Slobodan Rajkovic
Encyclopedia
Slobodan Rajković (born 3 February 1989) is a Serbia
n footballer who plays as a Centre back for Hamburger SV
.
, Rajković started his career with OFK Beograd
. He was included in the club's first team at the age of 15. During his second season in the first team, Rajković's reputation grew so such that in November 2005 the English Premier League club Chelsea
decided to pay €5.2 million (₤3.8 million) for the 16 year old centre-half; a world record at the time for a player under 18 years of age.
Under the terms of the deal, Rajković stayed at OFK Beograd as a loaned player from Chelsea until the end of the 2006–07 Serbian SuperLiga season.
's move to Chelsea.
After the year-long loan spell at PSV, the Dutch club wanted to extend the loan period for another year, but Chelsea declined due to the lack of playing time Rajković was receiving in his season at Eindhoven.
Rajković, however, still returned to the Eredivisie
. On 9 July 2008, FC Twente
agreed a one-year loan deal with Chelsea.
In June 2009, this loan was extended until June 2010.
On 23 August 2010, Rajković transferred to another Dutch
Eredivisie
club, this time Vitesse together with his former Chelsea team mates Nemanja Matić
(who is now a Benfica player) and Matej Delač
on a season-long loan.
. Rajković played the second half and scored his side's third goal, volleying home a Yuri Zhirkov
corner.
Four years after signing for Chelsea, Rajković still is not eligible for either a work permit or an EU passport so is not allowed to play in matches open to the public (hence why he played in the closed door game with Wycombe, but couldn't play against Portsmouth
). But Slobodan finally made his debut in a pre-season friendly game against a Malaysian XI, in which he played the whole of the first half. He also played against Kitchee SC in the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy
in Hong Kong
.
|2004-05||rowspan="3"|OFK Beograd
||rowspan="3"|Super Liga
||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|2005-06
||20||1||0||0||2||0||22||1
|-
|2006-07||11||0||0||0||1||0||12||0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="1"|PSV Eindhoven (loan)||rowspan="4"|Eredivisie
||13||0||0||0||5||0||18||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="2"|FC Twente
(loan)||13||1||0||0||3||0||16||1
|-
|2009–10
||10||0||0||0||3||0||13||0
|-
|2010–11
||rowspan="1"|Vitesse (loan)||24||0||3||0||0||0||27||0
|-
|2011–12
||rowspan="1"|Hamburger SV
||rowspan="1"|Bundesliga
||8||1||1||0||0||0||9||1
37||1||0||0||3||0||40||1
60||1||3||0||11||0||74||1
8||1||1||0||0||0||9||1
105||3||4||0||14||0||123||3
. He was the youngest player ever to appear in a qualifying match of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
.On June 17, 2007 during the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
, which the Serbia national under-21 football team
eventually finished as runners-up, Rajkovic was part of a controversial second goal for England. He was lying on the ground, injured, and while Serbian players expected their rivals would kick the ball out of the field, Matt Derbyshire
went on against a bewildered Serbian defence to score the second goal of the night for England, provoking a turbulent reaction from the Serbian players.
PSV Eindhoven
FC Twente
Chelsea F.C.
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 as a Centre back for Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
.
Club career
Born in BelgradeBelgrade
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...
, Rajković started his career with OFK Beograd
OFK Beograd
Omladinski fudbalski klub Beograd, commonly referred to as OFK Beograd , is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia, more precisely from the Karaburma urban neighborhood. It currently is the oldest team playing in the Serbian SuperLiga. The name means "Youth Football Club Belgrade" in Serbian...
. He was included in the club's first team at the age of 15. During his second season in the first team, Rajković's reputation grew so such that in November 2005 the English Premier League club 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...
decided to pay €5.2 million (₤3.8 million) for the 16 year old centre-half; a world record at the time for a player under 18 years of age.
Under the terms of the deal, Rajković stayed at OFK Beograd as a loaned player from Chelsea until the end of the 2006–07 Serbian SuperLiga season.
Loans to Eredivisie
During June 2007, Chelsea decided to loan Rajković to PSV Eindhoven ahead of the 2007–08 season, as part of the deal surrounding AlexAlex Rodrigo Dias da Costa
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, better known as Alex , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chelsea FC and the Brazil national team. His nickname is "Vinny" amongst fans for his close similarities to actor Vin Diesel....
's move to Chelsea.
After the year-long loan spell at PSV, the Dutch club wanted to extend the loan period for another year, but Chelsea declined due to the lack of playing time Rajković was receiving in his season at Eindhoven.
Rajković, however, still returned to the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
. On 9 July 2008, FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
agreed a one-year loan deal with Chelsea.
In June 2009, this loan was extended until June 2010.
On 23 August 2010, Rajković transferred to another Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
club, this time Vitesse together with his former Chelsea team mates Nemanja Matić
Nemanja Matic
Nemanja Matić is a Serbian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Benfica. He also has 2 caps for the Serbian national side.-Career:...
(who is now a Benfica player) and Matej Delač
Matej Delač
Matej Delač is a Croatian football goalkeeper who is currently on loan in Dynamo České Budějovice from Barclays Premier League club Chelsea.-Inter Zaprešić:...
on a season-long loan.
Chelsea
Having returned to Chelsea prior to the 2011/12 season at the request of new manager André Villas-Boas, Rajković played his first game in a Chelsea shirt in a friendly against Wycombe Wanderers on 12 July, 2011 at Chelsea's Cobham Training CentreCobham Training Centre
The Cobham Training Centre is the state of the art training ground of Chelsea Football Club located in Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, Surrey. The Chelsea first team have trained at Cobham since 2005, but it was not officially opened until 2007.-History:...
. Rajković played the second half and scored his side's third goal, volleying home a Yuri Zhirkov
Yuri Zhirkov
Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov is a Russian footballer who plays for Anzhi Makhachkala and the Russian national team.-Early life:Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov was born in Tambov, on 20 August 1983. His father, Valentin Ivanovich Zhirkov worked at the "Revtrud" factory and his mother was a postwoman. Yuri...
corner.
Four years after signing for Chelsea, Rajković still is not eligible for either a work permit or an EU passport so is not allowed to play in matches open to the public (hence why he played in the closed door game with Wycombe, but couldn't play against 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...
). But Slobodan finally made his debut in a pre-season friendly game against a Malaysian XI, in which he played the whole of the first half. He also played against Kitchee SC in the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy
2011 Barclays Asia Trophy
- Third-place playoff :- Final :-Ticket sales:Ticket prices for each match day in Hong Kong dollars were: $130 , $210 , $270 , $330 , $460 ....
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Hamburg
On 23 August, 2011 Rajkovic joined Bundesliga club Hamburger SV from Chelsea on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.Style of play
Rajkovic is known as a highly aggressive player. After his arrival to Hamburg, he stated in an interview: I like to play more aggressive than the referees like. He is very short-tempered, thus receives a lot of bookings.Career statistics
|-|2004-05||rowspan="3"|OFK Beograd
OFK Beograd
Omladinski fudbalski klub Beograd, commonly referred to as OFK Beograd , is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia, more precisely from the Karaburma urban neighborhood. It currently is the oldest team playing in the Serbian SuperLiga. The name means "Youth Football Club Belgrade" in Serbian...
||rowspan="3"|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...
||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|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;"|...
||20||1||0||0||2||0||22||1
|-
|2006-07||11||0||0||0||1||0||12||0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="1"|PSV Eindhoven (loan)||rowspan="4"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||13||0||0||0||5||0||18||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="2"|FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
(loan)||13||1||0||0||3||0||16||1
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Eredivisie
-Personnel and sponsoring:-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
||10||0||0||0||3||0||13||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Eredivisie
-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
||rowspan="1"|Vitesse (loan)||24||0||3||0||0||0||27||0
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Fußball-Bundesliga
The 2011–12 Fußball-Bundesliga is the 49th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on 5 August 2011 with the season opening match involving defending champions Borussia Dortmund and will end with the last games on 5 May 2012...
||rowspan="1"|Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
||rowspan="1"|Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
||8||1||1||0||0||0||9||1
37||1||0||0||3||0||40||1
60||1||3||0||11||0||74||1
8||1||1||0||0||0||9||1
105||3||4||0||14||0||123||3
International career
By the age of sixteen he was a regular in the Serbia national under-21 football teamSerbia 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....
. He was the youngest player ever to appear in a qualifying match of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...
.On June 17, 2007 during the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It is the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship....
, which the Serbia national under-21 football 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....
eventually finished as runners-up, Rajkovic was part of a controversial second goal for England. He was lying on the ground, injured, and while Serbian players expected their rivals would kick the ball out of the field, Matt Derbyshire
Matt Derbyshire
Matthew Anthony "Matt" Derbyshire is an English footballer who plays for Nottingham Forest. He is a striker, who played for Blackburn Rovers for five years, and had loan spells with Plymouth Argyle, Wrexham and Olympiacos, before joining the latter club on a permanent basis in 2009. He played for...
went on against a bewildered Serbian defence to score the second goal of the night for England, provoking a turbulent reaction from the Serbian players.
Club
PSV Eindhoven
- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 2007–08
FC TwenteFC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 2009–102009–10 Eredivisie-Personnel and sponsoring:-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
Chelsea F.C.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...
- Premier League Asia TrophyPremier League Asia TrophyThe Premier League Asia Trophy is a friendly four-team pre-season football tournament held in Asia every two years. The competition is contested by three Premier League football clubs and the home team...
: 20112011 Barclays Asia Trophy- Third-place playoff :- Final :-Ticket sales:Ticket prices for each match day in Hong Kong dollars were: $130 , $210 , $270 , $330 , $460 ....
External links
- RAJKOVIĆ (Slobodan Rajković) – OFK Beograd and Serbia
- Rajković: "Svima sam zahvalan", B92, 15 April 2009