Ognjen Vranješ (; born 24 October 1989) is a Bosnian 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 ...

who plays as a

centre-back 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 ...

for

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

club

Hatayspor Hatayspor Kulübü, known as Atakaş Hatayspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club located in Antakya, Hatay Province. History Hatayspor was founded on 23 July 1967. In July 2020, the team achieved promotion to t ...

. Vranješ started his professional career at

Borac Banja Luka Fudbalski klub Borac Banja Luka (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Бopaц Бања Лука, ) is a Bosnian professional association football club, based in the city of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is the major part of th ...

, before joining

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 ...

in 2009. He was sent on loan to

Napredak Kruševac Napredak may refer to: *HKD Napredak, cultural society of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina *FK Napredak Kruševac, Serbian football club *FK Napredak Aleksinac, Serbian football club *FK Napredak Banatska Topola Fudbalski klub Napredak () is a f ...

in 2010 and to

Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff (russian: ФК Шериф Тирасполь), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnis ...

later that year. Vranješ then played in Russia for

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

and Spartak Vladikavkaz and in Turkey for

Elazığspor Elazığspor is a Turkish professional football club located in Elazığ and currently competes in the TFF Third League. They previously played their home games at Elazığ Atatürk Stadium in Elazığ, which had a maximum capacity of 13,923. T ...

and

Gaziantepspor Gaziantepspor was a Turkish football club located in the city of Gaziantep. Formed in 1969 and dissolved in 2020, Gaziantepspor were nicknamed the ''Şahinler'' (The Falcons). The club colours were black and red, and they played their home matche ...

. He signed with

Sporting Gijón Sporting may refer to: *Sport, recreational games and play * Sporting (neighborhood), in Alexandria, Egypt Sports clubs *AC Sporting, a football club from Beirut, Lebanon * Alexandria Sporting Club, a sports club from Alexandria, Egypt *Real Sport ...

in 2016. Later that year, he switched to

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'' ...

. A year later, he moved to

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...

. The following year, Vranješ was transferred to

Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...

, who loaned him back to AEK Athens in 2019 and to

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

in 2021. Later that year, he went back to AEK Athens. In 2022, he joined Hatayspor. A former youth international for

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, Vranješ made his senior international debut in 2010, earning over 30

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

until 2018. He represented the nation at their first major championship, the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

Club career

Early career

Vranješ came through youth academy of his hometown club

, which he joined in 2000. He made his professional debut in 2007 at the age of 17. On 9 August 2008, he scored his first professional goal against

Orašje Orašje ( sr-cyrl, Орашје) is a city and the capital of Posavina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of river S ...

, which secured the victory for his team. In December, he signed with Serbian side

. In January 2010, he was sent on a six-month loan to

. In July, he was loaned to Moldovan team

until the end of season. In January 2011, Vranješ moved to Russian club

. In December 2012, he joined Spartak Vladikavkaz. In May 2013, he suffered a severe knee injury, which was diagnosed as anterior cruciate ligament tear and was ruled out for at least six months. In January 2014, he went to Turkish club

. In February 2015, he switched to

. In January 2016, Vranješ joined Spanish outfit

. In August, he signed with

AEK Athens

In December, Vranješ moved to Greek side

on a contract until June 2019. He was sent off on his official debut for the team on 7 January against

Asteras Asteras is a Greek word meaning star. See also: * Ethnikos Asteras F.C. * Asteras Tripolis F.C. * Agrotikos Asteras F.C. * Kyanos Asteras Vari F.C. * Asteras Amaliada F.C. * Nafpaktiakos Asteras F.C. * Asteras Magoula F.C. *Neos Asteras Rethymno F. ...

. On 5 February, he scored his first goal for AEK Athens in a triumph over

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 I ...

. Vranješ scored his first career

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

in a defeat of

Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi (regional unit), Xanthi regional unit of the modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace. A ...

on 18 February 2018. He won his first trophy with the club on 23 April, when they were crowned league champions.

Anderlecht

In June, Vranješ was transferred to Belgian team

for an undisclosed fee. He made his competitive debut for the club on 28 July against

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

and scored an own goal. In June 2019, he was sent on a season-long loan to his former club AEK Athens. In January 2021, he was loaned to

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

for the remainder of campaign.

Return to AEK Athens

In July, Vranješ returned to AEK Athens on a two-year deal. He played his first official game for the team since coming back in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier against Velež on 29 July. Six weeks later, he appeared in his first league game after returning against Ionikos. On 3 October, he scored first goal for AEK Athens since his comeback in a defeat of

Panetolikos Panetolikos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Παναιτωλικός), or with its full name Panetolikós Yimnastikós Filekpedeftikós Síllogos ( el, Παναιτωλικός Γυμναστικός Φιλεκπαιδευτικός Σύλλογος'' ...

Later stage of career

In July 2022, Vranješ signed with

International career

Vranješ was a member of Bosnia and Herzegovina under-21 team for several years. In August 2010, he received his first senior call-up, for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers against

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, but had to wait until 17 November to make his debut in a friendly game against

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. In June 2014, Vranješ was named in Bosnia and Herzegovina's squad for

, country's first major competition. He made his tournament debut in the last group match against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

on 25 June. In February 2019, national team coach

Robert Prosinečki Robert Prosinečki (; born 12 January 1969) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Early in his career, he was part of the Red Star Belgrade team that won three Yugoslav First League titles and ...

stated that he would no longer call Vranješ up due to many controversies he was involved in the past period, thus ending his international career.

Personal life

Vranješ's older brother Stojan is also a professional footballer. He has been the subject of many controversies during his career. In August 2010, he wore

Delije Delije ( sr-cyr, Делије) is a name referring to the supporters of various sports clubs that compete under the Red Star Belgrade multi-sport club banner. The plural of the singular form ''delija'' (делија)—which in Serbian general ...

shirt to celebrate his then club Sheriff Tiraspol eliminating

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

in UEFA Champions League qualifier, which was construed as provocation. In 2015, he made a

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

depicting borders of

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...

on his left upper arm, which led to public scrutiny. He later apologized and covered the tattoo up. Because of the tattoo, he had many altercations with

BHFanaticos BHFanaticos is the largest supporters group in Bosnia and Herzegovina who follow Bosnian national sport teams mostly in football, basketball, handball and sitting volleyball. Members are located throughout Europe, United States and Australia. ...

, the largest Bosnian support group. In September 2018, he was sentenced to eight months

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

for instigating fan violence over his

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page during his time with AEK Athens. Later that year, it was spotted that Vranješ had a tattoo of Chetnik duke

Momčilo Đujić Momčilo Đujić ( sh-Cyrl, Момчилo Ђујић, ; 27 February 1907 – 11 September 1999) was a Serbian Orthodox priest and Chetnik . He led a significant proportion of the Chetniks within the northern Dalmatia and western Bosnia r ...

on his upper right arm, which got him publicly criticized by Bosnian FA and the fans, with whom he already had bad relations. In January 2019, he was once again in center of a scandal, as media reported that he had an affair with Serbian singer

Jelena Karleuša Jelena Karleuša ( sr-cyr, Јелена Карлеуша; born 17 August 1978) is a Serbian singer and media personality. Born and raised in Belgrade, she rose to prominence upon the release of her debut album ''Ogledalce'' in 1995, which was su ...

, who is married to footballer

Duško Tošić Duško Tošić ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Тошић, ; born 19 January 1985) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Early career Born in Zrenjanin, Tošić began his career in his native Serbia playing for ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Borac Banja Luka * First League of RS: 2007–08 AEK Athens *

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

: 2017–18

References

External links