Đorđe Babalj ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Бабаљ; born May 3, 1981) is a

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n retired 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 lea ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), 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 i ...

Club career

Born in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

(in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

), he moved with his parents to

Apatin Apatin ( sr-Cyrl, Апатин, , ) is a town and municipality located in the West Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022 census, the population of the town is 14,613, while the municipality has 23,155 inhabita ...

(in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

) as a child. He started his youth career playing for local team

FK Mladost Apatin OFK Mladost APA () is a football club based in Apatin, Vojvodina, Serbia. They compete in the Vojvodina League North, the fourth tier of the national league system. History The original club was founded in 1928 as SK Tri zvezde. They played qua ...

. After three years he signed his first professional contract for the same football club and remained faithful to this club for 11 years. He contributed in placing Mladost in the

First League of FR Yugoslavia The First League of Serbia and Montenegro () was the top football league of Serbia and Montenegro, before the country's dissolution in 2006. The league was formed as the First League of FR Yugoslavia following the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, ef ...

twice, which was the greatest achievement of that club until then in its history. At that time, he was invited to the U-19 Serbia and Montenegro national team, but only played two matches during his year as its member. In the summer of 2006 he left Mladost and the following two years he played for

FK Vojvodina Fudbalski klub Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Војводина), commonly known as Vojvodina and colloquially as Voša ( sr-Cyrl, Воша), is a Serbian professional football club based in Novi Sad, Serbia, the second large ...

from Novi Sad, and

FK Borac Čačak Fudbalski klub Borac 1926 (), commonly known as Borac Čačak, is a professional football club based in Čačak, Serbia. The home ground is Čačak Stadium, which has seating capacity of 8,000. As of 2024–25 season, the club competes in secon ...

in the

Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...

, following also spells abroad with Hungarian

Zalaegerszegi TE Zalaegerszegi Torna Egylet Football Club (), commonly known as Zalaegerszegi TE, Zalaegerszeg or ZTE, is a Hungary, Hungarian professional association football, football club based in Zalaegerszeg. Zalaegerszeg has won one Hungarian League title ...

and Bosnian

FK Laktaši Fudbalski klub Laktaši (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Лакташи) is a professional association football club based in the city of Laktaši, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It competes in the First League of the Repu ...

. In the summer of 2009, he joined

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian team Shahrdari Tabriz F.C. During the winter break of the 2011–12 season, he returned to Serbia by signing with his former team FK Borac Čačak. at FK Borac Čačak official website, 13-1-2012

References

External links

Djordje Babalj
Official website
Đorđe Babalj
at Utakmica.rs {{DEFAULTSORT:Babalj, Djordje 1981 births Living people Footballers from Sarajevo Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to Serbia Yugoslav Wars refugees Men's association football goalkeepers Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbian men's footballers Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen FK Mladost Apatin players FK Vojvodina players FK Borac Čačak players Zalaegerszegi TE players FK Laktaši players Shahrdari Tabriz F.C. players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players Serbian SuperLiga players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina players Azadegan League players Serbian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Expatriate men's footballers in Iran Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Iran 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen