, ; born 17 May 1983) is a Serbian former footballer who played as a forward or winger. He represented the Serbia national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Club career Partizan Lazović st ...

's comeback. Unfortunately, Vukić broke a foot in a friendly game against Ural Yekaterinburg, managing to play just two competitive matches after a long pause. After his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk expired in the summer of 2008, Vukić joined

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. However, the Ukrainian club claimed that they have a valid contract with the player. Eventually, FIFA allowed Vukić to play for the Russian club in October 2008. He scored on his debut for the side in a league fixture against Terek Grozny on 2 November 2008. After the club folded in February 2010, Vukić became a free agent.

Third stint at Partizan

In May, and November 2010, after training with the club for several months, Vukić was again linked to Partizan, but no deal was concluded. He eventually signed with his former club on 31 January 2011, penning a one-year deal. Vukić chose the number 80 shirt and was officially presented together with Ghanaian international

Prince Tagoe Prince Tagoe (born 9 November 1986) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Chittagong Abahani and is currently working as a sports television panellist along with Charles Taylor on Angel TV sports programme. Bor ...

. He helped Partizan win the

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

, scoring from the penalty spot in the

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 f ...

final against

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

. At the start of the 2011–12 campaign, Vukić assumed his old number 10 shirt. He opened the season with a goal against Shkëndija in the second qualifying round of the

. However, after a weak form in August 2010, Vukić became a subject of fans criticism, briefly dropping from the first team. On 21 September 2011, Vukić returned to the lineup and scored a goal in the

first round against

Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар, lit. "New Bazaar"; ) is a city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2011 census, the urban area has 66,527 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 100,410 inhabit ...

. He then scored a brace in his first league game after six rounds for a 2–0 victory over Spartak Subotica on 15 October 2011. In the next 30 days, Vukić netted five more, including three league and two cup goals. He also scored the opening goal in a 2–0 away win against arch-rivals on 26 November 2011, becoming a

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

favorite again. In the last two rounds of the first half of the season, Vukić scored two more goals to complete his fantastic performances in late 2011. On 24 January 2012, after much speculation, Vukić signed another one-year contract with Partizan. He continued his good performances in the second half of the season, being named in the SuperLiga Team of the Season. However, Vukić was removed from the squad in August 2012, because of disagreements with reappointed manager Vladimir Vermezović.

Career in Greece

On 30 January 2013, Vukić joined PAOK on a free transfer, signing a one-and-a-half-year deal. He played three matches in the Super League Greece until the end of the 2012–13 regular season, scoring two goals in his first two appearances for the club against Panionios and Panathinaikos. Vukić also recorded four appearances in the Super League playoffs. On 26 April 2014, Vukić was the only scorer for his team in the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

final, converting a penalty in the 70th minute of their 4–1 loss to Panathinaikos. He was also one of the team's top scorers in the 2013–14 season, with 15 goals in all competitions, before eventually leaving PAOK at the end of his contract. On 7 September 2014, Vukić joined

Veria Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of ...

on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract. He was given the number 99 shirt. On 12 February 2015, Vukić terminated his contract with Veria by mutual consent.

International career

Vukić earned 26 caps for Serbia and Montenegro, making his full international debut in a 2–2 home draw with

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

on 12 February 2003. He scored his first national team goal in a 3–2 win over

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

at Millennium Stadium on 11 October 2003. Vukić was a regular member of the team during the

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America) ...

, scoring four goals in the process. He was included in the final 23-man squad for the

, despite having been in the process of convalescence after a long break due to foot injury. Eventually, Vukić made one appearance in the final tournament, coming in from the bench in a 6–0 loss to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Partizan *

First League of FR Yugoslavia The First League of Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Прва савезна лига / Prva savezna liga) was the top football league of Serbia and Montenegro, before the country's dissolution in 2006. The league was formed following the breakup of Yu ...

: 2001–02, 2002–03 *

FR Yugoslavia Cup The Serbia and Montenegro Cup was an association football knockout cup tournament of Serbia and Montenegro played between 1992 and 2006, after which Serbia and Montenegro became separate nations. The competition was the continuation of the old ...

: 2000–01 *

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 ...

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, 2011–12 *

Shakhtar Donetsk *

Ukrainian Premier League The Ukrainian Premier League ( uk, "Українська Прем'єр-ліга", ''Ukrayinska Premier Liha'') or UPL is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Vyshcha Liha ( uk, Вища ліга, ''Top League' ...

: 2004–05, 2007–08 *

Ukrainian Cup The Ukrainian Cup ( uk, Кубок України) is an association football national knockout cup competition run by the Ukrainian Association of Football. The competition is conducted almost exclusively among professional clubs. Since the 2003� ...

: 2003–04, 2007–08 *

Ukrainian Super Cup The Ukrainian Super Cup ( uk , Суперкубок України) is an association football game of the Ukrainian Premier League in traditional super cup format that acts as the grand-opening for every new football competition season in Ukra ...

: 2005 Individual *

FK Partizan Fudbalski klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Партизан, ; en, Partizan Football Club), sometimes known as Partizan Belgrade in English, is a Serbia, Serbian professional football club (association football), football ...

Player of the Year: 2002 * First League of Serbia and Montenegro Top Scorer: 2002–03 * Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2011–12

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vukic, Zvonimir 2006 FIFA World Cup players Association football midfielders Atlético Madrid B players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Greece Expatriate footballers in Russia Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Ukraine FC Moscow players FC Shakhtar Donetsk players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players FK Partizan players FK Proleter Zrenjanin players PAOK FC players Portsmouth F.C. players Premier League players Russian Premier League players Segunda División players Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Spain Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in England Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Serbia and Montenegro footballers Serbia and Montenegro international footballers Serbia and Montenegro under-21 international footballers Serbian expatriate footballers Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Russia Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Serbian footballers Serbian SuperLiga players Sportspeople from Zrenjanin Super League Greece players Ukrainian Premier League players Veria F.C. players 1979 births Living people