Dejan Stefanović

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Dejan Stefanović
Personal information
Full name	Dejan Stefanović
Date of birth	October 28, 1974 (1974-10-28) (age 33)
Place of birth	Vranje, Serbia
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Centre back, left back
Club information
Current club	Norwich City
Number	6
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1994–1995 1995–1999 1999 2000 2000–2003 2003–2007 2007–2008 2008–	Red Star Belgrade Sheffield Wednesday Perugia OFK Belgrade Vitesse Arnhem Portsmouth Fulham Norwich City	046 (9) 066 (4) 000 (0) 000 (0) 094 (4) 112 (3) 013 (0) 003 (0)
National team2
1995–2004	Serbia & Montenegro	020 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:02, 23 August 2008 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 09:14, 7 March 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Dejan Stefanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дејан Стефановић), (born October 28, 1974 in Niš, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian football player who currently plays for Norwich City. He is a central defender who can also play at full back.

Contents 1 Football career 2 Career statistics 3 International career 4 External links 5 References

[edit] Football career

Stefanović began his career in his home town with Dinamo Vranje before being signed by Red Star Belgrade. Whilst at the club he made his international debut for FR Yugoslavia, aged 20, against Hong Kong in January 1995.^[1]

For the second part of the 1995/96 season, English club Sheffield Wednesday signed both Stefanović and compatriot, striker Darko Kovačević. Stefanović cost the English club £2 million. However, Stefanović struggled to break into the Wednesday side with Emerson Thome and Des Walker among those ahead of him in the pecking order.

In 1998/99, after playing 72 games for the club, Stefanović was released on a free transfer, signing for A.C. Perugia. However, the move did not work out and before long he returned to Serbia with OFK Belgrade.

Stefanović moved to his third club of the 1999/2000 season when transferring to Vitesse Arnhem of the Netherlands. He quickly became a first team regular, and spent four years at the club, becoming captain during that time.

At the start of the 2003/04 season, he returned to England with Premiership newcomers Portsmouth for £1.85million.^[2] He established himself as a first choice defender during the club's first season in the top-flight, and was a regular in the 2004/05 campaign, winning the fans' player of the season award.^[3] He was made Portsmouth captain by Alain Perrin in the 2005/2006 season, although a dip in form and a habit of speaking out to the press earned him the ire of some supporters. Indeed, he confessed to "not giving 100%" under Perrin due to disliking the French coach, comments criticised as highly unprofessional by some fans.

Stefanović's influence on chairman (and fellow Serbian) Milan Mandarić is said to have been an important factor in the dismissal of Perrin and the re-appointment of Harry Redknapp and he was an important member of the side that survived at Wigan in the penultimate game of the season.

Stefanović was converted to a left back at the start of 2006/07 and was a mainstay of the defence that performed so well for Portsmouth during the season. However, the arrivals of Hermann Hreidarsson and Sylvain Distin during the summer of 2007 cast his position as a first team regular into doubt and he was replaced as captain by Sol Campbell for the 2007/08 season.

In August 2007 Rangers revealed an interest in signing Stefanović^[4] but he signed for Fulham.^[5] Having spent less than a year at Craven Cottage, he moved to Norwich City on 18 July 2008, agreeing a two year deal.^[6]

[edit] Career statistics

^[7]

Club Performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Serbia			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
1992-93	Red Star Belgrade	First League	2	0
1993-94			14	0
1994-95			30	9
England			League		FA Cup		Football League Cup		Europe		Total
1995-96	Sheffield Wednesday	Premier League	6	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	6	0
1996-97			29	2	1	0	1	0	-	-	30	2
1997-98			20	2	0	0	1	0	-	-	21	2
1998-99			11	0	2	1	0	0	-	-	13	1
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
1999-00	Perugia	Serie A	0	0
Serbia			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
1999-00	OFK Beograd	First League	0	0
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
1999-00	Vitesse	Eredivisie	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
2000-01			27	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	1
2001-02			25	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	25	3
2002-03			27	1	0	0	0	0	6	0	27	1
England			League		FA Cup		Football League Cup		Europe		Total
2003-04	Portsmouth	Premier League	32	3	3	0	2	0	-	-	37	3
2004-05			32	0	2	0	2	0	-	-	36	0
2005-06			28	0	2	0	1	0	-	-	31	0
2006-07			20	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	20	0
2007-08	Fulham	Premier League	13	0	2	0	0	0	-	-	15	0
2008-09	Norwich City	Championship	1	0
Total	Serbia		46	9
	England		191	7	12	1	7	0	0	0	210	8
	Italy		0	0
	Netherlands		94	4
Career Total			331	20

[edit] International career

Stefanović is a full Serbian international, earning his first call-up in 1995 (The country was then known as Yugoslavia, changing to Serbia and Montenegro in 2000). He has a total of 20 caps to his name. Stefanović retired from international football in 2004.

[edit] External links

• Dejan Stefanovic career stats at Soccerbase
• BBC profile
• FootballDatabase provides Dejan Stefanović's profile and stats

[edit] References

Sporting positions
Preceded by Arjan de Zeeuw	Portsmouth F.C. captain 2005–2007	Succeeded by Sol Campbell
Awards
Preceded by Arjan de Zeeuw	Portsmouth F.C. Fans' Player of the Year 2004–2005	Succeeded by Gary O'Neil

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