Željko Brkić
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Željko Brkić (
Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...
: Жељко Бркић, born 9 July 1986) is a Serbian 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 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


Early career in Serbia

Brkić, playing in the goalkeeper position, started his career as a professional began at the club Indeks Novi Sad and
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
, before playing professionally at Vojvodina. Brkić loaned him to Proleter Novi Sad in 2005, where he stayed for the club about two years. At Proleter Novi Sad, Brkić made thirty-one appearances. After his return from loan, Brkić made his debut for the club, in a 1–0 win over
Napredak Kruševac Napredak, which translates from Serbo-Croatian as ''Progress'', 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 Napred ...
on 2 September 2007. Since then, Brkić soon became a first-choice goalkeeper and soon became the club's captain. At the club, Brkić made a total of 117 appearances.


Siena

In the summer of 2011, Brkić left Serbia to join Italian side
Udinese Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...
. Because Udinese ran out of non- EU registration quota for international signing (which Udinese had to buy one from other club) as well as the performance of Slovenian internationals
Samir Handanović Samir Handanović (born 14 July 1984) is a Slovenian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Since August 2024, he is the head coach of Inter Milan's Inter Milan Youth Se ...
, Brkić was signed by
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
club
Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
in definitive deal from Vojvodina, which he would transfer back to Udine in a later time. (which just cost Siena for €20,000 as other fee.AC Siena SpA ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2012 ). On 11 September 2011, Brkić made his debut in a 0–0 draw against
Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
, keeping his first clean sheet on his debut in Serie A. In October, following impressive performances with Siena, Brkić was linked with a move to English side
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
. In response of a transfer speculation, however, Brkić told Serbian daily ''Sport'' that he is aware of the transfer rumour, but insists he is focusing at Siena. Brkić also says he is no rush of leaving the club and insists the move is not affecting his form. After a 2–0 loss against
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
on 17 December 2011 in which Brkić get a yellow card resulting a penalty, Brkić soon had an operation that kept him out for many months after fracturing his left fibula. A year on, Brkić spoke about his injury and find it difficult to come back to recover. In January 2012, Brkić was transferred back to Udinese for free and returned to Siena on a temporary deal also for free. During his injury, Siena used
Gianluca Pegolo Gianluca Pegolo (born 25 March 1981) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Career Early career Pegolo was born in Bassano del Grappa. He joined Genoa on 6 July 2007 on free transfer. He left for Mantova on 31 August ...
as first choice. Brkić played his first game since his injury on 22 April. In a 1–1 draw against
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
on 25 April 2012, Brkić scored an own goal from an
Alessandro Diamanti Alessandro Diamanti (; born 2 May 1983) is an Italian professional football coach and former midfielder who is the manager for Melbourne City Youth. In a professional career spanning 24 years, he has played for Prato, Empoli, Fucecchio, Fiorent ...
free kick, denying Siena a win.


Udinese


2012–13

After a season with Siena, Brkić became the club's first-choice goalkeeper following Samir Handanović's departure to
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
. Having established himself in the first team, Brkić made his debut for the club in the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
qualification round against Portuguese side
Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...
. Unfortunately, Udinese was eliminated in the Champions League and demoted to the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
after losing in the penalty shoot-out in the second leg, just three days before he made his league debut in a 2–1 loss against
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...
. However, the next game was even went worse for Brkić when he gave away the penalty in early minutes and received a red card in a 4–1 loss against regaining champion
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
. After the match, former referee Daniele Tombolini says Brkić's sending-off was a mistake because
Sebastian Giovinco Sebastian Giovinco (; born 26 January 1987) is an Italian former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. A quick and creative player on the ball, Giovinco was a versatile attacker c ...
, the opposition player in the match, did not have possession of the ball, though he maintained his views that the foul was a penalty. Brkić then miss one match against Siena and made his return when Udinese won 2–1 against Milan the next game. On 4 October 2012, Brkić was in goal when Udinese beat
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
3–2, making good save from
Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, Inter Miami. Known for his go ...
twice and a header from
Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional footballer who most recently played as a central midfielder for EFL Championship club Burnley. Shelvey began his career at Charlton Athletic, becoming their youngest-ever player ...
. Unfortunately, Udinese would then be eliminated from the Europa League, following a strings of losses. In mid-January, Brkić soon suffered an injury after fracturing the second finger of his right hand and went to surgery that kept him out at least a month. A month later, Brkić made his return, playing in friendly match against Gemonese on 26 February 2013. After the match, Brkić says he was prepared to make a comeback. Brkić made his return on 3 March 2013 against
Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...
, where the club won 1–0. After the match, Brkić returned as a first-choice goalkeeper for the rest of the 2012–13 season.


2013–14

In the 2013–14 season, Brkić was ruled out for the start of the season after injuring his shoulder while exercising in the gym, which ruled him out for four months. During his absence, he was replaced by Simone Scuffet in goal. After three months out of action, Brkić made his return in a 2–1 win over
Sassuolo Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...
. Brkić's performance with Udinese were praised in the media, who noted that he "saved at least three goal-bound efforts while blocking several strong shots and commanded his area giving sustenance and substance to his whole defence". This earned him Serie A Team of Week 10.
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
invited schoolchildren to watch their match against Udinese in December in place of banned Ultras, but they shouted abuse at Brkić after each goal kick, and Juventus were fined €5,000.


PAOK

On 7 July 2016, Brkić signed a three-year deal with
Superleague Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repl ...
club
PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
. Brkić, who had already agreed terms with PAOK's president/technical director
Ľuboš Micheľ Ľuboš Micheľ (; born 16 May 1968) is a retired Slovak football referee. Referee career At a young age, Micheľ refereed a number of games in Lebanon. Micheľ became a FIFA referee at the age of 25. Micheľ was selected to referee the 2003 ...
, passed his medical at the
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
-based club and then signed his new contract, leaving Italy after five consecutive seasons. Brkić, along with the experienced Greek internationals Panagiotis Glykos and Markos Vellidis, is expected to be part of a very strong triplete in goalkeeper's position for PAOK ahead of 2016–17 season.


International career

Brkić started participating in the national team, playing for Serbia U-21 and was even in the U21 squad for the
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2006–07 comp ...
despite being age twenty-two. In the European U21 Football Championship, Brkić played three match, all in group-stage. Brkić also managed to keep two clean sheet in the tournament. On 3 March 2010, Brkić made his senior debut for the national team, coming on for
Vladimir Stojković Vladimir Stojković (, ; born 28 July 1983) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. During his career he played for the two biggest clubs in his country, Red Star and Partizan, but also represented teams in nine other c ...
as a substitute in the 81st minute after Stojković suffered an injury during a match, in a 3–0 win over
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
. In the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, Brkić was named for the national team squad ahead of the World Cup. Unfortunately, Brkić was dropped from the squad after manager
Radomir Antić Radomir Antić ( sr-Cyrl, Радомир Антић, ; 22 November 1948 – 6 April 2020) was a Serbian professional football manager and player. Following a 17-year playing career as a defender, most of which he spent playing at Partizan, wit ...
trimmed the squad from 24 to 23. Years on, Brkić was the national first choice goalkeeper, beating competition from Vladimir Stojković in the World Cup qualifier. He earned a total of 11 caps and his final international was a June 2015
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

;Vojvodina *
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 ...
runner-up: 2008–09 *
Serbian Cup The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије / Kup Srbije), also known as Mozzart Serbian Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. ...
runner-up (3): 2006–07, 2009–10,
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
;PAOK *
Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
runner-up: 2016–17 *
Greek Football Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
: 2016–17


References


External links


Željko Brkić
at Utakmica.rs * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brkic, Zeljko 1986 births Living people Footballers from Novi Sad Men's association football goalkeepers Serbian men's footballers Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbia men's international footballers Serbia men's under-21 international footballers FK Vojvodina players FK Kabel players FK Proleter Novi Sad players Siena FC SSD players Udinese Calcio players Cagliari Calcio players AC Carpi players PAOK FC players Serbian SuperLiga players Serie A players Super League Greece players Serbian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Greece