Nemanja Pejčinović (, ; born 4 November 1987) 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

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. A former Serbia U21 international, Pejčinović made three appearances for

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 ...

at full level between 2008 and 2016. In 2019, he was granted Russian citizenship.

Club career

Career in Serbia

Born in

Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...

, Pejčinović started out at hometown club Radnički. He was snapped up by Rad in 2003, alongside Nenad Tomović. In the summer of 2005, Pejčinović was promoted to the first-team squad and given the number 33 shirt for the upcoming 2005–06 campaign. He made one league appearance during his first senior season, as the club suffered relegation to the second tier. In 2006, Pejčinović also captained the under-19 team that won the double (league and cup). He subsequently played 19 matches in the

2006–07 Serbian First League The 2006–07 Serbian First League (referred to as the Prva Liga Telekom Srbija for sponsorship reasons) was the second season of the league under its current title. League table Results Playoffs 3rd to 6th place playoffs Promotion playoffs ...

, helping the side reach the promotion playoffs. In June 2007, Pejčinović was transferred to

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 ...

side

OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English language, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club''), also known in English as OFK Belgrade and currently referred to as OFK ...

. He failed to make his official debut for the club, before being loaned back to Rad in February 2008. Until the end of the

2007–08 Serbian First League The 2007–08 Serbian First League (referred to as the Prva Liga Telekom Srbija for sponsorship reasons) was the third season of the league under its current title. League table Results Playoffs 3rd to 6th place playoffs Promotion playoffs ...

, Pejčinović scored once in 16 games and helped the club earn promotion to the top flight through the playoffs. He subsequently signed with Rad on a permanent basis. In the 2009 winter transfer window, Pejčinović joined

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 ...

on loan until the end of the season.

Germany and France

In July 2009, Pejčinović was loaned to German side

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...

with an option to buy. He made 25 appearances in all competitions, including 16 games in the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

, failing to help the club avoid relegation from the top flight. In July 2010, Pejčinović moved to France and joined

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

over the next four seasons. In June 2014, it was announced that Pejčinović would be leaving the club after his contract expires.

Russia and China

On 11 June 2014, Pejčinović signed a long-term contract with Russian club

Lokomotiv Moscow FC Lokomotiv Moscow (, ) is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three occasions; the Soviet Cup twice; and the Russian Cup (football), Russian Cup a record ...

. He was a regular member of the team that won the

2017–18 Russian Premier League The 2017–18 Russian Premier League was the 26th season of the premier Association football, football competition in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the 16th under the current Russian Premier League name. FC Spartak Moscow, S ...

, their first championship title after 14 years. Previously, Pejčinović won two Russian Cups ( 2014–15 and 2016–17). In July 2018, Pejčinović signed for Chinese club

Changchun Yatai Changchun Yatai Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Changchun, Jilin, that competes in . Changchun Yatai plays its home matches at the Changchun Stadium, located within Nanguan District. The club's founder and main ...

on a free transfer. The club suffered relegation from the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

at the end of the 2018 season. In October 2020, Pejcinovic signed with

Russian Football National League The Russian First League (, Pervaya liga), formerly called Russian First Division () and Russian Football National League (FNL) () is the second level of the Russian football league system. The Russian Professional Football League (PFL) used t ...

club

Fakel Voronezh FC Fakel Voronezh () is a Russian professional football club based in Voronezh. Founded in 1947, the club has played in the Soviet Top League and the Russian Premier League. The club will return to the Russian First League in the 2025–26 season ...

on a one-year contract. After his contract expired the following year, he signed another deal with the club on 31 August 2021, this time until June 2022.

International career

Serbia

Pejčinović represented

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 ...

at the

2009 UEFA European Under-21 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 2007 UEFA Europ ...

. He made his full international debut for

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 ...

on 14 December 2008, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 friendly loss against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

, as the team was made up of mainly domestic-based players. In May 2014, Pejčinović received a call-up to the squad by caretaker

Ljubinko Drulović Ljubinko Drulović (; born 11 September 1968) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a winger, and is a current manager. He spent the most notable part of his playing career in Portugal, with stints at Porto and Benfica – ...

ahead of Serbia's mini tour in the Americas, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win over

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Harrison, New Jersey Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, and is located from New York City. Once considered "the bee ...

. His final international was a November 2016

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 ...

away against

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Request to change teams

In April 2019, Pejčinović was granted Russian citizenship. In October 2020, he stated that since he had not been called up to the Serbia national team for three years, he wanted to request permission to be called up for the Russia national team.

Statistics

Club

International

Honours

;Lokomotiv Moscow *

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...

: 2017–18 * Russian Cup: 2014–15, 2016–17 *

Russian Super Cup The Russian Super Cup () is a one-match football (soccer), football annual competition. Its official sponsored name is ''OLIMPBET Russian Supercup'' (). The two participating clubs are the Russian Premier League champions and the Rambler Russian ...

: Runner-up

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pejcinovic, Nemanja 1987 births Living people Footballers from Kragujevac Naturalized citizens of Russia Men's association football central defenders Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbian men's footballers Serbia men's under-21 international footballers Serbia men's international footballers FK Rad players OFK Beograd players Red Star Belgrade footballers Hertha BSC players OGC Nice players FC Lokomotiv Moscow players Changchun Yatai F.C. players FK Voždovac players FC Fakel Voronezh players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players Serbian First League players Serbian SuperLiga players Bundesliga players Ligue 1 players Russian Premier League players Chinese Super League players Russian First League players Serbian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in China Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Serbian expatriate sportspeople in China Serbian expatriate sportspeople in France Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Russia