Goran Bunjevcevic
Encyclopedia
Goran Bunjevčević (born February 17, 1973 in Karlovac
, Croatia
, SFR Yugoslavia
) is a former Serbian
footballer who played as a defender
, including 5 seasons at Tottenham Hotspur (2001-06).
Hailed in the press as the "Serbian Beckenbauer", he had a remarkably good disciplinary record and strong technique, being known for his reading of the game and flair for an incisive pass. The former Serbia and Montenegro international has recently moved from the dressing-room to the boardroom, back at Red Star Belgrade
. He didn't hold the position very long as he resigned together with club president and board on August 29, 2008 after a disastrous start to the season
and spent his childhood in the Croat city of Split
, where he started playing football at the highly-respected club Hajduk. He continued his career at Dinamo Zagreb
. Because of Yugoslav wars
, he moved to Belgrade
to play for low-division sides BASK
and Grafičar
, before he was finally given chance in the top flight with Rad. At Rad he excelled not only in his preferred sweeper position, but also in defensive or central midfield.
In 1997, he joined Red Star
(FK Crvena zvezda). Making 125 league appearances, he developed into one of their key players, going on to be made captain. Whilst there, Red Star won 3 trophies: the First League of Yugoslavia
in 2000, and the SFR Yugoslav Cup
in 1999/2000.
to play for Tottenham Hotspur, signing for £1,400,000 on 28 June to help replace Sol Campbell
in central defence. His debut was on 18 August, in a 0-0 home draw against Aston Villa. He suffered badly with injuries early on at Tottenham, sustaining a fractured cheekbone against Chelsea
, a bad injury that ruled him out for almost the entire season. In the 2002-03 campaign, his second season was relatively injury-free and he played well for Spurs, having much going for him. The manager, Glenn Hoddle
, picked him in a number of positions in the first team - central defence, left-back, left wing-back and as the midfield anchor man. Since Hoddle's departure in 2003, the player found first team games hard to come by. His main difficulty stemmed from being a specialist sweeper in a Spurs team that never played this system, meaning he had to slot in either to defence or midfield positions that challenged him more. His ability at Premiership
level was widely questioned by Tottenham Hotspur fans, particularly his pace and strength in tackling. Once the new coach Martin Jol
arrived, Bunjevčević completely fell out of the first-team picture. Now only starting in Carling Cup matches, ironically it was during this season (2004/05) in the competition that he scored both of his only goals for the club (in the 6-0 away defeat of Oldham Athletic on 22 September, and a late equaliser in the 29th October 4-3 away win against Bolton Wanderers
that took the game into extra time). He was released on May 26, 2006 after five years at White Hart Lane
and 57 appearances (starting in 47).
. He played at the club for one season before retiring.
At the beginning of March 2008 he was named as Red Star Belgrade
's sporting director, replacing Stevan Stojanović
in this position.
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, SFR 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 former Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
footballer who played as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
, including 5 seasons at Tottenham Hotspur (2001-06).
Hailed in the press as the "Serbian Beckenbauer", he had a remarkably good disciplinary record and strong technique, being known for his reading of the game and flair for an incisive pass. The former Serbia and Montenegro international has recently moved from the dressing-room to the boardroom, back at 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...
. He didn't hold the position very long as he resigned together with club president and board on August 29, 2008 after a disastrous start to the season
Yugoslavia
The son of a former military officer, Goran Bunjevčević was born in KarlovacKarlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
and spent his childhood in the Croat city of Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, where he started playing football at the highly-respected club Hajduk. He continued his career at Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
. Because of Yugoslav wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, he moved to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to play for low-division sides BASK
FK BASK Beograd
FK BASK is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It is one of the oldest clubs in Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian First League .-Formation of the Club:...
and Grafičar
FK Graficar Beograd
FK Grafičar is a football club based in Belgrade, Serbia.Grafičar has a reputation of old Belgrade amateur club. Club fans claim that it has most sympathisers, after giants Red Star Belgrade and FK Partizan...
, before he was finally given chance in the top flight with Rad. At Rad he excelled not only in his preferred sweeper position, but also in defensive or central midfield.
In 1997, he joined 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...
(FK Crvena zvezda). Making 125 league appearances, he developed into one of their key players, going on to be made captain. Whilst there, Red Star won 3 trophies: the First League of Yugoslavia
Serbian Superliga
Serbian SuperLiga is a Serbian professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Serbian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Serbian First League...
in 2000, and the SFR Yugoslav Cup
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup, officially the Marshal Tito Cup, was one of two major football competitions in the former Yugoslavia, the other one being the Yugoslav League Championship. The Yugoslav Cup took place after the league championships when every competitive league in Yugoslavia had finished, in order...
in 1999/2000.
Tottenham
In the summer of 2001, Bunjevčević moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to play for Tottenham Hotspur, signing for £1,400,000 on 28 June to help replace Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...
in central defence. His debut was on 18 August, in a 0-0 home draw against Aston Villa. He suffered badly with injuries early on at Tottenham, sustaining a fractured cheekbone against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, a bad injury that ruled him out for almost the entire season. In the 2002-03 campaign, his second season was relatively injury-free and he played well for Spurs, having much going for him. The manager, Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
, picked him in a number of positions in the first team - central defence, left-back, left wing-back and as the midfield anchor man. Since Hoddle's departure in 2003, the player found first team games hard to come by. His main difficulty stemmed from being a specialist sweeper in a Spurs team that never played this system, meaning he had to slot in either to defence or midfield positions that challenged him more. His ability at Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
level was widely questioned by Tottenham Hotspur fans, particularly his pace and strength in tackling. Once the new coach Martin Jol
Martin Jol
Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder who currently manages Fulham in the Premier League. Jol played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps with the Dutch national team...
arrived, Bunjevčević completely fell out of the first-team picture. Now only starting in Carling Cup matches, ironically it was during this season (2004/05) in the competition that he scored both of his only goals for the club (in the 6-0 away defeat of Oldham Athletic on 22 September, and a late equaliser in the 29th October 4-3 away win against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
that took the game into extra time). He was released on May 26, 2006 after five years at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
and 57 appearances (starting in 47).
Recent career
After release by Tottenham, Bunjevčević joined Dutch outfit ADO Den HaagADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
. He played at the club for one season before retiring.
At the beginning of March 2008 he was named as 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...
's sporting director, replacing Stevan Stojanović
Stevan Stojanovic
Stevan Stojanović is a retired Serbian football goalkeeper who played for Red Star Belgrade....
in this position.
Clubs
- ADO Den HaagADO Den HaagAlles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
(2006–2007) - Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
(2001–2006) - Red Star BelgradeRed Star BelgradeRed 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...
(1997–2001) - Rad Belgrade (1994–1997)
- Grafičar BelgradeFK Graficar BeogradFK Grafičar is a football club based in Belgrade, Serbia.Grafičar has a reputation of old Belgrade amateur club. Club fans claim that it has most sympathisers, after giants Red Star Belgrade and FK Partizan...
(1992–1994) - BASK BelgradeFK BASK BeogradFK BASK is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It is one of the oldest clubs in Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian First League .-Formation of the Club:...
(1991–1992)
External links
- Goran Bunjevčević at reprezentacija.rs
- FootballDatabase provides Goran Bunjevčević's profile and stats