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Rade Bogdanović (
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 ...
: Раде Богдановић; born 21 May 1970) is a Serbian
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
pundit and former professional player who played as a striker.


Early life

Born in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
to a father employed as a driver at Energoinvest and a
homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...
mother, Bogdanović was raised in the village of Tilava on the city outskirts. He attended the Primary School in the Vraca neighbourhood and was a fan of Hajduk Split in his youth.


Youth football at Željezničar

Bogdanović began playing organized football at the age of twelve, getting invited to try out for hometown side Željezničar's youth system in June 1982 after being noticed at a local primary school tournament by the club scout and former goalkeeper Ruda Bulić. After passing the tryout, Bogdanović was attached to the Željezničar cadet (under-16) squad coached by Duško Bajić; among the youngsters joining the club's youth system at the same time was Goran Gutalj. Progressing up the age groups within Željezničar's youth system, Bogdanović was coached by Josip Bukal, then Sulejman Kulović, and finally Vasilije "Čiko" Radović. By spring 1987, the teenager was set to make his full squad debut away at
NK Osijek Nogometni klub Osijek (), commonly referred to as NK Osijek (), is a Croatian professional association football, football sports club, club from Osijek. Founded in 1947, it was the club from Slavonia with the most seasons in the Yugoslav First Le ...
on 24 May 1987 due to the team's established
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. ...
Edin Ćurić serving a one-match suspension for an accumulation of
yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative co ...
s. However, a
medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), also called the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint and occurs in ...
(MCL) injury—sustained four days earlier during the SR Bosnia-Herzegovina provincial youth (under-18) cup final versus
FK Sarajevo Fudbalski klub Sarajevo ( sh-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Сарајево; , English language, English: Sarajevo Football Club), is a professional Association football, football Sports club, club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosn ...
under-18s—forced Bogdanović into a six-month layoff that included surgery followed by months of regaining match fitness.


Club career


Željezničar

Recovered from knee injury and surgery, teenage Bogdanović was attached to the Željezničar full squad under manager Blagoje Bratić in January 1988, joining players such as Dragan Škrba, Branislav Berjan, Mirsad Baljić,
Vlado Komšić Vlado Komšić (born 11 October 1955) is a retired football defender who played for clubs in the Bosnia and Herzegovina. Club career Nicknamed Tašo, Komšić joined Yugoslav Second League side Željezničar in 1977 and established himself in ...
,
Edin Bahtić Edin "Fićo" Bahtić (born 1 May 1956) is a Bosnian retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was nicknamed after the famous Yugoslav car Zastava 750 colloquially known as ''Fićo'' (replica of Fiat 500). Club career Bo ...
, Edin Ćurić, Zoran Slišković, Edim Hadžialagić,
Radmilo Mihajlović Radmilo Mihajlović ( sr-cyr, Радмило Михајловић; born 19 November 1964) is a Bosnian former footballer who played as a forward. Club career Early career Mihajlović started playing football in hometown club Sutjeska Foča an ...
, and Milan Pavlović with the team stuck in the bottom half of the table throughout the league season. Three years removed from their storied
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 ...
run—with goalkeeper Škrba, full backs Berjan and Baljić, midfielder Ćurić, returnee midfielder Bahtić, and forward Mihajlović as the holdovers from the great season—Željezničar were struggling to replicate that success. The seventeen-year-old
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. ...
was given his debut on 27 March 1988 at
Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
's Pod Goricom Stadium in a
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) ...
match away at Budućnost. Entering the contest in the 65th minute with visiting Željezničar up 0-1, Bogdanović was brought on in an effort of protecting the lead, however, the match ended 1-1 as
Dejan Savićević Dejan Savićević ( cyrl, Дејан Савићевић, ; born 15 September 1966) is a Montenegrin former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Since 2001, he has been the president of the Football ...
tied the score for the home team. One week after making his league debut in Titograd, the youngster was given a start by coach Bratić at home versus
Hajduk A hajduk (, plural of ) is a type of Irregular military, irregular infantry found in Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries, especially from Hajdú–Bihar Count ...
and managed to score a spectacular goal, Željo's third, on Hajduk's goalie Zoran Varvodić as the rampant Željezničar squad routed the struggling visitors 3-0. Over the summer 1988 transfer window, head coach Bratić got replaced by his assistant Josip Bukal as Željezničar underwent a squad overhaul with the team's twenty-three-year-old star striker Mihajlović sold to
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
, its best defender—twenty-six-year-old
left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
Baljić—sold to
FC Sion Football Club Sion, commonly known as simply FC Sion or Sion, is a Swiss Association football, football club from the city of Sion, Switzerland, Sion. The club was founded in 1909 and play their home matches at the Stade Tourbillon. They have wo ...
, and its thirty-four-year-old veteran
right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
Berjan moving on to Karlstad BK in the Sweden second division after fourteen seasons at Grbavica. The departures opened up more space for the team's youth system prospects—including Bogdanović, Suvad Katana, Siniša Nikolić, Srećko Ilić, and Mario Stanić—who had already been set to start getting regular first team opportunities. The offseason also saw the return to the club of the thirty-two-year-old fan-favourite veteran Nikola Nikić after four seasons abroad as well as the acquisition of young winger Simo Krunić from the Second League team Famos Hrasnica. In 1990, twenty-year-old Bogdanović got called up to serve his mandatory
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
(JNA) service. Serving in Belgrade at the Topčider barracks as part of the sporting
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
, a unit formed for professional athletes, among the athletes serving at the same time was Vladan Milojević, a Red Star Belgrade prospect who would go on to a notable head coaching career. As a result of being in the army, Bogdanović missed the entire 1990-91 league season. Bogdanović stayed at Grbavica until April 1992, fleeing Sarajevo as the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
broke out. The twenty-two-year-old fled to
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 ...
along with several other Željezničar first team players such as Simo Krunić,
Gordan Vidović Gordan Vidović (born 23 June 1968 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a former football player who played for the Belgium national team. His first club was FK Igman from Ilidža, suburb of Sarajevo. He was spotted there in 1988, by FK � ...
, Suvad Katana, Siniša Nikolić, Srećko Ilić, and Jasminko Velić. Once in Serbia, they were accommodated by the
FK Partizan Fudbalski klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Партизан, ; ), often referred to in English as Partizan Belgrade, is a Serbian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Belgrade. It forms ...
technical director
Nenad Bjeković Nenad Bjeković (, ; born 5 November 1947) is a Serbian football administrator and former player and manager. Club career Born in Lazarevo, a village near Zrenjanin, Bjeković started out at his local club Zadrugar Lazarevo, before switching t ...
and general secretary
Žarko Zečević Žarko Zečević ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Зечевић; born 19 January 1950) is a Serbian retired basketball player, former football administrator, and current businessman. Known by his widely used nickname Zeka, he is most notable as the contr ...
who took care of the players' basic living needs by putting them up at Hotel Mladost near the Banjica forest while allowing them to take part in FK Partizan's training sessions in order to maintain fitness while looking for new clubs. Within months, Krunić started playing with
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 ...
, Nikolić found a club in Portuguese lower divisions, Ilić moved to Slovenian
NK Mura Nogometni klub Mura (), commonly referred to as NK Mura or simply Mura, was a Slovenian association football club based in Murska Sobota. The club was founded on 16 August 1924 as one of the first clubs in the Prekmurje region. The club had its ...
, Gutalj also eventually ended up at Mura after not passing his trial in Korea while Katana ended up at K.R.C. Genk in Belgium and Vidović moved to Switzerland's FC St. Gallen.


South Korea

Though having a verbal agreement with Bjeković about signing with FK Partizan ahead of the upcoming season, in June 1992, Bogdanović moved to the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
, joining the South Korean club POSCO Atoms from
Pohang Pohang (; ), formerly spelled Po-Hang, is the largest city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, with a List of cities in South Korea, population of 499,363 as of 2022, bordering the Sea of Japan, East Sea to the east, Yeongcheon to the w ...
midway through the 1992 K League season. Initially arriving on a month-long trial, Bogdanović appeared in eight competitive matches before the Pohang Iron and Steel Company-owned club offered him a full contract, which he accepted. The terms of his deal in Korea included receiving a
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
120,000 advance along with a US$5,000 monthly salary plus achievement-based bonuses. Playing in the modest league consisting of only six teams, he quickly established himself as one of its best players. Though spending the initial four years of his professional career in the Yugoslav First League with Željezničar 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. ...
, Bogdanović started being deployed as a striker upon arriving to Korea. With the Yugoslav up front and twenty-three-year-old Korean rising star Hong Myung-bo in defence, POSCO Atoms edged out
Ilhwa Chunma Seongnam Football Club () is a South Korean professional football (soccer), football club based in Seongnam that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. It is one of the most successful clubs in South Korea and the ...
from
Seongnam Seongnam (; ) is the fourth largest city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. It consists of three administrative districts: Bundang District, J ...
to win the 1992 K League title. At the end of the 1994 K League season, Bogdanović made the league top eleven squad as the best forward in the competition. After completing the 1996 K League season in early November 1996 as the Pohang Steelers failed to qualify for the league championship playoff, Bogdanović signed with the Japanese J.League side JEF United Ichihara for the following season. Before leaving the Pohang Steelers for good, he played for the team at the start of the 1996–97 Asian Club Championship in late November 1996.


Japan and failed transfer to Ajax

In mid-November 1996, after spending four and a half seasons at Pohang, Bogdanović signed with the Japanese club JEF United Ichihara from Chiba, citing better pay and higher level of competition in the Japanese league as motivation for the move. Bidding his farewell to Pohang upon appearing in three round-robin matches at the start of the 1996–97 Asian Club Championship, he went back home to
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 ...
to await the commencement of the upcoming J.League season. While in Belgrade, the player received a dream offer from
Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former association football, football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for AFC Ajax, Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of AFC Ajax, Aj ...
's
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
, reigning Dutch champions and Champions League finalists. Traveling to Amsterdam with his wife, along with the Serbian sports journalist Mile Vjetrović who was brought along for translation, Bogdanović met with van Gaal and was one of the guests of the club for its league derby match versus
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
on 22 December 1996 at the recently opened
Amsterdam Arena The Johan Cruyff Arena ( ; officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of association football, football club AFC Ajax, Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to ...
. Seeing it as a chance to finally come back to Europe, the twenty-six-year-old Yugoslav decided to sign for the Amsterdam club in late December 1996 without making them aware that he had already committed to JEF. After signing a preliminary agreement with Ajax, Bogdanović arrived at the Dutch team for a January 1997 trial that included joining their winter training in
La Manga La Manga (), or La Manga del Mar Menor (meaning "The Sandbar of the Minor Sea") is a seaside spit (landform), spit of Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The strip is 21 km long and 100 metres wide (average), separating the Mediterran ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
during the
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
winter break. Bogdanović was hoping for a compensation agreement with JEF that would allow him to go stay with Ajax's talented squad featuring
Edwin van der Sar Edwin van der Sar (; born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch association football, football executive and former professional player who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He was most recently the chief executive of AFC Ajax, A ...
, Danny Blind, Winston Bogarde, de Boer brothers ( Frank and
Ronald Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'',#H2, Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; #H1, Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English ''Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised ...
), Richard Witschge,
Marc Overmars Marc Overmars (; born 29 March 1973) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer and former director of football at Belgian First Division A, Belgian Pro League side Royal Antwerp F.C. He was previously director of football a ...
,
Tijani Babangida Tijani Babangida (; born 25 September 1973) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a winger. Known for his pace, his playing style was sometimes compared to that of Marc Overmars. Babangida spent the majority of his playing ...
, Jari Litmanen, and
Patrick Kluivert Patrick Stephan Kluivert (; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the Indonesia national team. As a player, he played as a striker for Ajax, Barcelona and the Netherlands national te ...
, but the UEFA arbitration committee got involved and the twenty-six-year-old was forced to honour the contract he had signed in Japan. Unbeknownst to Bogdanović at the time, while training with Ajax in La Manga, he was noticed by the Atlético Madrid assistant coach Rešad Kunovac who was there on a scouting trip assessing the Dutch team, his club's next opponent at the upcoming Champions League quarterfinals. Begrudgingly going back to the Far East, Bogdanović spent five months with JEF alongside compatriot Nenad Maslovar, playing the first part of the 1997 J1 League season.


Return to Europe: Atlético Madrid, Breda loan

During summer 1997, Bogdanović's wish of returning to Europe finally came true as compatriot Radomir Antić signed him to a contract with the Spanish club
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
on a
squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...
featuring fellow Yugoslavs Milinko Pantić and
Veljko Paunović Veljko Paunović ( sr-Cyrl, Вељко Пауновић, ; born 21 August 1977) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He is the head coach of Spanish club Real Oviedo. A versatile attacking unit, he could operate as an attacking m ...
—along with a slew of high-profile players such as the expensive new signings
Christian Vieri Christian Vieri (; born 12 July 1973), commonly known as Bobo Vieri, is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Having been born in Italy, Vieri moved with his family to Australia as a child, before returning ...
and Juninho Paulista, additional new signings
Daniel Prodan Daniel "Didi" Claudiu Prodan (23 March 1972 – 16 November 2016) was a Romanian professional association football, footballer who played mainly as a centre-back. In a career marred by injuries, he played mainly for FC Steaua București, Steaua ...
, Andrei Frascarelli, Jordi Lardín, José Mari, and veteran returnee Paulo Futre as well as established holdovers from the club's league-and-cup-winning double two seasons earlier Kiko, Toni Muñoz, José Luis Caminero, Santi Denia, José Francisco Molina, and Juan Vizcaíno. Arriving to
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, Bogdanović's living accommodations were taken care by the club that arranged for him to move into the apartment owned by Diego Simeone who had just gotten sold to
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
. Moving into the apartment complex, Bogdanović became neighbours with fellow Yugoslav professional athlete, basketball player Dejan Bodiroga, who had been playing for
Real Madrid Baloncesto Real Madrid Baloncesto (English: Royal Madrid Basketball) is a Spanish professional basketball club that was founded in 1931, as a division of Real Madrid CF. They play domestically in the Liga ACB, and internationally in the EuroLeague. They a ...
. Bogdanović's transfer to Atlético was the fourth most expensive of 1997, after those of Ronaldo,
Rivaldo Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (; born 19 April 1972), known simply as Rivaldo, is a Brazilian former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder but also as a second striker, and on occasion deployed as a wide midfielder or as ...
and Atlético's own signing of Vieri, costing the equivalent of €17.4 million. Bogdanović said that his contract had said that he had left JEF United for US$2 million, but Atlético Madrid president Jesús Gil vastly inflated the fee due to
money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
. Gil, who died in 2004, was convicted of financial crimes relating to the club. After not being included in the squad for the opening day of the league season away at
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, Bogdanović made his debut in the week 2, partnering Kiko up front at home versus
Real Valladolid Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid (), is a Spanish professional List of football clubs in Spain, football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León that will compete from the 2025–26 season in the . The club ...
on 6 September 1997 and scoring two first half goals as ''los Colchoneros'' routed the visitors 5–0 by the end. The dream start prompted Atlético's impulsive president Jesús Gil to buy him a brand new BMW 316i as a reward. However, the presence of Vieri and Kiko meant few playing opportunities for Bogdanović: in the very next league match, 1-0 away loss at
Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
, he was reduced to only twelve minutes of action plus injury time, coming on for Vieri in the 78nd minute, followed by four league contests completely out of the matchday lineup. Bogdanović would reappear in late October 1997 for a 0-2 home loss versus Espanyol with another full 90 minute performance next to Kiko as Vieri was given a rest by head coach Antić following the Italian's
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 ...
hat-trick versus
PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
four days earlier. With Atlético taking a 5-2 advantage into the return leg in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, Vieri was again rested by Antić while Bogdanović started and got a goal in the high-scoring contest that ended 4-4, his very first European continental club match. Back on La Liga front, Vieri got injured minutes into the next league match, at home versus relegation-battlers Compostela, with Bogdanović coming on and scoring before making way for Vizcaíno at halftime. Due to Vieri's injury, Bogdanović would continue as a starter for the following five league matches, a period during which the Yugoslav scored twice. Vieri returned from injury in mid December 1997 as the fourth-placed ''los Colchoneros'' were taking on
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
and immediately got his starting centre forward assignment back, but could manage only 45 minutes as Antić sent on Bogdanović at halftime with the visitors leading 1-2—within minutes of entering, the Yugoslav tied the score 2-2, but Mallorca still managed to win by the end 2-3. Three days later, with Vieri still not fully recovered, Bogdanović began the league match versus league-leaders
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
at
Camp Nou Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...
in front of 80,000 spectators before being subbed off fifteen minutes into the second half with the score tied at 1-1; Barça won 3-1 by the end, dropping Atlético to sixth in the table. By early January 1998, Vieri was fully match fit again and Bogdanović was back to getting the Italian's leftover minutes. In the wake of picking up an injury that forced him to leave the mid January 1998 league match away at
Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
before halftime, and a diagnosis by the Atlético medical staff that he would be out of action for at least six months, the Yugoslav accepted a loan out to Dutch NAC Breda for the remainder of the season in order to free up a spot on the Atlético's roster for another attacking player, Avi Nimni, to be registered.


Werder Bremen

After playing out the 1997–98 season on loan in
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
, Bogdanović came back to Atlético in summer 1998. As a consequence of finishing the preceding La Liga season in disappointing 7th spot, the Madrid club management undertook a major squad rebuilding effort during the offseason with coach Radomir Antić fired and Arrigo Sacchi brought in. The coaching change was accompanied with a host of changes in player personnel such as superstar Vieri being sold to
Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
and Italian defenders Michele Serena and Stefano Torrisi being brought in from
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...
and
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, respectively in addition to defensive Yugoslav midfielders Vladimir Jugović and Zoran Njeguš from Lazio 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 ...
, respectively. With a focus on defensive tactics, Bogdanović was adjudged as surplus to requirements by Sacchi and sold to
Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...
for a fee around €1,350,000.


1998-99 season

Bogdanović made his Bremen debut in
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 ...
on 19 September 1998 away at
VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg (), is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. I ...
, scoring a goal in a 2-4 win. In December 2000, he was banned from playing for six months after having been ruled to have spit Hansa Rostock's goalkeeper Martin Pieckenhagen in the face during Werder's 5–2 defeat. He stayed at the German club for four years, winning the 1998–99 DFB-Pokal and the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup. In the cup final against Bayern Munich, Bogdanović came on as a substitute and then scored one of the penalties in the shootout as Bremen emerged victorious.


Later years and retirement

In the 2002–03 season, he played for
Arminia Bielefeld DSC Arminia Bielefeld (; full name: ; commonly known as Arminia Bielefeld (), also known as ''Die Arminen'' or ''Die Blauen'' ), or just Arminia (), is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia is most well known as ...
, and then went to Al Wahda from the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
. After that, he decided to retire from professional football.


International career

Bogdanović played three times and scored two goals for the FR Yugoslavia national team. He was asked to play for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, but he chose to play for FR Yugoslavia (
Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
).


Post-playing

Bogdanović tried his hand at and football administration with a few low-profile stints, most notably at Rad and BASK. Since early 2011, he owns and runs a sports recreation facility, named Posco Arena after his Korean team, in the Belgrade neighbourhood of Careva Ćuprija.


Match-fixing and pay-to-play claims

In April 2011, in an interview for Belgrade daily newspaper ''
Sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
'', Bogdanović caused controversy by alleging that Atletico's last match of the
1997–98 La Liga The 1997–98 La Liga season was the 67th since its establishment. It began on 30 August 1997, and concluded on 16 May 1998. On 29 March 1998, following Sporting Gijón's 0–0 draw with Zaragoza, combined with Racing Santander's 4–3 loss to ...
season on 15 May 1998 away at Racing Santander was fixed by Atletico president Jesus Gil "because Atletico needed three points to ensure a UEFA Cup spot for the following season". Bogdanović stated: "Gil walked into the dressing room before the match and said that each player has to set aside DM25,000 out of the DM150,000 bonus in order for the win to be bought". The match ended 0–1 for the Madrid visitors. Without naming specific names, in various print interviews throughout mid-to-late 2010s (some 20 years after the alleged event), retired footballer Bogdanović has made claims about having been offered a spot on the
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 ...
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
roster in exchange for paying DM50,000 as part of an alleged
pay to play Pay-to-play, sometimes pay-for-play or P2P, is a phrase used for a variety of situations in which money is exchanged for services or the privilege to engage in certain activities. The common denominator of all forms of pay-to-play is that one mu ...
scheme: "After my ummer 1997Atlético transfer, which I had completed without an agent, I got a call from a well-known Yugoslav coach who had gotten my number through tlético head coachRadomir Antić. This person was most curious as to why I don't handle my business through an
agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuran ...
, basically telling me 'congrats on going from Japan to Atlético and your good run of form, son, but this is not how these things are done: why don't you look into getting yourself an agent and then you can be with us t the national team. Then, ten months later, in April 1998, I got approached by a Yugoslav sports journalist who explained to me that his son is a schoolmate of ugoslav FA general-secretary Bato Bulatović's son. We met up at a restaurant in Skadarlija where this journalist told me he can absolutely guarantee a spot on the upcoming Yugoslavia 998World Cup roster for me if I agree to pay DM50,000 before proceeding to name-drop all the players he had already gotten into the national team as well as the players who would supposedly be on the upcoming World Cup roster through him. I refused the offer, but, sure enough, then I saw that the individuals he mentioned did later end up playing for the national team t the World Cup One of the ugoslavplayers taken to that World Cup hadn't even played for the national team before then."


TV punditry

From the mid 2010s, Bogdanović began appearing as in-studio
pundit A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...
on Serbian television during football coverage. He quickly marked himself out for outspoken approach and direct manner of speaking. In November 2019, Bogdanović faced criticism over a racist remark made during RTS' Champions League live coverage. Commenting on poor defending by
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
in a Champions League match against
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
, he stated that the German team never recovered from manager
Lucien Favre Lucien Favre (; born 2 November 1957) is a Swiss professional Association football, football manager and former player who most recently managed club OGC Nice, Nice. Favre was a playmaker for various Swiss and French clubs, the longest for Serve ...
's past decision to "play with four blacks in the defensive back line towards the end of the previous Bundesliga season". During the coverage of the same game, Bogdanović further commented on Barcelona's €150 million signing Ousmane Dembélé's time at the Catalan club by claiming that "the Barcelona people hired a
nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and Human nutrition, nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disci ...
for the kid to explain to him that he shouldn't be eating
fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...
before hiring a
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
for him to make him aware that watching porn and organizing online gaming
tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
until early morning isn't a proper lifestyle for a professional footballer" before adding that "the renovation of the Clinical Centre of Serbia costs as much as this guy".


Personal life

Bogdanović and his wife Aleksandra have three daughters: Kristina (born 1 June 1994 in South Korea), Marija (born 17 October 2000 in Germany), and Sofija (born 26 July 2007 in Spain). Bogdanović and his family reside in Belgrade though they also spend time in
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
where he owns an apartment. Bogdanović's nephews Vladimir Jovančić and Darko Jovančić are also football players.'라데 조카' 성남 요반치치가 꿈꾸는 코리안드림
/ref>


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list FR Yugoslavia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bogdanović goal''.


Honours


Player

Pohang Atoms *
K League 1 The K League 1 () is a professional association football league in South Korea and the highest level of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. It is one of the most successful leagues in the Asian Foo ...
:
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
*
Korean FA Cup The Korea Cup (), formerly the Korean FA Cup, is a national Association football, football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the competition was established in 1996, two simil ...
:
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
*
Korean League Cup The Korean League Cup was a professional football competition in South Korean football. It was held by the K League Federation from 1986 to 2012. Sponsorship Results Finals Titles by club K League's principle of official statistics is tha ...
:
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
Werder Bremen *
DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
: 1998–99 *
UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
:
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
(Joint Winner)


Individual

Awards * K League Top Assists Award:
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
*
K League Best XI The K League Best XI is an award for the best eleven players in a K League season. K League 1 award (1983–present) Winners Players marked bold won the K League MVP Award, Most Valuable Player award in that respective year. Appearances by ...
:
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
,
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
Performance * Korean League Cup top scorer:
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...


References


External links

* * * *
Player Record at Atletico
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogdanovic, Rade 1970 births Living people Footballers from Sarajevo Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Men's association football forwards Yugoslav men's footballers Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbia and Montenegro men's international footballers FK Željezničar Sarajevo players Pohang Steelers players JEF United Chiba players Atlético Madrid footballers NAC Breda players SV Werder Bremen players Arminia Bielefeld players Al Wahda FC players Yugoslav First League players K League 1 players J1 League players La Liga players Eredivisie players Bundesliga players UAE Pro League players Serbia and Montenegro expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Expatriate men's footballers in Japan Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Japan Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Serbian football managers