Nikola Knežević ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Kнежевић; born 10 March 2003) 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

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for Serbian club

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 ...

Club career

Knežević came through the youth academy of

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 ...

and played for its youth team until 2021. That same summer, he was transferred to Grafičar along with several other peers, In a season and a half at that club, he made a total of 50 official appearances and scored 11 goals with 15 assists. In early 2023, he was loaned to

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 ...

, where he made his debut in the

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 ...

. Upon returning from the loan, the media wrote about the possibility of him permanently leaving his parent club. However, Knežević signed a new four-year contract at the end of July 2023 and was given the number 41 jersey. The following month, he was transferred to

, in accordance with the established Rules. He made his debut for

on 18 October 2023, in the round of 16 of the

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. ...

, when he scored in a victory away to

Trayal Trayal Corporation () is a company manufacturing tires, protective devices and industrial explosives based in Kruševac, Serbia. History Trayal Corporation was founded in 1889 in Kruševac as a "Gunpowder Works". In 2006, the Government of Ser ...

. He also scored in the next round of that competition, against Radnički Niš. A few days later, coach Barak Bakhar gave him the opportunity to play for the club in the

, when he played the second half against Mladost Lučani. He then played the first half of the next round match, against Spartak Subotica in

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

, which he started as one of three bonus players alongside Kosta Nedeljković and Jovan Mijatović. He sat on the bench in the 171st eternal derby. Knežević continued to play for

in the second half of the season, with the possibility of being recalled to the first team of his parent club. In a friendly match against

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (, ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, according to some Russian sources), the club plays in the Russian Pr ...

in March 2024, Knežević scored the only goal for

in a narrow victory at the

Rajko Mitić Stadium The Rajko Mitić Stadium (, ), previously known as Stadion Crvene zvezde (), also known as Marakana ( sr-Cyrl, Маракана), is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia which has been the home ground of Crvena zvezda since 1963. The stadiu ...

. He scored his first goal in the

in the penultimate round of the competition, against his former club

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...

. With four goals in 24 appearances, he stood out with his assists during the season, contributing to winning the

Serbian First League The Serbian First League (), referred to as the Mozzart Bet First League for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier in professional Serbia's football league. The league was formed in 2005, following a reshuffle of the second tier Serbo-Montenegr ...

and

's promotion to the highest level of competition in Serbia. During that time, he made 10 appearances for

, thus completing the figure of 100 official matches in his professional career. With three goals and two assists, he contributed to winning the ''double crown''.

International career

Knežević was called up to the Serbia U16 national team's squad in February 2019. He made his debut for the Serbia U19 team in March 2022 under coach Aleksandar Jović. He later qualified for the 2022 UEFA European Championship with the team and participated in the final tournament. The head coach of the Serbia U21 team,

Goran Stevanović Goran Stevanović (, ; born 27 November 1966) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Playing career He started his career in Partizan, a club where he passed all categories, from the pioneer youth side to the senior side. He played a ...

, invited Knežević to play a friendly match against Bulgaria U21 in September 2022. He made his debut two months later, in a friendly match against Cyprus U21.

Notes

References

Literature

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External links

* 2003 births Living people People from Zemun Footballers from Belgrade Men's association football midfielders Serbian men's footballers Serbia men's youth international footballers Serbia men's under-21 international footballers Red Star Belgrade footballers RFK Grafičar Beograd players FK Napredak Kruševac players OFK Beograd players Serbian First League players Serbian SuperLiga players {{Serbia-footy-midfielder-stub