Saša Zorić (; born 2 September 1974) 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 former

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

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Club career

Born in

Gornji Milanovac Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data). ...

, Zorić started out at local club Takovo, before joining the youth system 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 ...

. He would make his senior debut with

First League of FR Yugoslavia The First League of Serbia and Montenegro () was the top football league of Serbia and Montenegro, before the country's dissolution in 2006. The league was formed as the First League of FR Yugoslavia following the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, ef ...

newcomers Jastrebac Niš during the 1993–94 season. Between 1994 and 1996, Zorić spent two seasons with Obilić. In late 1996, Zorić moved to the United States to play

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a form of five-a-side football, five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball. It is derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arenas. It differs from the FIFA, FIFA ...

by signing with the

Baltimore Spirit The Baltimore Blast are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Including one championship victory as the original Baltimore Blast, the team has won 10 cha ...

on a two-year contract. He totaled 75 appearances and scored 67 goals over his two seasons in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). In 1997, Zorić briefly played for the

Hershey Wildcats Hershey Wildcats were a professional soccer team, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, that played in the USL A-League between 1997 and 2001. The team was owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. The team played in Hershey ...

of the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

. In 1998, Zorić returned to his homeland and rejoined Obilić. He spent two seasons with the club, scoring 14 goals in 49 league games over the next two seasons. In July 2000, Zorić was transferred to his parent club

. He helped them win the championship title in the 2000–01 season, before returning to Obilić. From 2003 to 2006, Zorić played three seasons for

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...

, formerly known as Sartid. In 2006, Zorić moved abroad for the second time and joined Chinese club Nanjing Yoyo. He also played for Changsha Ginde and Xiamen Lanshi, before returning to Serbia and joining

Kolubara The Kolubara ( sr-cyr, Колубара, ) is a long river in western Serbia; it is an eastern, right tributary to the Sava river. Due to the many long tributaries creating a branchy system within the river's drainage basin, the short Kolubara ...

in early 2008. After brief stints with

Srem Syrmia ( Ekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srem, Срем, separator=" / " or Ijekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srijem, Сријем, label=none, separator=" / ") is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is ...

and Banat Zrenjanin, Zorić retired from the game.

International career

At international level, Zorić represented

FR Yugoslavia 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 ...

at the 2001

Kirin Cup The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan national football team, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (Internatio ...

, appearing in both of his team's matches in the tournament.

Honours

Red Star Belgrade *

: 2000–01 Kolubara *

Serbian League Belgrade Serbian League Belgrade ( Serbian: Српска лига Београд / Srpska liga Beograd) is one of four sections of the Serbian League, the third tier of professional football in Serbia. The other three sections are Serbian League East, Se ...

: 2007–08

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoric, Sasa 1974 births Living people Sportspeople from Gornji Milanovac Footballers from Moravica District Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Serbia and Montenegro men's international footballers FK Jastrebac Niš players FK Obilić players Baltimore Spirit players Hershey Wildcats players Red Star Belgrade footballers FK Smederevo 1924 players Nanjing Yoyo F.C. players Guangzhou City F.C. players Xiamen Blue Lions F.C. players FK Kolubara players FK Srem players FK Banat Zrenjanin players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players A-League (1995–2004) players China League One players 21st-century Chinese sportsmen Chinese Super League players Serbian First League players Serbia and Montenegro expatriate men's footballers Serbian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in China Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in the United States Serbian expatriate sportspeople in China