Vladimir Stojkovic
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Stojković is a Serbia
n football goalkeeper who plays for FK Partizan
and for the Serbian national team
.
.
In June 2009, Stojković married his long time girlfriend Bojana. The couple got a son Lav in April 2011.
when he was a teenager and came up through the club's youth setup. Entering the full squad, he was initially overshadowed by Vladimir Dišljenković
and as a result got to appear in only one league match during the 2001–02 season and one in the 2002–03 season, under head coach Zoran Filipović
.
, which was further cemented with the return of head coach Slavoljub Muslin
, the club loaned Stojković out in late June 2003 to Bosnia and Herzegovina champions FK Leotar, who were reinforcing the squad ahead of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. He appeared in all four club's qualifying matches under head coach Mile Jovin
as they got eliminated at the second qualifying round stage. However, after only two months Stojković left the club, reportedly over unpaid wages. He then tried to get a spot on Red Star
roster, but head coach Muslin told Stojković that he's not counting on him for the rest of the 2003–04 season. Getting his contract terminated from Red Star
, he started training privately with goalkeeping coach Tomo Savić in order to stay in competitive shape while waiting for the January 2004 transfer window to open up.
during the 2003–04 winter transfer window. Under head coach Dušan Mitošević, the 20-year-old keeper was initially backup to Miloš Adamović, but got his chance soon in the fourth league match after the winter break. His first appearance incidentally came against his former club Red Star
, and although his new team lost, Stojković made a memorable penalty shot save on Marko Pantelić
. The young keeper would go on to appear in five more league matches during the remainder of the 2003–04 season.
Going into his second season with Zemun, Stojković was undisputed number one in his team, appearing in 28 league matches as they finished the campaign in 5th league spot. Interestingly, during spring 2005, Stojković made a string of stunning saves during the league match versus his former club Red Star
in a hard-fought 0–0 draw; a result suited FK Partizan
that eventually won the league title that season.
, six months after Red Star sold Dišljenković to Ukraine
's FC Metalurh Donetsk
. Upon his return, he was backup to experienced 30-year-old Ivan Ranđelović and as such reduced to bit parts like his appearance versus NK Inter Zaprešić
in UEFA Cup
qualifying, however, ahead of the UEFA Cup first round return leg trip to SC Braga, head coach Walter Zenga
promoted the 22-year-old to first-choice goalkeeper. Stojković seized upon the opportunity, immediately impressing in the new role as Red Star got past the Portuguese on away goals to qualify for the group stages.
It would be at this stage of the competition that Stojković would get his most memorable moment of the season, saving a penalty
from Antonio Cassano
who attempted a panenka, as Red Star
beat AS Roma
3–1 at home. Since then the new hero of the fans, Stojković cemented his place in goal as the club won the league and cup double.
side FC Nantes in summer 2006 (for a rumoured €
3 million) to replace departing keeper Mickaël Landreau
. After a promising first few matches, however, his form rapidly declined, and he lost the starting jersey to 20-year-old understudy Vincent Briant
shortly before the winter break. At the same time, a vicious rift emerged within the Nantes squad that led to a series of poor results and the dismissal of the club's manager. Stojković fell out of favour with new manager Michel Der Zakarian
and was encouraged to seek a transfer or a loan when Nantes persuaded French star keeper Fabien Barthez
out of retirement during the winter break for the rest of the season.
match for Vitesse against SBV Excelsior.
Stojković started out well, but got injured towards the end of the half-season, and lost his place to youngster Rui Patrício
. After recovering, he never managed to reclaim his place in the starting eleven, being demoted to as low as third-choice after a run-in with head coach Paulo Bento
.
In July 2008, Sporting allowed Stojković to go to a trial at Premier League side Everton
, with a view to a loan deal. However, on 22 July, he left his first training session after only an hour without explanation. The club's spokesperson said that Everton lost interest and that they'd been warned earlier that Stojković is a "complicated character". Stojković denies walking out, saying "Everything went fine, I didn't have any problem. What I've read in the Portuguese press is wrong. I'm not someone who creates problems".
He thus continued at Sporting for the beginning of the 2008–09 season, but did not get a single minute of league action. By December 2008, the club was preparing to sell or loan him out during the winter break.
club Getafe CF
until the end of the season, the Madrid
club becoming his fifth team in less than three years. Arriving to a new club his standing wasn't much better as he was placed low on the goalkeepers' pecking order and did not get any action for months.
Finally on 12 April 2009, due to first-choice goalie Jacobo
's suspension following a red card, and Argentine Oscar Ustari
still convalescing from a severe injury, Stojković made his Getafe debut, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win at Sevilla FC
. Six days later he started on goal at home against juggernaut FC Barcelona
team and made the highlight reel with a string of spectacular saves on Thierry Henry
, Lionel Messi
and Gerard Piqué
though Barça still won 1–0 on a deflected first half goal.
Towards the end of the season, Getafe expressed interest in a permanent deal, but could not agree on price with Sporting. According to Stojković's agent Zoran Stojadinović, Getafe offered Sporting €500.000 plus 25% of Stojković's next transfer, but the Portuguese club refused.
. Bento was forced to resign in early November 2009 due to poor results, but that did not spell better days for Stojković as new coach Carlos Carvalhal continued omitting him.
Controversy was also raised by the report in the Portuguese tabloid Correio da Manhã
suggesting that teammates João Moutinho
, Ânderson Polga
, Liédson
and Marco Caneira
, together with club president José Eduardo Bettencourt
wanted Stojković out of the club for publicly displaying happiness at Bento's departure. However, the report was immediately denied on the club's website.
for a six-month period, acting as cover for Richard Kingson
while the Ghanaian is on duty at the African Cup of Nations. The move was officially confirmed on 7 January 2010. Stojković thus became the fourth Serb goalkeeper in history to appear in English football after Radojko Avramović
, Petar Borota
and Saša Ilić
.
Stojković made his debut for the club on 23 January 2010 in FA Cup
fourth round at League Two
(fourth tier) side Notts County
, a match in which Wigan managed a comeback 2–2 draw after being down two goals. It was Stojković's first competitive match at club level after his loan return from Getafe
and he put in a fine performance with a string of second half saves that kept Wigan in the match. His league debut came four days later at home versus Blackburn Rovers
where he put in a jittery performance in 1–2 Wigan loss. Looking uncertain and hesitant, Stojković was at fault for Blackburn's opening goal when he raced off his line, weakly punching away Brett Emerton
's deep free kick with the ball getting to Morten Gamst Pedersen
who half-volleyed it into the unguarded net. Stojković made one more start (1–0 away loss at Everton
on 30 January) before being relegated to the bench for next two months due to first due to first-choice keeper Chris Kirkland
recovering from injury.
Stojković would reappear on 29 March in the away match at Manchester City
. Wigan successfully resisted City's attacks (with Stojković making a few notable shot stops and point-blank saves) for 72 minutes, before a mix up between Stojković and defender Paul Scharner
allowed Emmanuel Adebayor
to flick the ball to Carlos Tévez
who slotted into an open net. Tévez would score twice more until the end. Stojković's last league appearance of the season took place in early May against Hull City
.
At the end of the season Wigan turned down the option of making Stojković's loan into a permanent deal.
champions FK Partizan
. The deal between Sporting and Partizan was structured in such a way, so that Stojković's €45,000 per month salary would be 80% paid by the Portuguese club and 20% by the Serbian club, meaning that for the ten months of his loan spell in Serbia
Sporting would pay him €360,000 in total while Partizan would contribute €90,000.
Seeking another option in goal for the UEFA Champions League group stage following jittery early season performances of their first-choice keeper Radiša Ilić
, Partizan brought in a player who used to be a noted performer for their bitter crosstown rivals Red Star. In fact only two months earlier, in June 2010, Stojković even became an honorary member of Red Star Belgrade in a public ceremony where he was given membership card number 134. Due to all this, Stojković's move was highly controversial and caused a great deal of disappointment and anger among Red Star
fans as well as plenty of reaction in the Serbian general public. Some press outlets even reported that being aware of the controversial nature of his move, Stojković himself apparently insisted on a clause that allows him to skip the derby matches against Red Star Belgrade, first of which was scheduled for 23 October. When asked about it, Stojković denied the existence of such clause. Almost immediately after the news hit the press, Stojković started receiving threats, including death threats as well as threats against his family.
Stojković made his Partizan debut on 4 September 2010 in a 2–0 league win at home versus FK Hajduk Kula. He spent the full 90 minutes in goal without much to do as the visiting team mostly concentrated on defending, although the few times he got called upon to make a save Stojković looked sharp and confident.
In the Champions League group stage
, Stojković got passing marks in his initial three outings, although he got exposed twice from set pieces, conceding almost identical long range free kick efforts versus FC Shakhtar Donetsk
(to Srna
) and SC Braga (to Lima
).
On 23 October, the long-awaited derby versus Red Star Belgrade
took place. Due to unsavoury events leading up to the big match, there were general concerns about the match turning into yet another violent incident and in particular about the goalkeeper's personal safety. Despite immense pressure and tension, Stojković was unwavering about his desire to be in goal for the match. Luckily, the derby passed without a single incident as Partizan recorded a 1–0 away win. As the final whistle blew, Stojković ran to the south stand where Partizan's most loyal fans gathered, lifting his jersey to reveal a t-shirt that read: "Please Forgive my Ugly Past". The move wasn't well received in the general public with local press accusing Stojković of being tacky and needlessly raising the tension by provoking his old club, however Stojković claimed he was only trying to show his feelings and insisted he wasn't being provocative.
|2006||6||0
|-
|2007||8||0
|-
|2008||7||0
|-
|2009||8||0
|-
|2010||8||0
|-
|2011||1||0
|-
!Total||38||0
|}
in the Serbia and Montenegro U21 squad that reached the final of the 2004 European Championship
in Germany
, but did not receive a single minute of action.
Gradually, parallel to his Red Star
breakthrough, Stojković got more opportunities and soon became an irreplaceable member of the national youth squad. Finally, in May 2006, he captained the U21s team during the 2006 Euro
in Portugal
, in the absence of suspended Danko Lazović
. The team reached the semi-finals of the tournament.
, Stojković was named as member of the senior squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, and served as backup again, now to Dragoslav Jevrić
.
After the arrival of Javier Clemente
as head coach in summer 2006, Stojković became first-choice for the newly independent Serbia
. He made his debut against the Czech Republic
on 16 August 2006. During the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, he played well, displaying confidence between the posts as exemplified in a home qualifier versus Portugal
with a string of spectacular saves, preserving a point for Serbia. Following the failure to qualify for the finals, Clemente was replaced by Miroslav Đukić, and Stojković continued to start regularly.
In July 2008, Stojković was named on the Olympic team for Beijing 2008
. He continued to start regularly for the main squad under new head coach Radomir Antić
, even though he was still in the wilderness at Sporting CP. He eventually went on to play in the most qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, helping Serbia to reach the final stage of that tournament. In the World Cup group stage match against Germany
, Stojković kept a clean sheet, denying Lukas Podolski
's penalty kick and helped defeat Germany 1–0.
On 29 July 2010, in a vague statement to the Serbian sports daily Sportski žurnal
, Stojković intimated a possibility of "temporarily stepping away from the national team" if he does not manage to find a club where he'd get regular playing time by the time Euro 2012 qualification
process starts. Head coach Antić did not call him up for the home friendly versus Greece
, as well as the first two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Faroe Islands
and Slovenia
.
However, as Radomir Antić
got fired after the draw with Slovenia, Stojković was called up again by the new coach Vladimir Petrović for the next qualifier against Estonia
at home on 8 October 2010. This was the first national team home match for Stojković following his club switch to FK Partizan
and he received a fair amount of verbal abuse from the Red Star
fans in the crowd. All the insulting chants clearly got to him as he let in a long range goal as Estonia tied the score at 1–1. Later, with Estonia leading 2–1, Stojković made another mistake that led to a goal, after miscommunication with centre back Aleksandar Luković
leading to a back pass that ended up in the Serbian goal. Only four days later, on 12 October, before the qualifier between Italy
and Serbia in Genoa
, Stojković was assaulted by the group of the Zvezda fans
who broke into the Serbian team bus.
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 football goalkeeper who plays for FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
and for the Serbian national 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...
.
Family
Stojković was born into a sporting family. His father was also a football goalkeeper and his mother was an athlete who competed in the discus throwDiscus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
.
In June 2009, Stojković married his long time girlfriend Bojana. The couple got a son Lav in April 2011.
Early years at Red Star
Stojković joined Red Star BelgradeRed 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...
when he was a teenager and came up through the club's youth setup. Entering the full squad, he was initially overshadowed by Vladimir Dišljenković
Vladimir Dišljenkovic
Vladimir Dišljenković is a Serbian international footballer who currently plays for Metalist Kharkiv.-Personal life:...
and as a result got to appear in only one league match during the 2001–02 season and one in the 2002–03 season, under head coach Zoran Filipović
Zoran Filipovic
Zoran Filipović was a player of great success in the 1970s and 1980s for Red Star Belgrade and SL Benfica...
.
Loan to Leotar and contract termination at Red Star
Due to Dišljenković's status as the first-choice keeper for Red StarRed 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 was further cemented with the return of head coach Slavoljub Muslin
Slavoljub Muslin
Slavoljub Muslin is a Serbian football manager and a former player who currently manages FC Krasnodar...
, the club loaned Stojković out in late June 2003 to Bosnia and Herzegovina champions FK Leotar, who were reinforcing the squad ahead of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. He appeared in all four club's qualifying matches under head coach Mile Jovin
Milan Jovin
Milan "Mile" Jovin is a former Serbian football player. He got 4 caps for Yugoslavia.-External links:*...
as they got eliminated at the second qualifying round stage. However, after only two months Stojković left the club, reportedly over unpaid wages. He then tried to get a spot on Red Star
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...
roster, but head coach Muslin told Stojković that he's not counting on him for the rest of the 2003–04 season. Getting his contract terminated from Red Star
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...
, he started training privately with goalkeeping coach Tomo Savić in order to stay in competitive shape while waiting for the January 2004 transfer window to open up.
Zemun
Stojković joined FK ZemunFK Zemun
FK Zemun is a football club located in Zemun, a municipality of Belgrade, in Serbia.- History :Immediately after the end of the Second World War the sports activities in Zemun are restored...
during the 2003–04 winter transfer window. Under head coach Dušan Mitošević, the 20-year-old keeper was initially backup to Miloš Adamović, but got his chance soon in the fourth league match after the winter break. His first appearance incidentally came against his former club Red Star
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...
, and although his new team lost, Stojković made a memorable penalty shot save on Marko Pantelić
Marko Pantelic
Marko Pantelić is a Serbian footballer, who plays for Olympiacos.-Early years:...
. The young keeper would go on to appear in five more league matches during the remainder of the 2003–04 season.
Going into his second season with Zemun, Stojković was undisputed number one in his team, appearing in 28 league matches as they finished the campaign in 5th league spot. Interestingly, during spring 2005, Stojković made a string of stunning saves during the league match versus his former club Red Star
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...
in a hard-fought 0–0 draw; a result suited FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
that eventually won the league title that season.
Return to Red Star
In summer 2005, Stojković returned to Red StarRed 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...
, six months after Red Star sold Dišljenković to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
's FC Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. The club currently plays in the Ukrainian Premier League.- Pre-history :...
. Upon his return, he was backup to experienced 30-year-old Ivan Ranđelović and as such reduced to bit parts like his appearance versus NK Inter Zaprešić
NK Inter Zaprešic
NK Inter Zaprešić is a Croatian football club based in Zaprešić, a town northwest of the capital Zagreb originally founded in 1929. They play in the Prva HNL after they were promoted from Druga HNL at the end of the 2006–07 season...
in UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
qualifying, however, ahead of the UEFA Cup first round return leg trip to SC Braga, head coach Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga is a retired Italian footballer and current manager. He is a long-time goalkeeper for the Italian national team and Internazionale. He also holds Romanian citizenship...
promoted the 22-year-old to first-choice goalkeeper. Stojković seized upon the opportunity, immediately impressing in the new role as Red Star got past the Portuguese on away goals to qualify for the group stages.
It would be at this stage of the competition that Stojković would get his most memorable moment of the season, saving a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
from Antonio Cassano
Antonio Cassano
Antonio Cassano is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Milan as a striker. Nicknamed Il Gioiello di Bari Vecchia , he is known for his short temper as much as his ability on the pitch, which led to the coining of the neologism Cassanata by his former coach, Fabio Capello, in November...
who attempted a panenka, as Red Star
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...
beat AS Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
3–1 at home. Since then the new hero of the fans, Stojković cemented his place in goal as the club won the league and cup double.
Nantes
Stojković moved to French first divisionLigue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
side FC Nantes in summer 2006 (for a rumoured €
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 million) to replace departing keeper Mickaël Landreau
Mickaël Landreau
Mickaël Vincent André-Marie Landreau is a French professional football goalkeeper, who currently plays for French Ligue 1 side Lille OSC. He has 11 caps for the French national team.-Club career:...
. After a promising first few matches, however, his form rapidly declined, and he lost the starting jersey to 20-year-old understudy Vincent Briant
Vincent Briant
Vincent Briant is a French professional football player. He is a product of the FC Nantes training center in a show on Gol TV called Soccer Academy. He was one of two players to sign a professional contract with FC Nantes after the show followed the everyday lives of the players in the academy...
shortly before the winter break. At the same time, a vicious rift emerged within the Nantes squad that led to a series of poor results and the dismissal of the club's manager. Stojković fell out of favour with new manager Michel Der Zakarian
Michel Der Zakarian
Michel Der Zakarian is a former Franco-Armenian professional football defender and manager.He was a member of the Armenia national team, participated in five international matches since his debut in home 1998 World Cup qualifying match against Portugal...
and was encouraged to seek a transfer or a loan when Nantes persuaded French star keeper Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez
Fabien Alain Barthez is a former French footballer goalkeeper who won honours with Manchester United and the French national team, with whom he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 World Cup. He shares the record for the most World Cup finals clean sheets...
out of retirement during the winter break for the rest of the season.
Loan to Vitesse
In January 2007, Stojković was shipped off to SBV Vitesse on a six-month loan. On 3 March 2007, he played his first EredivisieEredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
match for Vitesse against SBV Excelsior.
Sporting CP
On 11 July 2007, Stojković signed a five-year contract with Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal, with Sporting paying a €1.1 million transfer fee to Nantes.Stojković started out well, but got injured towards the end of the half-season, and lost his place to youngster Rui Patrício
Rui Patrício
Rui Pedro dos Santos Patrício is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal as a goalkeeper.-Club career:Patrício played as a striker at a young age...
. After recovering, he never managed to reclaim his place in the starting eleven, being demoted to as low as third-choice after a run-in with head coach Paulo Bento
Paulo Bento
Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento is a retired Portuguese footballer, and the current manager of Portugal.A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, also playing four years in Spain...
.
In July 2008, Sporting allowed Stojković to go to a trial at Premier League side Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, with a view to a loan deal. However, on 22 July, he left his first training session after only an hour without explanation. The club's spokesperson said that Everton lost interest and that they'd been warned earlier that Stojković is a "complicated character". Stojković denies walking out, saying "Everything went fine, I didn't have any problem. What I've read in the Portuguese press is wrong. I'm not someone who creates problems".
He thus continued at Sporting for the beginning of the 2008–09 season, but did not get a single minute of league action. By December 2008, the club was preparing to sell or loan him out during the winter break.
Loan to Getafe
In the January 2009 transfer window, Stojković went on loan to La LigaLa 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...
club Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
until the end of the season, the Madrid
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...
club becoming his fifth team in less than three years. Arriving to a new club his standing wasn't much better as he was placed low on the goalkeepers' pecking order and did not get any action for months.
Finally on 12 April 2009, due to first-choice goalie Jacobo
Jacobo Sanz Ovejero
Jacobo Sanz Ovejero, simply Jacobo , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Asteras Tripoli F.C. in Greece, as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
's suspension following a red card, and Argentine Oscar Ustari
Oscar Ustari
Oscar Alfredo Ustari is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Getafe CF in Spain, as a goalkeeper.-Club career:Ustari arrived in Club Atlético Independiente's youth system at the age of 14...
still convalescing from a severe injury, Stojković made his Getafe debut, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win at Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
. Six days later he started on goal at home against juggernaut FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
team and made the highlight reel with a string of spectacular saves on Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
and Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué i Bernabeu is a Spanish footballer, currently playing as a central defender for FC Barcelona.A product of Barça's cantera, he initially left the club for Manchester United in 2004, where he remained for four years, before returning to Barça under Josep Guardiola's leadership, helping...
though Barça still won 1–0 on a deflected first half goal.
Towards the end of the season, Getafe expressed interest in a permanent deal, but could not agree on price with Sporting. According to Stojković's agent Zoran Stojadinović, Getafe offered Sporting €500.000 plus 25% of Stojković's next transfer, but the Portuguese club refused.
Return to Sporting CP
Back at Sporting for the 2009–10 season meant more frustration for Stojković as he continued to be out of head coach Bento's plans. In late October 2009, he publicly acknowledged that his chances of securing a place in the team under Bento were minimal, also intimating that he was willing to take a pay cut in order to go to a club where he would be assured of playing, in order to stay match fit ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Bento was forced to resign in early November 2009 due to poor results, but that did not spell better days for Stojković as new coach Carlos Carvalhal continued omitting him.
Controversy was also raised by the report in the Portuguese tabloid Correio da Manhã
Correio da Manhã
Correio da Manhã is a major daily Portuguese newspaper , published in Lisbon. It is published by the publishing division of the Cofina group.It is regarded as the most read general newspaper in the country....
suggesting that teammates João Moutinho
João Moutinho
João Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho is a Portuguese footballer who plays for F.C. Porto, also being a Portuguese international.Mainly a central midfielder, he can also operate as a holding or attacking midfielder, and on either flank.-Sporting:...
, Ânderson Polga
Ânderson Polga
Ânderson Corrêa Polga is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal as a central defender.-Club career:...
, Liédson
Liédson
Liédson da Silva Muniz , simply Liédson, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese footballer who plays for Sport Club Corinthians Paulista as a striker....
and Marco Caneira
Marco Caneira
Marco António Simões Caneira is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Videoton FC in Hungary. He preferably plays as a central defender, but is equally at ease on the right or the left flank....
, together with club president José Eduardo Bettencourt
José Eduardo Bettencourt
José Eduardo Fragoso Tavares de Bettencourt , also known as "JEB", is a Portuguese banker, he was currently 47th President of Portuguese sports club, Sporting Clube de Portugal, the eldest of three sons of José Manuel de Barros de Bettencourt, of remote Norman and distant Italian descent, and his...
wanted Stojković out of the club for publicly displaying happiness at Bento's departure. However, the report was immediately denied on the club's website.
Loan to Wigan Athletic
In late December 2009, it was announced that Stojković would be loaned from Sporting to Wigan AthleticWigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
for a six-month period, acting as cover for Richard Kingson
Richard Kingson
Richard Paul Franck Kingson is a Ghanaian professional football goalkeeper, who is currently a free agent. He is also known as Faruk Gürsoy and is frequently misnamed Kingston due to "irregularity on his identity documents"...
while the Ghanaian is on duty at the African Cup of Nations. The move was officially confirmed on 7 January 2010. Stojković thus became the fourth Serb goalkeeper in history to appear in English football after Radojko Avramović
Radojko Avramovic
Radojko Avramović is the current national team coach of the Singapore national football team...
, Petar Borota
Petar Borota
Petar Borota was a Serbian footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most notably for Partizan and Chelsea....
and Saša Ilić
Saša Ilic (footballer born 1972)
Saša Ilić is a retired Serbian-Australian football goalkeeper.-Club career:Born in Melbourne however Sasa's first club was Bonnyrigg White Eagles from Sydney in his youth stages and then transferred to Borac Banja Luka in Bosnia.Ilić is best known for his spell with Charlton Athletic...
.
Stojković made his debut for the club on 23 January 2010 in FA Cup
2009–10 FA Cup
The 2009–10 FA Cup was the 129th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition. One club, Newcastle Blue Star, folded before the fixtures were released...
fourth round at League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
(fourth tier) side Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, a match in which Wigan managed a comeback 2–2 draw after being down two goals. It was Stojković's first competitive match at club level after his loan return from Getafe
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
and he put in a fine performance with a string of second half saves that kept Wigan in the match. His league debut came four days later at home versus Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
where he put in a jittery performance in 1–2 Wigan loss. Looking uncertain and hesitant, Stojković was at fault for Blackburn's opening goal when he raced off his line, weakly punching away Brett Emerton
Brett Emerton
Brett Michael Emerton is an Australian football player who plays for Sydney FC and the Australia national team...
's deep free kick with the ball getting to Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers and the Norway national football team.-Tromsø IL:...
who half-volleyed it into the unguarded net. Stojković made one more start (1–0 away loss at Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on 30 January) before being relegated to the bench for next two months due to first due to first-choice keeper Chris Kirkland
Chris Kirkland
Christopher Edmund "Chris" Kirkland is an English footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. He also has one cap for the England national team....
recovering from injury.
Stojković would reappear on 29 March in the away match at Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. Wigan successfully resisted City's attacks (with Stojković making a few notable shot stops and point-blank saves) for 72 minutes, before a mix up between Stojković and defender Paul Scharner
Paul Scharner
Paul Josef Herbert Scharner is an Austrian footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion of the Premier League. He usually plays as a central defender or midfielder...
allowed Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor
Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur as a striker on loan from Manchester City. He plays in the same position for the Togo national team. Adebayor previously played for Metz, Monaco and Arsenal and was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008...
to flick the ball to Carlos Tévez
Carlos Tévez
Carlos Alberto Tévez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City...
who slotted into an open net. Tévez would score twice more until the end. Stojković's last league appearance of the season took place in early May against Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
.
At the end of the season Wigan turned down the option of making Stojković's loan into a permanent deal.
Partizan
On 27 August 2010, it was announced that Stojković would sign on a season-long loan deal with Serbian2009–10 Serbian Superliga
-League table:-Results:...
champions FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
. The deal between Sporting and Partizan was structured in such a way, so that Stojković's €45,000 per month salary would be 80% paid by the Portuguese club and 20% by the Serbian club, meaning that for the ten months of his loan spell in 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...
Sporting would pay him €360,000 in total while Partizan would contribute €90,000.
Seeking another option in goal for the UEFA Champions League group stage following jittery early season performances of their first-choice keeper Radiša Ilić
Radiša Ilic
Radiša Ilić is a Serbian football goalkeeper who plays for Serbian SuperLiga club FK Partizan Feredon.-Club career:...
, Partizan brought in a player who used to be a noted performer for their bitter crosstown rivals Red Star. In fact only two months earlier, in June 2010, Stojković even became an honorary member of Red Star Belgrade in a public ceremony where he was given membership card number 134. Due to all this, Stojković's move was highly controversial and caused a great deal of disappointment and anger among Red Star
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...
fans as well as plenty of reaction in the Serbian general public. Some press outlets even reported that being aware of the controversial nature of his move, Stojković himself apparently insisted on a clause that allows him to skip the derby matches against Red Star Belgrade, first of which was scheduled for 23 October. When asked about it, Stojković denied the existence of such clause. Almost immediately after the news hit the press, Stojković started receiving threats, including death threats as well as threats against his family.
Stojković made his Partizan debut on 4 September 2010 in a 2–0 league win at home versus FK Hajduk Kula. He spent the full 90 minutes in goal without much to do as the visiting team mostly concentrated on defending, although the few times he got called upon to make a save Stojković looked sharp and confident.
In the Champions League group stage
2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage
This article details the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage.The group stage featured 32 teams: the 22 automatic qualifiers and the 10 winners of the play-off round ....
, Stojković got passing marks in his initial three outings, although he got exposed twice from set pieces, conceding almost identical long range free kick efforts versus FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. Shakhtar has appeared in several European competitions and currently is often a participant of the UEFA Champions League. The club became the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup in 2009, the last year...
(to Srna
Darijo Srna
Darijo Srna is a Croatian footballer who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk as a captain and is also the captain of the Croatian national team.-Club career:Srna's talent was seen by many scouts in Croatia while he was young...
) and SC Braga (to Lima
Rodrigo José Lima dos Santos
Rodrigo José Lima dos Santos, known as Lima , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for S.C. Braga in Portugal, as a striker.-Football career:...
).
On 23 October, the long-awaited derby versus 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...
took place. Due to unsavoury events leading up to the big match, there were general concerns about the match turning into yet another violent incident and in particular about the goalkeeper's personal safety. Despite immense pressure and tension, Stojković was unwavering about his desire to be in goal for the match. Luckily, the derby passed without a single incident as Partizan recorded a 1–0 away win. As the final whistle blew, Stojković ran to the south stand where Partizan's most loyal fans gathered, lifting his jersey to reveal a t-shirt that read: "Please Forgive my Ugly Past". The move wasn't well received in the general public with local press accusing Stojković of being tacky and needlessly raising the tension by provoking his old club, however Stojković claimed he was only trying to show his feelings and insisted he wasn't being provocative.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nantes | 2006–07 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Vitesse (loan) | 2006–07 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Sporting CP | 2007–08 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Getafe Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.... (loan) |
2008–09 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Sporting CP | 2009–10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... (loan) |
2009–10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Partizan FK Partizan Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978... (loan) |
2010–11 2010–11 Serbian Superliga -League table:-Results:... |
26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| Partizan FK Partizan Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978... |
2011–12 2011–12 Serbian SuperLiga -League table:-Results:... |
13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Career total | 75 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 105 | 0 | |
International
|-|2006||6||0
|-
|2007||8||0
|-
|2008||7||0
|-
|2009||8||0
|-
|2010||8||0
|-
|2011||1||0
|-
!Total||38||0
|}
Youth
Stojković was a backup goalkeeper to Nikola MilojevićNikola Milojevic
Nikola Milojević is a Serbian football goalkeeper playing with FK Borac Čačak in the Serbian SuperLiga since summer 2010.-Career:...
in the Serbia and Montenegro U21 squad that reached the final of the 2004 European Championship
2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2004 was the 14th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Germany between 27 May and 8 June 2004.Italy U-21s won the competition for the fifth time...
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...
, but did not receive a single minute of action.
Gradually, parallel to his Red Star
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...
breakthrough, Stojković got more opportunities and soon became an irreplaceable member of the national youth squad. Finally, in May 2006, he captained the U21s team during the 2006 Euro
2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Final:-Goalscorers:4 goals Klaas Jan Huntelaar3 goals Thomas Kahlenberg Nicky Hofs2 goals Bryan Bergougnoux Ruslan Fomin Artem Milevskiy...
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...
, in the absence of suspended Danko Lazović
Danko Lazovic
Danko Lazović is a Serbian footballer who plays for Russian Premier League club Zenit as a second striker or a winger.-Feyenoord:...
. The team reached the semi-finals of the tournament.
Senior
UncappedCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, Stojković was named as member of the senior squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, and served as backup again, now to Dragoslav Jevrić
Dragoslav Jevric
Dragoslav Jevrić is a Montenegrin football goalkeeper who currently plays for AC Omonia.-International career:...
.
After the arrival of Javier Clemente
Javier Clemente
Javier Clemente Lázaro, is a Spanish football manager. The veteran La Liga manager has spent most of his career at two clubs: Athletic Bilbao and RCD Espanyol. Between 1992 and 1998, he managed Spain and went 31 games unbeaten. He was also the the first foreign manager of Serbia. His most recent...
as head coach in summer 2006, Stojković became first-choice for the newly independent Serbia
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...
. He made his debut against the 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 16 August 2006. During the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, he played well, displaying confidence between the posts as exemplified in a home qualifier versus 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...
with a string of spectacular saves, preserving a point for Serbia. Following the failure to qualify for the finals, Clemente was replaced by Miroslav Đukić, and Stojković continued to start regularly.
In July 2008, Stojković was named on the Olympic team for Beijing 2008
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...
. He continued to start regularly for the main squad under new head coach Radomir Antić
Radomir Antic
Radomir Antić is a Serbian former football defender and former football manager for the Serbian national team.Following a 17-year playing career he found his true calling in coaching....
, even though he was still in the wilderness at Sporting CP. He eventually went on to play in the most qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, helping Serbia to reach the final stage of that tournament. In the World Cup group stage match against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Stojković kept a clean sheet, denying Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski ; born Łukasz Podolski ) on 4 June 1985 in Gliwice, Poland) is a German footballer who plays as a striker/winger for 1. FC Köln and for the German national team. He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he broke into the first team in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the club before...
's penalty kick and helped defeat Germany 1–0.
On 29 July 2010, in a vague statement to the Serbian sports daily Sportski žurnal
Sportski žurnal
Sportski žurnal is a Belgrade-based sports daily. Each day, about half of its pages are devoted to football, whereas the rest deal with, in order of importance, basketball, volleyball, waterpolo, handball, tennis, auto racing, skiing, boxing, cycling etc...
, Stojković intimated a possibility of "temporarily stepping away from the national team" if he does not manage to find a club where he'd get regular playing time by the time Euro 2012 qualification
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
process starts. Head coach Antić did not call him up for the home friendly versus Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, as well as the first two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
and Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
.
However, as Radomir Antić
Radomir Antic
Radomir Antić is a Serbian former football defender and former football manager for the Serbian national team.Following a 17-year playing career he found his true calling in coaching....
got fired after the draw with Slovenia, Stojković was called up again by the new coach Vladimir Petrović for the next qualifier against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
at home on 8 October 2010. This was the first national team home match for Stojković following his club switch to FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
and he received a fair amount of verbal abuse from the Red Star
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...
fans in the crowd. All the insulting chants clearly got to him as he let in a long range goal as Estonia tied the score at 1–1. Later, with Estonia leading 2–1, Stojković made another mistake that led to a goal, after miscommunication with centre back Aleksandar Luković
Aleksandar Lukovic
Aleksandar Luković is a Serbian footballer who plays as a left back or centre back for Zenit St. Petersburg and the Serbian national team. He is known for his aggressive style of play.-Biography:...
leading to a back pass that ended up in the Serbian goal. Only four days later, on 12 October, before the qualifier between Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
and Serbia in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Stojković was assaulted by the group of the Zvezda fans
Delije
Delije roughly translated to English as Heroes is an umbrella name referring to the supporters of various sports clubs that compete under Red Star Belgrade Sports Society banner....
who broke into the Serbian team bus.
External links
- Vladimir Stojković at utakmica.rs
- Vladimir Stojković at reprezentacija.rs