Milan Stepanov
Encyclopedia
Milan Stepanov is a Serbia
n footballer who plays for Bursaspor
in Turkey
, as a central defender.
, SAP Vojvodina
, SR Serbia
, SFR Yugoslavia, Stepanov came up through FK Vojvodina
's ranks, making his first team debut during the 2000–01 season, and becoming team captain five years later. In the 2006 January transfer window
, he transferred to Turkish
side Trabzonspor
.
In July 2007, Stepanov moved to Portugal
's giants F.C. Porto for a reported €
3.5 million. Initially on the subs bench, he gradually made room for himself in the starting eleven. On November 28, in a UEFA Champions League match at Liverpool
, Porto lost 4–1, with Stepanov having a subpar performance, and subsequently losing the starting place to veteran Pedro Emanuel
, a situation which was aggravated in his second year, with the signing of Rolando
(he would only play in the penultimate match in the league).
On 25 July 2009, Stepanov moved on loan to Spain
's Málaga CF
, with the Andalusia
ns having a buying option at the season's end. He only made four La Liga
appearances in the first half of the season
, and was left out of the squad for almost three months, playing again (from the start) in a 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña
, on February 7, 2010.
In late July 2010, Stepanov returned to Turkey, signing for Süper Lig champions
Bursaspor
, for an undisclosed fee.
of the 2004 Summer Olympics
, finishing fourth in Group C behind gold-medal winners Argentina
, Australia and Tunisia
.
In November 2005, he played in a two-match qualification playoff for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal
, between Serbia and Croatia
. He scored an important second leg goal, helping to win the tie.
In late May and early June 2006, Stepanov was an integral part of the U-21 side that reached the semifinals in the final stages. Most pundits agreed he was the team's most consistent performer with a string of confident defensive displays throughout the tournament.
Stepanov made his senior team
debut in a friendly match against Czech Republic
on August 16, 2006, in which he was sent off
. In March 2007, during the nation's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, he started in the 1–2 loss to Kazakhstan
and was on the bench against Portugal
.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n footballer who plays for Bursaspor
Bursaspor
Bursaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, Bursaspor are nicknamed the Yeşil Timsahlar...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, as a central defender.
Club career
Born in Novi SadNovi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, SAP Vojvodina
Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina , also known shortly as SAP Vojvodina , was one of the two socialist autonomous provinces of the Socialist Republic of Serbia from 1963 to 1990 and one of the federal units of the Socialist Federal...
, SR Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...
, SFR Yugoslavia, Stepanov came up through FK Vojvodina
FK Vojvodina
FK Vojvodina is a football club from Novi Sad, Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. FK Vojvodina is the third oldest football club in Serbia's SuperLiga, after OFK Beograd which was founded in 1911 and FK Javor which was founded in 1912.-History:FK Vojvodina was founded...
's ranks, making his first team debut during the 2000–01 season, and becoming team captain five years later. In the 2006 January transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
, he transferred to Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
side Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...
.
In July 2007, Stepanov moved to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's giants F.C. Porto for a reported €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
3.5 million. Initially on the subs bench, he gradually made room for himself in the starting eleven. On November 28, in a UEFA Champions League match at Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Porto lost 4–1, with Stepanov having a subpar performance, and subsequently losing the starting place to veteran Pedro Emanuel
Pedro Emanuel
Pedro Emanuel dos Santos Martins Silva , known as Pedro Emanuel, is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mainly as a central defender....
, a situation which was aggravated in his second year, with the signing of Rolando
Rolando (Portuguese footballer)
Rolando Jorge Pires da Fonseca , simply Rolando, is a Cape Verdean-born Portuguese footballer who plays for F.C. Porto as a central defender.-Club career:...
(he would only play in the penultimate match in the league).
On 25 July 2009, Stepanov moved on loan to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
, with the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
ns having a buying option at the season's end. He only made four La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
appearances in the first half of the season
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
, and was left out of the squad for almost three months, playing again (from the start) in a 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
, on February 7, 2010.
In late July 2010, Stepanov returned to Turkey, signing for Süper Lig champions
2009–10 Süper Lig
The 2009–10 Süper Lig was the 52nd season since its establishment. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with Istanbul B.B. hosting defending champions Beşiktaş at Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The last matches were played on 16 May 2010.Bursaspor won the league beating defending champions Beşiktaş 2–1...
Bursaspor
Bursaspor
Bursaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, Bursaspor are nicknamed the Yeşil Timsahlar...
, for an undisclosed fee.
International career
Stepanov was part of the Serbian and Montenegrin team that was knocked out in the first roundFootball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
of the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, finishing fourth in Group C behind gold-medal winners Argentina
Argentina Olympic football team
Argentina Olympic football team represents Argentina in international football competitions in Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players...
, Australia and Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
.
In November 2005, he played in a two-match qualification playoff for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, between Serbia and Croatia
Croatia national under-21 football team
The Croatia national under-21 football team, also known as Croatia under-21 or Croatia U21 is a youth association football national team which represents Croatia at this age level and is a feeder team for the Croatia national football team....
. He scored an important second leg goal, helping to win the tie.
In late May and early June 2006, Stepanov was an integral part of the U-21 side that reached the semifinals in the final stages. Most pundits agreed he was the team's most consistent performer with a string of confident defensive displays throughout the tournament.
Stepanov made his senior team
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
debut in a friendly match against Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
on August 16, 2006, in which he was sent off
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
. In March 2007, during the nation's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, he started in the 1–2 loss to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
and was on the bench against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
.
Honours
- Porto:
- Primeira Liga: 2007–08, 2008–09
- Taça de PortugalTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 2008–09