Zoran Rajović (

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 ...

: Зоран Рајовић; born 28 October 1979) 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 ...

coach and former player.

Club career

Early career

Born in

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...

SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...

SFR 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 ...

, Rajović moved to

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...

at an early age. He was later sent on loan to Vrbas on two separate occasions. In the summer of 1999, Rajović moved to Bulgaria and joined Beroe Stara Zagora. He scored four league goals in 19 appearances, as the club avoided relegation from the top flight. In 2001, he played in Asia with Dalian Shide in the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

. After a season in East Asia, he returned to the

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 ...

with Vojvodina.

Bosnia

In 2002, Rajović played in the

Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...

with Glasinac Sokolac. After the relegation of Sokolac, he secured a contract with league rivals Zrinjski Mostar. In his debut season with the club, he finished as the Premier League top scorer with 17 goals. He also helped the club secure their first Premier League title.

Middle East

After his championship season, he originally ventured out to the Middle East to play in the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

with

Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...

. Throughout his time with Ashdod, he made his first appearance in a continental tournament by participating in the

2005–06 UEFA Cup The 2005–06 UEFA Cup, the 35th edition of the UEFA Cup, was won by Sevilla, beating Middlesbrough in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The ...

. He completed the season with league rivals Hapoel Kfar Saba. In 2006, he returned to Europe to play in the

Beta Ethniki The Football League () was the second highest professional football league in Greece since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the Super League 2 as the new second tier ...

with Ethnikos Piraeus.

Balkans

Following his spells throughout Europe, Rajović returned to his former club Zrinjski Mostar in the winter of 2008. During his second tenure with Zrinjski, he featured in his second continental tournament in matches against Partizan, and

FK Rabotnički FK Rabotnichki () or more commonly Rabotnički (old transliteration) and Rabotnicki is a professional football (soccer), football club that plays at the Toše Proeski Arena, Toshe Proeski Arena in Skopje, North Macedonia. They currently compete in ...

. He also assisted the club in securing the Bosnian Cup. He spent the next season 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 ...

with Hajduk Kula. In the summer of 2009, he was originally linked with a move to Borac Banja Luka but he ultimately secured a deal with Bosnian side Olimpik Sarajevo. After a short stint in the country's capital, he departed during the winter transfer market. He returned to Greece to play in the second division with Diagoras. Shortly after his contract was terminated by the club. After a brief stint in Greece, he returned to the Bosnian premier league in the summer of 2010 to sign with Leotar. His tenure with Leotar was short-lived as his contract was mutually terminated in the winter of 2011. League rivals Rudar Prijedor acquired Rajović for the remainder of the season. He left Rudar after the conclusion of the season.

Stints abroad

In 2011, Rajović returned to Asia to play with

BEC Tero Sasana Police Tero Football Club (), formerly known as BEC-Tero Sasana, is a Thai professional football club based in Lak Si, Bangkok. The club finished runners-up in the inaugural AFC Champions League competition in 2003. BEC-Tero Sasana Football Club ...

in the

Thai Premier League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

. In 2012, he played in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...

with the

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club (/''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian semi-professional Association football, soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, a Non-FIFA international football, non-FIFA sanct ...

. In his debut season in the inter-provincial league, he finished the campaign as the club's top goal scorer with 18 goals from 22 appearances. On the club side, he helped the team secure a playoff berth by finishing sixth in the league's first division. In the opening round of the postseason, the western Toronto side defeated SC Toronto. Ultimately, the Serbs were eliminated from the competition in the semifinal round by rivals

Toronto Croatia C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia (Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia) is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Football. The team's colours are red, white and b ...

Later career

In early 2013, Rajović returned to the Indochina region, where he played in the

Myanmar National League The Myanmar National League (abbreviated MNL) is the premier national professional football league of Myanmar. In 2009, the league replaced the Myanmar Premier League, which consisted only of 14 Yangon-based football clubs, with eight profession ...

with Yadanarbon. For the remainder of the 2013–14 season, he returned to the Bosnian second-tier to sign with

Modriča Modriča ( sr-cyrl, Модрича) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the town has a population of 10,137 inhabitants, while the municipality has a population of 25,720 inhabitants. Hist ...

. Following a season with Modriča, he was transferred to

Orašje Orašje ( sr-cyrl, Орашје) is a city and the capital of Posavina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of river ...

. He had a brief stint in the regional Croatian circuit with Mladost Antin for the first portion of the 2015–16 season. Rajović returned for the remainder of the campaign to his former club Orašje. In 2018, he returned to the Canadian circuit to become a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

for

Scarborough SC Scarborough SC is a Canadian soccer team founded in 2014. The team is currently a member of the Canadian Soccer League. The team plays home games out of Birchmount Stadium in the district of Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario. The team's colours are ...

. Where he won the league championship in 2019.

International career

At the international level, Rajović was capped for FR Yugoslavia at under-18 level. He also featured in two unofficial matches for

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Managerial career

In 2018, he was appointed as a

for

in the

. In his debut season as a manager, he led the Toronto side to a playoff berth by finishing fourth in the first division. They would defeat Hamilton City in the opening round of the postseason. In the next round, Scarborough successfully defeated

FC Ukraine United FC Ukraine United is a Canadian soccer club founded in 2006. The team is currently a member of the Canadian Soccer League a league that is not sanctioned by any FIFA recognized body. Their home venue is located at Centennial Park Stadium in Etob ...

to qualify for the

CSL Championship The Canadian Soccer League championship final, or CSL Championship, is the post-season match of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) and is the successor to the CNSL Championship. The winner is crowned champion as in other North American sports le ...

final. Scarborough would face

Vorkuta Vorkuta (; ; Nenets languages, Nenets for "the abundance of bears", "bear corner") is a coal-mining types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Komi Republic, Russia, situated just north of the Arctic Circle in the Pechora coal basin a ...

in the championship finals, where they were defeated in a penalty shootout. The following season the club finished as runners-up in the division and secured a postseason berth. In the playoffs, Rajović led the eastern Toronto team to the championship finals for the second consecutive season where they defeated Ukraine United. In 2020, he secured the club's first divisional title. For the third consecutive time, he led the club to the championship finals where they were defeated by Vorkuta. In 2021, Rajović became the assistant coach for the

, and shortly after was promoted to head coach. He helped the team clinch a playoff berth and was eliminated in the first round by his former club Scarborough. He held this position until April 2022.

Personal life

He holds Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian-Herzegovinian passports. His father is former Dinamo Vinkovci player Milorad Rajović. Rajović was the

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 ...

of footballer Stefan Mitrović.

Honours

Player

Zrinjski Mostar *

Bosnian Premier League The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...

: 2004–05 * Bosnian Cup: 2007–08 Individual * Bosnian Premier League top goalscorer: 2004–05

Manager

Scarborough SC *

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

First Division:

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajovic, Zoran 1979 births Living people Footballers from Vinkovci Serbs of Croatia Men's association football forwards Croatian men's footballers Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers Serbian men's footballers FK Vojvodina players FK Vrbas players PFC Beroe Stara Zagora players Dalian Shide F.C. players OFK Glasinac 2011 players HŠK Zrinjski Mostar players F.C. Ashdod players Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. players Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. players FK Hajduk Kula players FK Olimpik players P.A.E. G.S. Diagoras players FK Leotar players FK Rudar Prijedor players Zoran Rajovic Serbian White Eagles FC players Yadanarbon F.C. players FK Alfa Modriča players HNK Orašje players Scarborough SC players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Chinese Super League players Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina players Israeli Premier League players Football League (Greece) players Serbian SuperLiga players Zoran Rajovic Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Myanmar National League players Serbia and Montenegro expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Expatriate men's footballers in China Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in China Expatriate men's footballers in Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Bosnia and Herzegovina Expatriate men's footballers in Israel Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Israel Serbian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Bosnia and Herzegovina Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate men's footballers in Myanmar Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Myanmar Serbian football managers Serbian sports agents Serbian White Eagles FC coaches Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) coaches Men's association football player-managers Association football agents People with multiple citizenship