Igor Stefanović (; born 17 July 1987) 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 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 plays 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 ...

for Portuguese club

Leixões The Port of Leixões (, ) is one of Portugal's major seaports, located 4 km north of the mouth of the Douro River, in Matosinhos municipality, near the city of Porto. Leixões Sport Club, commonly known simply as ''Leixões'', is Matosinh ...

Club career

Born in

Svrljig Svrljig ( sr-Cyrl, Сврљиг, ; until 1904 Derven, sr-Cyrl, Дервен, link=no) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of the southern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the town has a population of 6,762 inhabitants, wh ...

, Stefanović came through the youth ranks of Radnički Niš, making his first senior appearances in 2004. He was transferred to

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

in the 2007 winter transfer window. After debuting in the top flight of Serbian football, Stefanović switched to

Voždovac Voždovac ( sr-Cyrl, Вождовац, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 174,864 inhabitants. The municipality is located in the south ...

in the summer of 2007. He recorded just one appearance for the club, before moving to

Borac Čačak Borac may refer to: * FK Borac Banja Luka, a football club from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina ** RK Borac Banja Luka, an affiliated team handball club ** OK Borac, an affiliated volleyball club * FK Borac Čačak, a football club from Čač ...

in the 2008 winter transfer window. Over the following 18 months, Stefanović failed to make any appearances for the club, being completely overshadowed by more experienced

Saša Radivojević Saša Radivojević ( sr-cyr, Саша Радивојевић; born 10 April 1979) is a Serbian retired Association football, football goalkeeper. He last played for Indonesia Super League club Pelita Bandung Raya, Pelita Jaya. Career Before movi ...

and

Branko Grahovac Branko Grahovac ( sr-Cyrl, Бранко Граховац; born 8 July 1983) is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career He started playing in the youth squads of FK Zeta and started playing as a senior ...

. He subsequently joined Banat Zrenjanin, collecting nine appearances in the

2009–10 Serbian First League The Serbian First Football League (Serbian: Prva liga Srbije) is the second-highest football league in Serbia. The league is operated by the Serbian FA. 18 teams will compete in this league for the 2009-10 season. Two teams will be promoted to th ...

. In July 2011, Stefanović moved to Portugal and joined Santa Clara. He was the team's first-choice goalkeeper in the 2011–12 season, playing the full 90 minutes in all 30 games. In June 2012, Stefanović signed a three-year contract with

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

. He was immediately assigned to their

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...

, playing regularly in the 2012–13 season. In the summer of 2015, Stefanović signed with

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

side

Moreirense Moreirense Futebol Clube is a Portuguese professional football club based in Moreira de Cónegos, Guimarães Municipality, Minho. Founded on 1 November 1938, it plays in the Primeira Liga, holding home games at Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim d ...

. He made 31 league appearances in his debut season, helping them to avoid relegation. In July 2017, Stefanović was transferred to Spanish club

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

. In late 2018, Stefanović returned to Portugal and rejoined his former club Arouca.

International career

In 2006, Stefanović appeared as a substitute in two friendlies for Serbia U21 (against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

). He was later named by

Miroslav Đukić Miroslav Đukić ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Ђукић, ; born 19 February 1966) is a Serbian football manager and former player who played as a sweeper. He spent fourteen years of his professional career in Spain, notably at the service of De ...

in the 23-man squad for the

2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 to 23 June 2007. It was the 16th staging of UEFA's UEFA European Under-21 Championship, European Under-21 Championship. Summary For the first time, a host nation was chosen ahead of th ...

, but was forced to miss the tournament due to an injury. Later on, Stefanović earned two more caps for the under-21 side, playing the full 90 minutes in both of Serbia's games at the

Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial Tournament Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial Tournament () is an international football tournament established in honour and memory of Valeriy Lobanovskyi since his death on 13 May 2002, hence the name Memorial. The idea was initiated by the FC Dynamo Kyiv managem ...

in August 2007.

Honours

;Moreirense *

Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual club football competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the top two tiers of Portuguese football – the ...

: 2016–17

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanovic, Igor Men's association football goalkeepers C.D. Santa Clara players Córdoba CF players Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in North Macedonia F.C. Arouca players FC Porto B players FK Banat Zrenjanin players FK Borac Čačak players FK Rabotnichki players FK Radnički Niš players FK Voždovac players FK Zemun players G.D. Chaves players Leixões S.C. players Liga Portugal 2 players Macedonian First Football League players Moreirense F.C. players People from Svrljig Sportspeople from Nišava District Primeira Liga players Segunda División players Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbia men's under-21 international footballers Serbian expatriate men's footballers Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Serbian expatriate sportspeople in North Macedonia Serbian First League players Serbian men's footballers Serbian SuperLiga players 1987 births Living people