Mirko Vucinic
Encyclopedia
Mirko Vučinić is a Montenegrin
footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A
club Juventus
. Originally from the city of Nikšić
, Vučinić found himself playing for the local team there during his early teen years. He quickly caught the attention of Pantaleo Corvino
, the sporting director of the Italian football club Lecce
and was transferred to Lecce in the summer of 2000. Between 2000 and 2006, Mirko played for Lecce as they moved between Serie A and B
. His most impressive season was 2004–05, where the then 21-year-old netted 19 goals in 28 games while Lecce was in Serie A.
On the international stage, Vučinić played for the Serbia and Montenegro under-21 team
, with a notable performance against the under-21 Croatian team
in 2005, where he scored three goals. Due to injury, he was unable to represent Serbia and Montenegro
at the FIFA World Cup
in 2006
. Following the split of Serbia and Montenegro in spring of 2006
, Vučinić chose to represent Montenegro. He participated in Montenegro's World Cup 2010
qualifying stage, where he contributed two goals. Vučinić also scored two goals for Montenegro in their qualifying stages of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches
.
in Italy
during the summer of 2000 at age 18. The man who initiated the transfer was the club's sporting director at the time, Pantaleo Corvino
, who has since developed a reputation for having a good eye when it comes to football talent coming out of Eastern Europe
.
In his fourth season for the club, the 21-year-old Vučinić hit a blistering goalscoring form with 19 goals in 28 Serie A games, including a hat-trick versus Lazio
on 1 May 2005. Following that successful season, his progress came to a halt with only nine goals recorded in 31 games as his career stalled due to injury.
worth €
3.25 million, with an option of buying 50 percent of his rights from Lecce at the season's conclusion for an additional €3.75 million.
During his first season in Rome
, he did not feature much as he had operations on his left knee twice. Also, the presence of the European Golden Boot
winner Francesco Totti
as the lone forward of Roma's tactical formation under head coach Luciano Spalletti
did not give Vučinić much playing time. Despite this, he succeeded in scoring three goals: his first goal for Roma in the 1–0 victory against Siena on 28 January 2007, his first goal in the UEFA Champions League
during the quarter-finals match 2–1 victory against Manchester United
on 4 April 2007. He also scored another Serie A away goal against Catania
in a game that saw roma beat the Sicilians
2–0.
At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Roma paid Lecce
the pre-agreed price of €3.75 million to sign 50 percent of Vučinić's rights. He decided to wear the #9 jersey, previously owned by Vincenzo Montella
in the last eight seasons, and also stated that he would like to do the same that Montella did at Roma.
As veteran Francesco Totti
was usually deployed as a lone striker, Vučinić began to play as left winger in Luciano Spalletti
's 4-2-3-1. He scored his first goal of the season in the 2–1 victory against Sporting Clube de Portugal, in the Champions League group stage, allowing Roma to get the vital goal to earn them three points.
In the following game, away to Milan
at the San Siro
, with Francesco Totti injured, Vučinić started as a striker and scored a header, from a cross by his teammate Cicinho
. It was the only goal of the game as Roma picked up a win over its rival. This proved decisive again, as in the game against city rivals Lazio
, Roma won by 3–2, with Vučinić leaving his mark with a left-foot equalizer and an assist to Simone Perrotta
's goal. Another decisive goal of Vučinić was a header against Real Madrid
at the Santiago Bernabéu
, securing a 2–1 win for his side as well as qualification to the successive round.
In June 2008, Roma finally bought Vučinić outright by paying Lecce €12 million.
On 4 November 2008, he scored two goals in Roma's UEFA Champions League
group stage match against Chelsea
, emerging 3–1 winners. Roma made it to the first knockout stage where they lost to Arsenal
on penalties, with Vučinić missing the target in the shootout with a weak shot down the middle that was easily saved by goalkeeper Manuel Almunia
.
On 1 June 2009, Roma announced Vučinić had signed a new four-year contract, with his gross annual salary progressively increasing from €4 million in 2009–10 season to €4.7 million in 2012–13 season. The 2009–10 Serie A campaign
started off poorly for Roma, forcing head coach Luciano Spalletti
to resign after two opening losses. Arrival of new head coach Claudio Ranieri
initially failed to change matters with the team continuing to slide down the standings as Vučinić got soundly booed by Roma fans in early November 2009 against Bologna
when he finally scored his first goal of the season. After winning that match, however, Roma went on a 24-match unbeaten run in the league, mounting a credible title challenge by the end of the season, in large part thanks to Vučinić's improved form and steady goalscoring efforts that included a hat-trick versus Udinese
and a brace in the win against heated crosstown rivals Lazio
.
The 2010-11 season began well for Vučinić, scoring the injury-time winner against defending league champions Internazionale
. As the season progressed, however, he experienced a loss of form and his goals output dipped dramatically. Later in the season he was linked with a move to Tottenham.
The team was also going through turmoil as it was way off pace for the title after challenging for the Scudetto the previous few seasons. Head coach Ranieri was sacked and replaced with Vincenzo Montella
. Vučinić's form didn't improve much as his loss of confidence became very evident in April when he missed open net sitters in two consecutive home matches - first in Serie A versus Palermo
with the score tied at 1–1 (Roma eventually lost 3–2) and then three days later in Coppa Italia
semi-final first leg versus Inter (Roma lost 1–0).
at 2006 FIFA World Cup
(the other one was Dragoslav Jevrić
); he had been capped already three times for the Serbia and Montenegro team, but on 23 May 2006 he got injured and could not participate in the competition.
After Montenegro
became an independent country, and a new national team was established, Vučinić chose to play for it and, when on 24 March 2007, the Montenegro national team
played its first international match against Hungary
; Vučinić scored the first goal, a penalty, of Montenegro's history, of whom currently he is also the captain.
During the 2010 World Cup
qualifiers, Vučinić's most famous goals came when he netted a free kick in the 60th minute against Bulgaria
and also scored a remarkable goal against Italy
. Montenegro, however, failed to qualify and finished in fifth place in their qualifying group. So far in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers
, Vučinić has produced two key goals that have contributed to two victories for Montenegro.
Winners
Runner-up
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. Originally from the city of Nikšić
Nikšić
Nikšić is a city in Montenegro . In 2003 the city had a total population about 75,000.Nikšić is located in Nikšić plain, at the foot of Mount Trebjesa. It is the center of the municipality , which is the largest in Montenegro by area...
, Vučinić found himself playing for the local team there during his early teen years. He quickly caught the attention of Pantaleo Corvino
Pantaleo Corvino
Pantaleo Corvino is an Italian director of football, currently working for Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina....
, the sporting director of the Italian football club Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
and was transferred to Lecce in the summer of 2000. Between 2000 and 2006, Mirko played for Lecce as they moved between Serie A and B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. His most impressive season was 2004–05, where the then 21-year-old netted 19 goals in 28 games while Lecce was in Serie A.
On the international stage, Vučinić played for the Serbia and Montenegro under-21 team
Serbia national under-21 football team
The Serbia national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Serbia and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia....
, with a notable performance against the under-21 Croatian team
Croatia national under-21 football team
The Croatia national under-21 football team, also known as Croatia under-21 or Croatia U21 is a youth association football national team which represents Croatia at this age level and is a feeder team for the Croatia national football team....
in 2005, where he scored three goals. Due to injury, he was unable to represent Serbia and Montenegro
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...
at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 2006
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...
. Following the split of Serbia and Montenegro in spring of 2006
Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006
The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro that was held on 21 May 2006.The total turnout of the referendum was 86.5%...
, Vučinić chose to represent Montenegro. He participated in Montenegro's World Cup 2010
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...
qualifying stage, where he contributed two goals. Vučinić also scored two goals for Montenegro in their qualifying stages of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches
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...
.
Early career
Vučinić started out at his hometown club Sutjeska Nikšić before being snapped up by LecceU.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the summer of 2000 at age 18. The man who initiated the transfer was the club's sporting director at the time, Pantaleo Corvino
Pantaleo Corvino
Pantaleo Corvino is an Italian director of football, currently working for Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina....
, who has since developed a reputation for having a good eye when it comes to football talent coming out of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
In his fourth season for the club, the 21-year-old Vučinić hit a blistering goalscoring form with 19 goals in 28 Serie A games, including a hat-trick versus Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
on 1 May 2005. Following that successful season, his progress came to a halt with only nine goals recorded in 31 games as his career stalled due to injury.
Roma
On 30 August 2006, Vučinić signed a one-year loan contract with RomaA.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...
worth €
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,...
3.25 million, with an option of buying 50 percent of his rights from Lecce at the season's conclusion for an additional €3.75 million.
2006–07 season
During his first season in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he did not feature much as he had operations on his left knee twice. Also, the presence of the European Golden Boot
European Golden Boot
The European Golden Shoe, formerly known as the European Golden Boot, is an association football award presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of every European national league...
winner Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
as the lone forward of Roma's tactical formation under head coach Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti is a retired Italian footballer and current coach of FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.-Playing career:Born in Certaldo, Province of Florence, Spalletti played for Serie C teams such as Entella, Spezia, Viareggio and Empoli....
did not give Vučinić much playing time. Despite this, he succeeded in scoring three goals: his first goal for Roma in the 1–0 victory against Siena on 28 January 2007, his first goal in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
during the quarter-finals match 2–1 victory against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
on 4 April 2007. He also scored another Serie A away goal against Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
in a game that saw roma beat the Sicilians
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
2–0.
2007–08 season
At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Roma paid Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
the pre-agreed price of €3.75 million to sign 50 percent of Vučinić's rights. He decided to wear the #9 jersey, previously owned by Vincenzo Montella
Vincenzo Montella
Vincenzo Montella is a retired Italian footballer. Currently he is the youngest head coach of Serie A, after being named at the helm of Sicilian outfit Catania on 9 June 2011....
in the last eight seasons, and also stated that he would like to do the same that Montella did at Roma.
As veteran Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
was usually deployed as a lone striker, Vučinić began to play as left winger in Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti is a retired Italian footballer and current coach of FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.-Playing career:Born in Certaldo, Province of Florence, Spalletti played for Serie C teams such as Entella, Spezia, Viareggio and Empoli....
's 4-2-3-1. He scored his first goal of the season in the 2–1 victory against Sporting Clube de Portugal, in the Champions League group stage, allowing Roma to get the vital goal to earn them three points.
In the following game, away to Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
at the San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
, with Francesco Totti injured, Vučinić started as a striker and scored a header, from a cross by his teammate Cicinho
Cicinho
Cícero João de Cézare, nicknamed Cicinho, in Pradópolis, São Paulo, Brazil), is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Roma.Currently married to longtime girlfriend, Reem Borriello; the two have one son, Heitor...
. It was the only goal of the game as Roma picked up a win over its rival. This proved decisive again, as in the game against city rivals Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, Roma won by 3–2, with Vučinić leaving his mark with a left-foot equalizer and an assist to Simone Perrotta
Simone Perrotta
Simone Perrotta, Ufficiale OMRI is an English-born Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma...
's goal. Another decisive goal of Vučinić was a header against 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...
at the Santiago Bernabéu
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators....
, securing a 2–1 win for his side as well as qualification to the successive round.
2008–09 season
In June 2008, Roma finally bought Vučinić outright by paying Lecce €12 million.
On 4 November 2008, he scored two goals in Roma's UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League 2008–09
The 2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009. It was the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in...
group stage match 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...
, emerging 3–1 winners. Roma made it to the first knockout stage where they lost to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on penalties, with Vučinić missing the target in the shootout with a weak shot down the middle that was easily saved by goalkeeper Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal.-Early career:Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Almunia started his senior career with Osasuna's reserve team in 1997, playing two seasons with the team in Segunda División B...
.
2009–10 season
On 1 June 2009, Roma announced Vučinić had signed a new four-year contract, with his gross annual salary progressively increasing from €4 million in 2009–10 season to €4.7 million in 2012–13 season. The 2009–10 Serie A campaign
2009–10 Serie A
The 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season...
started off poorly for Roma, forcing head coach Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti is a retired Italian footballer and current coach of FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.-Playing career:Born in Certaldo, Province of Florence, Spalletti played for Serie C teams such as Entella, Spezia, Viareggio and Empoli....
to resign after two opening losses. Arrival of new head coach Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
initially failed to change matters with the team continuing to slide down the standings as Vučinić got soundly booed by Roma fans in early November 2009 against Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
when he finally scored his first goal of the season. After winning that match, however, Roma went on a 24-match unbeaten run in the league, mounting a credible title challenge by the end of the season, in large part thanks to Vučinić's improved form and steady goalscoring efforts that included a hat-trick versus Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
and a brace in the win against heated crosstown rivals Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
.
2010–11 season
The 2010-11 season began well for Vučinić, scoring the injury-time winner against defending league champions Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. As the season progressed, however, he experienced a loss of form and his goals output dipped dramatically. Later in the season he was linked with a move to Tottenham.
The team was also going through turmoil as it was way off pace for the title after challenging for the Scudetto the previous few seasons. Head coach Ranieri was sacked and replaced with Vincenzo Montella
Vincenzo Montella
Vincenzo Montella is a retired Italian footballer. Currently he is the youngest head coach of Serie A, after being named at the helm of Sicilian outfit Catania on 9 June 2011....
. Vučinić's form didn't improve much as his loss of confidence became very evident in April when he missed open net sitters in two consecutive home matches - first in Serie A versus Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
with the score tied at 1–1 (Roma eventually lost 3–2) and then three days later in Coppa Italia
2010–11 Coppa Italia
-=Second round:=-----=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 2:-=First round:=---------=Second round:=---------=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 3:-=First round:=-=Second round:=--------...
semi-final first leg versus Inter (Roma lost 1–0).
Juventus
On the 30th of July 2011, it was confirmed that Juventus F.C signed Vučinić for €15 million from A.S. Roma, with a 4 year deal worth €3.5 million per year. He scored his first goal for the club on 21 August 2011 in the 2-1 defeat to AC Milan in the annual Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi curtain raiser to the Italian season.International career
Vučinić was one of the two Montenegro-born players who had been chosen to play for Serbia and MontenegroSerbia 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 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...
(the other one was Dragoslav Jevrić
Dragoslav Jevric
Dragoslav Jevrić is a Montenegrin football goalkeeper who currently plays for AC Omonia.-International career:...
); he had been capped already three times for the Serbia and Montenegro team, but on 23 May 2006 he got injured and could not participate in the competition.
After Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
became an independent country, and a new national team was established, Vučinić chose to play for it and, when on 24 March 2007, the Montenegro national team
Montenegro national football team
The Montenegro national football team represents Montenegro in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for football in Montenegro...
played its first international match against Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
; Vučinić scored the first goal, a penalty, of Montenegro's history, of whom currently he is also the captain.
During the 2010 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...
qualifiers, Vučinić's most famous goals came when he netted a free kick in the 60th minute against Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
and also scored a remarkable goal against 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...
. Montenegro, however, failed to qualify and finished in fifth place in their qualifying group. So far in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers
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...
, Vučinić has produced two key goals that have contributed to two victories for Montenegro.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 24 March 2007 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
2–1 | Win | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2. | 22 August 2007 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
1–1 | Draw | Friendly | |
| 3. | 12 September 2007 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
1–2 | Loss | Friendly | |
| 4. | 17 October 2007 | Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... , Estonia Estonia Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... |
0–1 | Win | Friendly | |
| 5. | 6 September 2008 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
2–2 | Draw | WC 2010 Qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 8 The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 8 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised 2006 FIFA World Cup winner Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro.... |
|
| 6. | 15 October 2008 | Lecce Lecce Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
2–1 | Loss | WC 2010 Qualification | |
| 7. | 9 September 2009 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
1–1 | Draw | WC 2010 Qualification | |
| 8. | 18 November 2009 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
1–0 | Win | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 9. | 29 May 2010 | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
2–1 | Loss | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
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| 10. | 3 September 2010 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
1–0 | Win | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualification | |
| 11. | 8 October 2010 | Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
1–0 | Win | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualification | |
Honours
RomaWinners
- Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(1): 20072007 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2007 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Serie A 2006-07 winners Internazionale and Coppa Italia 2006-07 winners Roma.The match took place on 19 August 2007 in San Siro, Milan and resulted in a 1-0 victory for Roma... - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
(2): 2007, 2008
Runner-up
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(3): 2007, 2008, 20102009–10 Serie AThe 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season... - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
(1): 20102009–10 Coppa ItaliaThe 2009–10 Coppa Italia was the sixty-second season of the tournament. The competition started on 2 August 2009 and ended on 5 May 2010.-Serie A :-Serie B :-Prima Divisione :-Seconda Divisione :... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(3): 20062006 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2006 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2005-06 winners Internazionale and the 2005-06 Coppa Italia runners-up Roma. The Coppa Italia runners-up were chosen to play instead of the winners because of the aftermath of the 2006 Serie A match-fixing scandal...
, 20082008 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2008 Supercoppa Italiana is a football match that was played by Serie A 2007-08 winners Internazionale and Coppa Italia 2007-08 winners Roma. The match proved to be a tightly contested affair. After exchanging goals, it appeared that Inter was on its way to victory on Mario Balotelli's goal...
, 20102010 Supercoppa Italiana- References :...
Career statistics
| Season | Team | League | Domestic League | Domestic Cups | European Games | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | |||
| 1999–00 First League of FR Yugoslavia 1999-00 -Overview:Twenty one teams contested the league championship this season. Red Star Belgrade managed to win it in the end with four points more than eternal rivals FK Partizan.-Tragedy at the Eternal Derby: death of Aca Radović:... |
Sutjeska Nikšić | Yugoslavia League | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 |
| 2000–01 | Lecce U.S. Lecce Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11.... |
Serie A Serie A Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | Lecce | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | Lecce | Serie B Serie B Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the... |
28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 |
| 2003–04 | Lecce | Serie A | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| 2004–05 | Lecce | Serie A | 28 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 22 |
| 2005–06 | Lecce | Serie A | 34 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 9 |
| Total | 111 | 34 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 37 | ||
| 2006–07 | 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... |
Serie A | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 32 | 3 |
| 2007–08 | Roma | Serie A | 33 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 48 | 14 |
| 2008–09 | Roma | Serie A | 27 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 38 | 17 |
| 2009–10 | Roma | Serie A | 33 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 19 |
| 2010–11 | Roma | Serie A | 28 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 11 |
| Total | 148 | 45 | 18 | 7 | 34 | 11 | 200 | 63 | ||
| 2011–12 2011–12 Serie A The 2011–12 Serie A is the eightieth season since its establishment, and the second under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 9 September 2011 and will end on 13 May 2012. The league was originally scheduled to start on 27 August, but this was delayed due to a strike by the players... |
Juventus | Serie A | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 262 | 84 | 25 | 10 | 34 | 11 | 348 | 101 | ||