Nikola Vukčević (, ; born 13 December 1991), also known as Điđo (Ђиђо), is a Montenegrin 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

defensive 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. ...

. Vukčević began his professional career with Budućnost. He debuted for the Montenegro national team in 2014.

Club career

Budućnost

From 2010 to 2013, Vukčević played for local club Budućnost, where he earned 65 caps and scored four goals. During the 2011–12 season, he emerged as one of the best youngsters in the country, and became Budućnost's captain during their title run. In the following season, Vukčević became the most valuable player in Budućnost squad, starting in 27 out of 33 league matches - the most appearances he made during one season at the time. His good performances earned him a starting spot in Montenegro's U21 selection.

Braga

Vukčević left Budućnost as a free agent due to the expiration of his contract. In September 2013, he signed for

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

, and initially made appearances for their reserve team. He made his debut for the club in a 3–0 win against

Vitória S.C. Vitória Sport Clube, popularly known as Vitória de Guimarães or sometimes just Vitória, is a Portuguese professional football club based in Guimarães that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football, at the Est ...

, coming on as a 91st-minute substitute for

Felipe Pardo Édgar Felipe "Pipe" Pardo Castro (born 17 August 1990) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who currently plays for Deportivo Táchira Fútbol Club, Deportivo Táchira. Club career Early years Pardo began his profession ...

in the

Minho derby The rivalry between SC Braga and Vitória SC is a clash that involves the two most representative clubs in the Minho region. It is usually called the Minho Derby. More than a rivalry between two sports clubs, it is a rivalry between two histor ...

. He became a regular substitute on Braga's first squad and would occasionally start in matches of

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...

and

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 ...

Levante

On 9 August 2018, Vukčević moved to Spanish club Levante for a €8.9 million fee and signed a four-year contract.

International career

In August 2012 he participated in the

Valeri Lobanovsky 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 ...

2012, where his team lost in the final to Slovakia on penalties and took home silver medals. Vukčević made his debut against

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

on 5 March 2014 in a friendly 1–0 win. Though he started the match, Nemanja Nikolić substituted him in the 65th minute. As of 19 October 2020, he has earned a total of 44 caps, scoring 1 goal.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Montenegro's goal tally first.''

Honours

Budućnost Podgorica * Prva CFL: 2011–12 *

Montenegrin Cup The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Kup Crne Gore'') is the national football cup played in Montenegro, established in 2006. The winner of the cup is awarded a spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League ...

: 2012–13 Braga *

: 2015–16

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vukcevic, Nikola 1991 births Living people Footballers from Podgorica Men's association football midfielders Montenegrin men's footballers Montenegro men's under-21 international footballers Montenegro men's international footballers FK Budućnost Podgorica players S.C. Braga B players S.C. Braga players Levante UD footballers Al Ahli SC (Doha) players Montenegrin First League players Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players La Liga players Qatar Stars League players Montenegrin expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Qatar