Jovica Nikolić (

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 ...

: Јовица Николић; born 11 July 1959) 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

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

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, and a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Club career

Nikolić was born in Svetozarevo,

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. In his country, he played for

FK Jagodina Fudbalski klub Jagodina () is a Serbian professional Association football, football club based in the city of Jagodina, which plays in the Serbian League East, the third tier in Serbia's football league. The club was founded in 1919 under the na ...

and

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

; he won two leagues and one

cup A cup is an open-top vessel (container) used to hold liquids for drinking, typically with a flattened hemispherical shape, and often with a capacity of about . Cups may be made of pottery (including porcelain), glass, metal, wood, stone, pol ...

with the latter, scoring a career-best eight goals in 22 games in his first season ''en route'' to the national championship, but being rarely used in his last two years combined (only 14 league appearances). In the summer of 1989, aged 30, Nikolić was allowed to leave the country and signed for S.C. Salgueiros in

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 ...

, helping the club promote to the

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 ...

in his first season. In the following campaign the Paranhos side overachieved for a final fifth place, with the subsequent

qualification Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

to the

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

– a first-ever– with the player netting six goals in 36 matches; during most of his spell there, he shared teams with countrymen Čedomir Đoinčević and Stevan Milovac. Nikolić retired from football at 36 years of age, after two seasons with F.C. Maia in the Portuguese third division. In late May 2008 he had his first coaching experience, being appointed at

FC Ordabasy FC Ordabasy () is a professional association football, football club from Kazakhstan based at the Kazhimukan Munaitpasov Stadium (Shymkent), Kazhimukan Munaitpasov Stadium in Shymkent. Ordabasy was formed in 1949, following the merger of two exi ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

International career

Nikolić won one

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, starting in a 1–2 home loss against

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

for the

1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-tea ...

qualifiers, on 28 September 1985 (match played in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

). Previously, in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, he played Olympic football, appearing in five games out of six and scoring three goals as the national team finished third in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Honours

Club

Red Star *

Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...

: 1983–84, 1987–88 *

Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup (; ; , ), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup (; , and between 1947 and 1991 as the Marshal Tito Cup (; ; ; ), was one of two major association football, football competitions in Socialist Federal Re ...

: 1984–85 Salgueiros * Segunda Liga: 1989–90

Country

Yugoslavia *

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...

Bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolic, Jovica 1959 births Living people Footballers from Jagodina Men's association football midfielders Yugoslav men's footballers Yugoslavia men's international footballers Footballers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Yugoslavia Olympic bronze medalists for Yugoslavia Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers FK Jagodina players Red Star Belgrade footballers S.C. Salgueiros players F.C. Maia players Yugoslav First League players Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players Segunda Divisão players Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Serbia and Montenegro expatriate men's footballers Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Serbian football managers FC Ordabasy managers FK Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje managers Kazakhstan Premier League managers Serbian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Kazakhstan Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Kazakhstan Expatriate football managers in Montenegro Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Montenegro