Nikola Žigic
Encyclopedia
Nikola Žigić is a Serbia
n footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City
as a centre forward.
At , Žigić is among the tallest professional players in the world. He and Stefan Maierhofer
are the tallest players to have played in the English Premier League.
in 2003. During his years at the club, he played 110 matches and scored 71 goals in all competitions (cup
, league
and European competitions
).
. On 1 April 2007, he scored his first hat-trick
in La Liga
, in a 5–4 win over Athletic Bilbao
. While at Racing, he formed a formidable duo with diminutive veteran forward Pedro Munitis
, and netted 12 league goals during the 2006–07 season.
understood that Valencia CF
had offered Racing €
19 million for Žigić, handing the player a lucrative five-year contract. Numerous other clubs, such as SV Werder Bremen
and Manchester City
attempted to sign him, but Valencia eventually signed the player, announcing the £20 million deal on their official website the following day. After passing a medical the next day, Žigić was introduced at the Estadio Mestalla.
Žigić's first goal for Valencia came in a Spanish Cup match against Real Unión
, adding another to turn the match around, as Valencia won 2–1. However he was unsuccessful in nailing down a starting place in the team under coach Ronald Koeman
, who mostly used him as a sub or not at all. His first and only league goal came on 22 December 2007 at Real Zaragoza
, as Valencia again came from behind and earned a 2–2 draw. A loan to English club Portsmouth
was mooted, but Koeman changed his mind about the player leaving.
After some speculation regarding moves to the Premier League, and a thwarted loan return to former side Racing Santander, Žigić finally agreed to stay and fight for a place in 2008–09's Valencia.
Eventually, after having failed to appear in any league matches, being restricted to domestic and UEFA Cup matches, and scoring in both competitions, he was loaned in late December 2008 to former side Santander. In June 2009, there were rumours of a move to Sunderland
, but nothing came of it.
Žigić was then loaned to a former team, Racing, until the end of the season. On 4 January 2009, in his first game in his second spell with the Cantabria
ns, Žigić scored the game's only goal in a win at Real Valladolid
, repeating the feat in a win at Getafe CF
, two matchdays later, and again the following week on 25 January away at Sevilla FC
. He finished his second spell with 13 goals in only 19 matches, squad best, and subsequently returned to Valencia, where he continued to be rarely used in the league.
Profiting from a rare chance in the league with the Che, Žigić headed in the only goal of the game at home to RCD Espanyol
on 2 January 2010, in the 93rd minute. On 13 January, he added a brace at Deportivo de La Coruña
in the 2009–10 Copa del Rey
to put Valencia 2–0 up at halftime, in an eventual 2–2 draw (4–3 aggregate loss); on a more positive note, he replaced starter David Villa
at Espanyol on 1 May and scored both goals in a 2–0 win (both with his feet).
for an undisclosed fee. Media speculation suggested the fee to be in the region of £
6 million. He made his debut on the opening day of the season away at Sunderland
: replacing Garry O'Connor
in the 58th minute, he came close to scoring from outside the penalty area and "injected a note of panic hitherto undetected" in the home team's defence as Birmingham came back from 2–0 down to secure a draw.
Žigić's first goal for the club came as Birmingham beat Milton Keynes Dons
3–1 in the League Cup
on 21 September. He scored his first Premier League goal on 16 October, opening the scoring at Arsenal
with a header from a Keith Fahey
cross, but Birmingham lost the game 2–1. His fourth goal of the campaign was the 84th-minute winner as Birmingham progressed to the League Cup semi-final at the expense of local rivals Aston Villa. He scored the opening goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final
with a short-range header as Birmingham defeated favourites Arsenal 2–1 at Wembley Stadium
on 27 February 2011. Because of "niggling" hip and groin injuries, Žigić made only two more substitute appearances. His absence deprived the team of what the Birmingham Mails reporter called their "most effective style: getting the ball forward early, pressing up the pitch and playing off him", as they were relegated to the Championship
.
Žigić's first goal in the Championship gave Birmingham a 1–0 win against Leeds United in October 2011.
.
He scored a couple of goals in some friendlies, but it was his substitute appearance in a crucial 2006 FIFA World Cup
qualifier
against Spain
in Madrid
during September 2005 that brought him international recognition. After an atrocious first-half at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
, during which Serbia-Montenegro rarely crossed the centre line, only being 1–0 down, coach Petković threw Žigić into the mix, and his towering presence up front changed the flow of the match instantly. He would later set up the equalizer, also providing Mateja Kežman
with a 2–1 chance, but the ball was clipped wide of Iker Casillas
' gaping half-empty net. However, Serbia got the key away point and confirmed their World Cup qualification at home in Belgrade
versus Bosnia-Herzegovina
, with Žigić again nicely setting up Kežman for the game's only goal.
Žigić's only start at the 2006 World Cup came in the nation's final Group C match, when the team was already eliminated. He scored an early goal in the 10th minute of the first half off a long ball from Dejan Stanković
against Ivory Coast
, in a 3–2 loss.
Still an automatic choice under new national manager Javier Clemente
, his form took a dip. On 24 March 2007, Žigić received a red card
during the Euro 2008 qualifying match against Kazakhstan
, seconds before the end of the game. This caused him to miss the home game against Portugal
. He also missed the match against Finland
on 2 June 2007 after surgery on a facial injury received on 27 May.
He represented his country in the 2010 World Cup
. On 17 November 2010, he scored the winning goal against Bulgaria
in a friendly match, which was held in Sofia
, but was sent off for a second yellow card
shortly before the conclusion of the game.
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
!Goal
!Date
!Venue
!Opponent
!Score
!Result
!Competition
|-
|2003–04||rowspan=4|Red Star
||rowspan=2|Prva Liga
||28||18||?||2||colspan=2 rowspan=4| ||5||6||33||26
|-
|2004–05||25||15||?||2||5||3||30||20
|-
|2005–06
||rowspan=2|Super Liga
||23||12||?||2||7||5||30||19
|-
|2006–07||3||2||0||0||4||2||7||4
|-
|2006–07||rowspan=1|Racing Santander
||rowspan=5|La Liga
||32||11||0||0||colspan=2 rowspan=5| ||0||0||32||11
|-
|2007–08||rowspan=2|Valencia
||15||1||1||1||2||0||18||2
|-
|rowspan=2|2008–09||0||0||1||1||3||2||4||3
|-
|Racing Santander
||19||13||0||0||0||0||19||13
|-
|2009–10
||Valencia
||13||4||4||3||7||2||24||9
|-
|2010–11
||rowspan=2|Birmingham City
||rowspan=1|Premier League||25||5||2||0||7||3||0||0||34||8
|-
|2011–12
||rowspan=1|The Championship
||10||2||0||0||1||0||4||0||15||2
|-
79||47||?||6||colspan=2| ||21||16||100||69
79||29||6||5||colspan=2| ||12||4||97||38
35||7||2||0||8||3||4||0||49||10
193||83||8||11||8||3||37||20||246||117
Valencia
Birmingham City
Individual
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
as a centre forward.
At , Žigić is among the tallest professional players in the world. He and Stefan Maierhofer
Stefan Maierhofer
Stefan Maierhofer is an Austrian international football striker who plays for Red Bull Salzburg.Maierhofer failed to make the grade with German giants Bayern Munich, making just two first team appearances. After spells with second division teams TuS Koblenz and Greuther Fürth he returned to his...
are the tallest players to have played in the English Premier League.
Red Star
Žigić began with modest local teams, netting at an impressive rate, after which he joined bigger club 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...
in 2003. During his years at the club, he played 110 matches and scored 71 goals in all competitions (cup
Serbia and Montenegro Cup
The Serbia and Montenegro Cup is a defunct cup tournament. The competition was formed in 2003 after FR Yugoslavia had changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro on February 4, 2003. The format from this tournament did not change at all from that of the Yugoslav Cup the only difference was the name...
, league
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...
and European competitions
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
).
Racing Santander
On 29 August 2006, Žigić signed a four-year contract with Spanish side Racing de SantanderRacing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
. On 1 April 2007, he scored his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, in a 5–4 win over Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
. While at Racing, he formed a formidable duo with diminutive veteran forward Pedro Munitis
Pedro Munitis
Pedro Munitis Álvarez is a Spanish footballer who plays for Racing de Santander usually as a forward, although he can also operate as winger....
, and netted 12 league goals during the 2006–07 season.
Valencia
On 8 August 2007, Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
understood that Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
had offered Racing €
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,...
19 million for Žigić, handing the player a lucrative five-year contract. Numerous other clubs, such as SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
and 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...
attempted to sign him, but Valencia eventually signed the player, announcing the £20 million deal on their official website the following day. After passing a medical the next day, Žigić was introduced at the Estadio Mestalla.
Žigić's first goal for Valencia came in a Spanish Cup match against Real Unión
Real Unión
Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Irun, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the province of Gipuzkoa, near the border with France...
, adding another to turn the match around, as Valencia won 2–1. However he was unsuccessful in nailing down a starting place in the team under coach Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
, who mostly used him as a sub or not at all. His first and only league goal came on 22 December 2007 at Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, as Valencia again came from behind and earned a 2–2 draw. A loan to English club Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
was mooted, but Koeman changed his mind about the player leaving.
After some speculation regarding moves to the Premier League, and a thwarted loan return to former side Racing Santander, Žigić finally agreed to stay and fight for a place in 2008–09's Valencia.
Eventually, after having failed to appear in any league matches, being restricted to domestic and UEFA Cup matches, and scoring in both competitions, he was loaned in late December 2008 to former side Santander. In June 2009, there were rumours of a move to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, but nothing came of it.
Žigić was then loaned to a former team, Racing, until the end of the season. On 4 January 2009, in his first game in his second spell with the Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
ns, Žigić scored the game's only goal in a win at Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
, repeating the feat in a win at 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....
, two matchdays later, and again the following week on 25 January away 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...
. He finished his second spell with 13 goals in only 19 matches, squad best, and subsequently returned to Valencia, where he continued to be rarely used in the league.
Profiting from a rare chance in the league with the Che, Žigić headed in the only goal of the game at home to RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
on 2 January 2010, in the 93rd minute. On 13 January, he added a brace at Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
in the 2009–10 Copa del Rey
2009–10 Copa del Rey
The 2009–10 Copa del Rey was the 106th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 22, 2009 and concluded on May 19, 2010 with the final held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, in which Sevilla FC lifted the trophy for the fifth time in their history with a 2–0 victory over...
to put Valencia 2–0 up at halftime, in an eventual 2–2 draw (4–3 aggregate loss); on a more positive note, he replaced starter David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
at Espanyol on 1 May and scored both goals in a 2–0 win (both with his feet).
Birmingham City
On 25 May 2010, Žigić signed a four-year contract with Premier League club Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
for an undisclosed fee. Media speculation suggested the fee to be in the region of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
6 million. He made his debut on the opening day of the season away at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
: replacing Garry O'Connor
Garry O'Connor
Garry Lawrence John O'Connor is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays for Hibernian. He has also played for the Scotland international team....
in the 58th minute, he came close to scoring from outside the penalty area and "injected a note of panic hitherto undetected" in the home team's defence as Birmingham came back from 2–0 down to secure a draw.
Žigić's first goal for the club came as Birmingham beat Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
3–1 in the League Cup
2010–11 Football League Cup
The 2010–11 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
on 21 September. He scored his first Premier League goal on 16 October, opening the scoring at 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...
with a header from a Keith Fahey
Keith Fahey
Keith Declan Fahey is an Republic of Ireland international footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City. With Ireland he was part of the team that secured qualification for UEFA Euro 2012....
cross, but Birmingham lost the game 2–1. His fourth goal of the campaign was the 84th-minute winner as Birmingham progressed to the League Cup semi-final at the expense of local rivals Aston Villa. He scored the opening goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final
2011 Football League Cup Final
The 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was contested by Arsenal and Birmingham City, at Wembley Stadium in...
with a short-range header as Birmingham defeated favourites Arsenal 2–1 at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on 27 February 2011. Because of "niggling" hip and groin injuries, Žigić made only two more substitute appearances. His absence deprived the team of what the Birmingham Mails reporter called their "most effective style: getting the ball forward early, pressing up the pitch and playing off him", as they were relegated to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
.
Žigić's first goal in the Championship gave Birmingham a 1–0 win against Leeds United in October 2011.
International career
Although he attracted much attention for his performances with Red Star in the Serbo-Montenegrin league, Žigić only gained a regular place in the national team in mid-2005, after having made his debut the previous year under coach Ilija PetkovićIlija Petkovic
Ilija Petković is a retired Serbian footballer. Since the early 1990s he's been a football manager, his most notable appointment being with the Serbia and Montenegro national football team.-Playing career:He started playing football for Dinara Knin...
.
He scored a couple of goals in some friendlies, but it was his substitute appearance in a crucial 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...
qualifier
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...
against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in 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...
during September 2005 that brought him international recognition. After an atrocious first-half at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
Vicente Calderón Stadium
The Vicente Calderón Stadium is the home stadium of La Liga football club Atlético Madrid and is located in the Arganzuela district of Spanish capital Madrid. The stadium was originally called the Manzanares Stadium, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, after the famous...
, during which Serbia-Montenegro rarely crossed the centre line, only being 1–0 down, coach Petković threw Žigić into the mix, and his towering presence up front changed the flow of the match instantly. He would later set up the equalizer, also providing Mateja Kežman
Mateja Kežman
Mateja Kežman is a Serbian football striker who plays for FC BATE Borisov of the Belarusian Premier League....
with a 2–1 chance, but the ball was clipped wide of Iker Casillas
Íker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both...
' gaping half-empty net. However, Serbia got the key away point and confirmed their World Cup qualification at home in 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...
versus Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, with Žigić again nicely setting up Kežman for the game's only goal.
Žigić's only start at the 2006 World Cup came in the nation's final Group C match, when the team was already eliminated. He scored an early goal in the 10th minute of the first half off a long ball from Dejan Stanković
Dejan Stankovic
Dejan Stanković is a Serbian association football player who plays for the Italian Serie A side Inter. He captained the Serbian national football team until 2011, when he announced his retirement from international football...
against Ivory Coast
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
, in a 3–2 loss.
Still an automatic choice under new national manager 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...
, his form took a dip. On 24 March 2007, Žigić received a red card
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
during the Euro 2008 qualifying match against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
, seconds before the end of the game. This caused him to miss the home game against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
. He also missed the match against Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
on 2 June 2007 after surgery on a facial injury received on 27 May.
He represented his country in 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...
. On 17 November 2010, he scored the winning goal 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...
in a friendly match, which was held in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, but was sent off for a second yellow card
Yellow card
Yellow card may refer to:* A yellow penalty card shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas...
shortly before the conclusion of the game.
International goals
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
!Goal
!Date
!Venue
!Opponent
!Score
!Result
!Competition
Club statistics
|-
|2003–04||rowspan=4|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...
||rowspan=2|Prva Liga
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...
||28||18||?||2||colspan=2 rowspan=4| ||5||6||33||26
|-
|2004–05||25||15||?||2||5||3||30||20
|-
|2005–06
2005–06 Serbia and Montenegro SuperLiga
2005-06 Serbia and Montenegro Superliga is the last edition before the dissolution of the state union between Serbia and Montenegro.-League table:||||rowspan=5 style="background:white;"|...
||rowspan=2|Super Liga
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...
||23||12||?||2||7||5||30||19
|-
|2006–07||3||2||0||0||4||2||7||4
|-
|2006–07||rowspan=1|Racing Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
||rowspan=5|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||32||11||0||0||colspan=2 rowspan=5| ||0||0||32||11
|-
|2007–08||rowspan=2|Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
||15||1||1||1||2||0||18||2
|-
|rowspan=2|2008–09||0||0||1||1||3||2||4||3
|-
|Racing Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
||19||13||0||0||0||0||19||13
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
||Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
||13||4||4||3||7||2||24||9
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
||rowspan=2|Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||rowspan=1|Premier League||25||5||2||0||7||3||0||0||34||8
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Football League Championship
The 2011–12 Football League Championship is the eighth season of the league under its current title and nineteenth season under its current league division format....
||rowspan=1|The Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||10||2||0||0||1||0||4||0||15||2
|-
79||47||?||6||colspan=2| ||21||16||100||69
79||29||6||5||colspan=2| ||12||4||97||38
35||7||2||0||8||3||4||0||49||10
193||83||8||11||8||3||37||20||246||117
Honours
Red Star- Serbia and Montenegro LeagueSerbian SuperligaSerbian 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...
: 2003–04First League of Serbia and Montenegro 2003-04Statistics of First League of Serbia and Montenegro in season 2003/2004.-League standings:-Champions:Red Star Belgrade...
, 2005–06 - Serbia and Montenegro CupSerbia and Montenegro CupThe Serbia and Montenegro Cup is a defunct cup tournament. The competition was formed in 2003 after FR Yugoslavia had changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro on February 4, 2003. The format from this tournament did not change at all from that of the Yugoslav Cup the only difference was the name...
: 2003–04, 2005–06
Valencia
- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 2007–08
Birmingham City
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 2010–112010–11 Football League CupThe 2010–11 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
Individual
- Serbian Footballer of the YearSerbian Footballer of the YearSerbian Footballer of the Year is an annual award given from Football Association of Serbia to the best player of the year.Originally it has been awarded the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro.- Winners :- Trivia :...
: 2003, 2005, 2006 - Serbia and Montenegro LeagueSerbian SuperligaSerbian 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...
: Topscorer 2003–04