Nenad 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 ...

: Ненад Николић; 20 August 1961 – 30 April 1999) was 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 ...

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 spent most of his career with

FK Čukarički Fudbalski klub Čukarički () is a Serbian professional football club from Belgrade, more precisely from the Čukarica municipality, that currently plays in the Serbian SuperLiga, the top tier of Serbian football. Founded in 1926, the club spe ...

. He was killed, at the age of 37, on 30 April 1999 during the

NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...

Early life

Nikolić was born in

Lipljan Lipjan ( sq-definite, Lipjani) or Lipljan ( sr-Cyrl, Липљан) is a List of cities in Kosovo, town and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality located in the District of Pristina in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Lipjan has ...

PR Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...

FPR 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 ...

. His father's name was Ljubomir. As a young child he moved 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 ...

with his family, while a year later he moved to,

Petlovo Brdo Petlovo Brdo or colloquially among the local population Pevac ( sr-cyr, Петлово Брдо or Певац) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto ...

, where he lived until the death. He grew up with his twin sister Nada and his older brother Zoran. Since he was a young child, his talent and love for football was obvious. His desire and passion for football, made him spend day and night on the field. Nikolić graduated from Gymnasiumbr>XIII
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 ...

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 ...

Family

Nikolić had a twin sister, Nada, and older brother, Zoran. Nikolić's godfather was Cypriot footballer

Vesko Mihajlović Vesko Mihajlović (Serbian Cyrillic: Веско Михајловић; born 17 March 1968) is a Serbian association football, football manager (association football), manager and former player. He is widely considered to be one of the best foreig ...

. Nikolić married Snežana in 1991. He left behind two little children, at the time of his death, an eight-month-old Aleksandar, and a two-year-old Katarina. Nikolić joined

Tacoma Stars The Tacoma Stars are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). The franchise also operates in USL League Two, a minor outdoor league. Founded in 2003, the indo ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, but returned later, to open a food processing

Family business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by Consanguinity , blood, marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business a ...

shop in

Banovo brdo Banovo Brdo ( sr-cyrl, Баново брдо, ) is a neighbourhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Čukarica. Location Banovo Brdo is bounded by the neighborhoods of Čukarica and Čukarička Padina in the wes ...

, Belgrade, in the immediate vicinity of

Čukarički Stadium Čukarički Stadium, also known as Stadion na Banovom brdu ( English: ''Banovo Brdo Stadium'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Belgrade, Serbia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FK Čukarički. The stadium h ...

. The shop still exists, renamed, NENAD.

Death

NATO began an aerial bombing campaign on Yugoslavia on 24 March 1999. Nikolić was a reservist in Serbia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, and was assigned to guard the ministry's headquarters on Kneza Miloša street. On 30 April 1999, a bomb was dropped at the headquarters while Nikolić was covering the nightshift, causing damages to the building and its surrounding area. Nikolić was not injured, but while he was trying to evacuate the injured, a second bomb was dropped, and he was killed.

Legacy

Nenad Neša Nikolić Memorial Tournament

Nenad Neša Nikolić Memorial Tournament took place on

football field in 2014, and is held annually since then, to commemorate him. The tournament is supported by the

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Čukarica Čukarica ( sr-cyr, Чукарица, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Name Like several other neighborhoods of Belgrade, Čukarica was named after a kafana. At the present location of the Sugar Refin ...

Honors and awards

* The Ministries of Foreign Affairs has a memorial in his name * Posthumously awarded the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

in the field of defense and security

References

External links

Serbia's heroes memorial website page

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolic, Nenad 1961 births 1999 deaths Footballers from Belgrade Kosovo Serbs Yugoslav men's footballers Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbian military personnel of the Kosovo War Men's association football defenders FK Čukarički players OFK Žarkovo players FK Proleter Zrenjanin players Tacoma Stars players Yugoslav First League players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in the United States Military personnel killed in the Kosovo War People killed during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia