Perica Ognjenovic
Encyclopedia
Perica Ognjenović (born 24 February 1977 in Smederevska Palanka
, Serbia
, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
), is a Serbian footballer mainly as a forward.
At one point considered to be among Serbia's brightest footballing talents, he signed with European
giants Real Madrid
in his early 20's, but never settled there, going on to have an irregular career in six other countries.
Ognjenović represented Yugoslavia
in the 1998 World Cup
.
(third level), and it soon became apparent the player's skill and talent far surpassed that level of competition. He caught the eye of country's powerhouse Red Star Belgrade
, which signed the promising youngster in the 1994 summer.
on January 12, 1999 for a transfer fee of DM5 million (€2.5 million), and a reported annual salary of DM1.2 million. The contract negotiations between Ognjenović's agent Zoran Vekić and Real president Lorenzo Sanz
in January 1999 ran very long as the club had a surplus of forwards on its roster and had to offload 17-year-old Samuel Eto'o
on a loan spell to Espanyol before signing any new ones. Everything was finally ironed out just hours before the Spanish winter transfer window closed and the speedy Serbian youngster thus joined compatriot and national team colleague Predrag Mijatović
in Real's forward line.
The famous club, however, was going through a lot of turmoil at the time both in La Liga and in Champions League as the head coach Guus Hiddink
was already rumoured to be on thin ice. Given the number 23 shirt, the still 21-year-old Ognjenović was initially kept firmly tied to the bench by Hiddink. In February 1999, the Dutchman resigned after losing 3-0 in El Clásico
as John Toshack
took over the coaching hotseat. The change somewhat suited Ognjenović as the new coach finally gave him his debut as a second half substitute versus Valencia CF in Copa del Rey semifinal return leg. Los Merengues had no hope of progressing as they lost the first leg in Valencia 0-6 and the return leg was pretty much a write-off, still Ognjenović used the 30 odd minutes he was given to put in a lively display. His place in the pecking order didn't improve much as he recorded only one more appearance by the end of the season - this one in the league when he got a runout for a minute deep into injury time.
In the end, Ognjenović's time in the Spanish
capital
was not a happy one, as he spent two and half seasons amassing only around 30 appearances all competitions, mostly as a substitute, before being finally released during the summer of 2001. He didn't score in any of his league appearances, but managed a goal in 1999-00 Copa del Rey
versus Real Zaragoza
.
arranged a tryout and brought him in for free on 17 January 2002, in a deal until the end of the season, with a two-year extension option. Kaiserslautern finished 7th in the Bundesliga
and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup
, but the player only appeared twice.
After failing to settle in Germany
, Ognjenović's next stop was China
with Dalian Shide FC
, where he was brought to in January 2003 by the club's coach Milorad Kosanović
, who had already coached him at Red Star. He then moved on to FC Dynamo Kyiv
in late November 2003, but could not earn playing time there either; the next stop was in France's second division
, as he signed in January 2005 with Angers SCO
.
In May 2006, Ognjenović joined Malaysian Super League
side Selangor FA
, from Shah Alam
, signing a six-month contract. The club was sitting in last place at the time of his signing. His career settled relatively in 2006–08, as he played with Greece
's Ergotelis FC, in the top flight, although he only appeared 26 times in the league combined; the following year was spent also in the country, with lowly Kallithea FC.
On July 29, 2009, Ognjenović joined FK Jagodina
, returning to his homeland after more than a decade.
at only 18, on November 12, 1995, in a friendly with El Salvador
. The nation was suspended for UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers.
Subsequently, he was picked for the squad at 1998 FIFA World Cup
, appearing as a susbstitute in all three group stage matches, as Yugoslavia exited in the round of 16.
Smederevska Palanka
Smederevska Palanka is a town and municipality located in Central Serbia. According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, the municipality had a total population of 50,078, while the town proper has 23,152 inhabitants.-Geography:Smederevska Palanka lies in Pan-European Corridor X , just...
, Serbia
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...
, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
), is a Serbian footballer mainly as a forward.
At one point considered to be among Serbia's brightest footballing talents, he signed with European
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
giants Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in his early 20's, but never settled there, going on to have an irregular career in six other countries.
Ognjenović represented Yugoslavia
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...
in the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
.
Club career
Ognjenović's first football steps were taken with modest hometown side Mladost Smederevska Palanka where he went through all age levels before cracking the senior squad just short of his 16th birthday, during 1992–93. At the time, Mladost competed in Srpska LigaSerbian League
The Serbian Leagues is the third level football league in Serbia. The league is operated by the Football Association of Serbia and is split up into four sections: Srpska Liga Belgrade, Srpska Liga Vojvodina, Srpska Liga East, and Srpska Liga West...
(third level), and it soon became apparent the player's skill and talent far surpassed that level of competition. He caught the eye of country's powerhouse Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
, which signed the promising youngster in the 1994 summer.
Real Madrid
A series of glowing performances for Red Star earned Ognjenović a move to Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
on January 12, 1999 for a transfer fee of DM5 million (€2.5 million), and a reported annual salary of DM1.2 million. The contract negotiations between Ognjenović's agent Zoran Vekić and Real president Lorenzo Sanz
Lorenzo Sanz
Lorenzo Sanz Mancebo is a Spanish businessman, former president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol and former owner of Málaga Club de Fútbol, where his son Fernando served as club's president.- Early life :In his youth, Sanz played as a goalkeeper for several minor league Madrilenian teams, including...
in January 1999 ran very long as the club had a surplus of forwards on its roster and had to offload 17-year-old Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
on a loan spell to Espanyol before signing any new ones. Everything was finally ironed out just hours before the Spanish winter transfer window closed and the speedy Serbian youngster thus joined compatriot and national team colleague Predrag Mijatović
Predrag Mijatovic
Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović is a Montenegrin football player and former sports director of Real Madrid. He is considered one of Yugoslavia's best players of the 1990s. He was acclaimed as the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1997...
in Real's forward line.
The famous club, however, was going through a lot of turmoil at the time both in La Liga and in Champions League as the head coach Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
was already rumoured to be on thin ice. Given the number 23 shirt, the still 21-year-old Ognjenović was initially kept firmly tied to the bench by Hiddink. In February 1999, the Dutchman resigned after losing 3-0 in El Clásico
El Clásico
El Clásico , also known as El derbi Español, is the name given in football to a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is contested twice a year in the Spanish La Liga competition, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions...
as John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
took over the coaching hotseat. The change somewhat suited Ognjenović as the new coach finally gave him his debut as a second half substitute versus Valencia CF in Copa del Rey semifinal return leg. Los Merengues had no hope of progressing as they lost the first leg in Valencia 0-6 and the return leg was pretty much a write-off, still Ognjenović used the 30 odd minutes he was given to put in a lively display. His place in the pecking order didn't improve much as he recorded only one more appearance by the end of the season - this one in the league when he got a runout for a minute deep into injury time.
In the end, Ognjenović's time in the Spanish
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...
capital
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
was not a happy one, as he spent two and half seasons amassing only around 30 appearances all competitions, mostly as a substitute, before being finally released during the summer of 2001. He didn't score in any of his league appearances, but managed a goal in 1999-00 Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
versus Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
.
Journeyman years
For the following six months after leaving Real, Ognjenović had no club. He trained alone with a private coach until 1. FC Kaiserslautern1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
arranged a tryout and brought him in for free on 17 January 2002, in a deal until the end of the season, with a two-year extension option. Kaiserslautern finished 7th in the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
, but the player only appeared twice.
After failing to settle in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Ognjenović's next stop was China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with Dalian Shide FC
Dalian Shide F.C.
Dalian Shide , also known as Dalian Haichang International Football Team Shide FC or previously as Dalian Wanda , is a Chinese Super League football club owned by Shide Group...
, where he was brought to in January 2003 by the club's coach Milorad Kosanović
Milorad Kosanovic
Milorad Kosanović is a Serbian football manager and former footballer. He is currently the manager of Chinese Super League team Shaanxi Zhongjian Chanba F.C.....
, who had already coached him at Red Star. He then moved on to FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football...
in late November 2003, but could not earn playing time there either; the next stop was in France's second division
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
, as he signed in January 2005 with Angers SCO
Angers SCO
Angers Sporting Club de l'Ouest is a French association football club based in Angers. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second division of French football having achieved promotion to the league in 2007. Angers play its home matches at the Stade Jean Bouin located...
.
In May 2006, Ognjenović joined Malaysian Super League
Malaysian Super League
The Malaysia Super League is a Malaysian professional league for association football. At the top flight of the Malaysian football league system and it is managed by the Malaysia Super League Sdn Bhd, under supervision of the Football Association of Malaysia...
side Selangor FA
Selangor FA
The Football Association of Selangor , commonly referred to as FAS or simply Selangor, competes in Malaysian football competitions representing the state of Selangor Darul Ehsan. The team is based in Shah Alam city. They are currently playing in Malaysian Super League, the top-flight of Malaysian...
, from Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
, signing a six-month contract. The club was sitting in last place at the time of his signing. His career settled relatively in 2006–08, as he played with Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
's Ergotelis FC, in the top flight, although he only appeared 26 times in the league combined; the following year was spent also in the country, with lowly Kallithea FC.
On July 29, 2009, Ognjenović joined FK Jagodina
FK Jagodina
Fudbalski klub Jagodina is a professional football club based in the town of Jagodina, Serbia.-History:...
, returning to his homeland after more than a decade.
International career
Ognjenović made his debuts for the Yugoslavia national teamSerbia 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...
at only 18, on November 12, 1995, in a friendly with El Salvador
El Salvador national football team
El Salvador's national football team represents El Salvador in international football and is sanctioned by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol . In 1899, Santa Ana and San Salvador met for the first hosted football game in El Salvador...
. The nation was suspended for UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers.
Subsequently, he was picked for the squad at 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, appearing as a susbstitute in all three group stage matches, as Yugoslavia exited in the round of 16.