Nenad Mirosavljević

Nenad Mirosavljević (Serbian Cyrillic: Ненад Миросављевић; born 4 September 1977) is a Serbian former footballer who played as a striker.

Nenad Mirosavljević
Personal information
Full nameNenad Mirosavljević
Date of birth (1977-09-04) 4 September 1977 (age 46)
Place of birthSlavonska Požega, SFR Yugoslavia
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)Striker
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1996–2000Proleter Zrenjanin102(27)
2000–2004Sartid Smederevo118(59)
2004–2006Cádiz37(8)
2006–2007Partizan10(1)
2007Vecindario (loan)19(3)
2007Smederevo12(4)
2008–2011APOEL72(21)
2011–2012Olympiakos Nicosia18(3)
2012–2013Napredak Kruševac60(35)
2014–2016Čukarički61(11)
Total509(172)
International career
2002FR Yugoslavia B1(0)
Managerial career
2016Čukarički (caretaker)
2018Čukarički (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

During his 20-year-long career, Mirosavljević scored over 100 goals in the national championship of Serbia (including its predecessors) with five clubs, most notably Smederevo (formerly Sartid). He also played abroad for two Spanish and two Cypriot clubs, performing with APOEL in the UEFA Champions League.

Club career

Early years

Mirosavljević made his senior debut with Proleter Zrenjanin during the 1996–97 campaign, on the same team with future national team players Vladimir Ivić and Zvonimir Vukić. He scored five goals in 19 league appearances during his first season, as the team secured a spot in the 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup. During his time at the club, Mirosavljević amassed a total of 102 league appearances and scored 27 goals.

Sartid Smederevo

In September 2000, Mirosavljević was snapped by Sartid Smederevo, making 25 league appearances and scoring 15 goals in his first season at the club. He tallied the same number of league goals in the 2001–02 season, helping the team finish third in the national championship. In September 2002, in the UEFA Cup first round, Mirosavljević scored the opener against Ipswich Town in the first leg, a 1–1 draw at Portman Road.[1] However, they were eliminated after a 1–0 loss at home.[2] Mirosavljević also helped the club win the Serbia and Montenegro Cup in 2003.[3] He remained at Smederevo during the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, scoring seven goals in four matches, before moving abroad for the first time. In his four-year stint with the Oklopnici, Mirosavljević made a total of 118 league appearances and scored 59 goals.

Cádiz

In August 2004, Mirosavljević was transferred to Spanish club Cádiz. He spent two seasons at Cádiz, making 37 league appearances and scoring eight goals for the club. In his second season, while the club played in the top flight, Mirosavljević scored a goal against Barcelona in his team's 3–1 loss.[4]

Partizan

On 1 August 2006, it was announced that Mirosavljević signed with Partizan on a three-year contract.[5] He was given the number 30 shirt, making his debut for the club in a 2–0 home league win over Banat Zrenjanin on 19 August 2006. Mirosavljević scored his first goal for Partizan in the UEFA Cup group stage against Livorno on 2 November 2006, the game ended 1–1.[6] He netted his first league goal for the club in a 2–1 away win over Banat Zrenjanin on 18 November 2006.

In January 2007, Mirosavljević secured a loan switch to Spanish club Vecindario.[7] He made his debut for Vecindario against his former club Cádiz on 28 January 2007. Until the end of the 2006–07 season, Mirosavljević made 19 league appearances and scored three goals for Vecindario, as the club failed to avoid relegation.

Return to Smederevo

Subsequently, Mirosavljević had an unassuming brief spell at his former club Smederevo, scoring four goals in 12 league appearances. He also scored once in a 3–0 Serbian Cup victory over Novi Pazar on 26 September 2007.

APOEL

On 2 January 2008, Mirosavljević moved to Cyprus and signed an 18-month contract with APOEL.[8] He made his competitive debut for the club on 12 January 2008 in a league fixture against APOP Kinyras. His first two goals for APOEL came on 30 January 2008 in a cup match against Aris Limassol.[9] In December 2008, Mirosavljević extended his contract until the end of the 2010–11 season.[10]

With his three goals, Mirosavljević helped APOEL qualify for the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. He played five matches during the group stage and scored two goals. On 25 November 2009, Mirosavljević netted the opening goal in a 1–1 home draw versus Atlético Madrid.[11] Two weeks later, on 8 December 2009, Mirosavljević came off the bench and scored a late equalizer as APOEL draw 2–2 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.[12]

In March 2010, Mirosavljević suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2009–10 season. After several months of recovering, Mirosavljević returned to the field in November 2010, making 10 appearances until the end of the 2010–11 season, without scoring a goal. In May 2011, Mirosavljević left APOEL after three and a half years, when the club announced that it would not renew the contract with the player.[13] In an interview in 2012, Mirosavljević said that his time at APOEL was the heyday of his career.

Later years

In July 2011, after his contract with APOEL expired, Mirosavljević agreed to a one-year deal with fellow Cypriot First Division club Olympiakos Nicosia. He played his farewell match for Olympiakos on 28 January 2012, thus leaving Cyprus after four years to return to Serbia.

On 1 February 2012, Mirosavljević signed an 18-month contract with Napredak Kruševac and was immediately named as team captain. He scored a goal from the penalty spot on his debut for the club in a 3–0 home victory over Radnički Sombor. In the 2012–13 season, Mirosavljević led the club to promotion to the top flight of Serbian football.

During the 2014 winter transfer window, Mirosavljević moved to Čukarički, making 12 league appearances and scoring five goals until the end of the 2013–14 season. He also helped his club win its first major trophy by taking the 2014–15 Serbian Cup.[14] After the end of the 2015–16 season, Mirosavljević retired from playing professional football.[15]

International career

Mirosavljević played for the national B team of FR Yugoslavia in a friendly match against the Czech Republic national under-21 team in September 2002.

Post-playing career

Immediately upon hanging up his boots, Mirosavljević was named as vice-president of Čukarički.[16] He also served as caretaker manager of their first team twice, in September 2016 and May 2018.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalSuper CupTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Proleter Zrenjanin1996–97First League of FR Yugoslavia195195
1997–98First League of FR Yugoslavia29340333
1998–99First League of FR Yugoslavia194194
1999–00First League of FR Yugoslavia35153515
Total102274010627
Sartid Smederevo2000–01First League of FR Yugoslavia2515102615
2001–02First League of FR Yugoslavia301533403718
2002–03First League of Serbia and Montenegro331543424120
2003–04First League of Serbia and Montenegro291422423518
2004–05First League of Serbia and Montenegro10004757
Total11859108161114478
Cádiz2004–05Segunda División25520275
2005–06Primera División12362185
Total378824510
Partizan2006–07Serbian SuperLiga1010051152
Vecindario (loan)2006–07Segunda División19300193
Smederevo2007–08Serbian SuperLiga12421145
APOEL2007–08Cypriot First Division142740000216
2008–09Cypriot First Division2584152103511
2009–10Cypriot First Division231135115103821
2010–11Cypriot First Division100000000100
Total722114101672010438
Olympiakos Nicosia2011–12Cypriot First Division18310193
Napredak Kruševac2011–12Serbian First League1611001611
2012–13Serbian First League3018003018
2013–14Serbian SuperLiga14621167
Total6035216236
Čukarički2013–14Serbian SuperLiga12500125
2014–15Serbian SuperLiga2535231336
2015–16Serbian SuperLiga2432230295
Total611174617416
Career total5091724426472020602218

Honours

Sartid Smederevo

Cádiz

APOEL

Napredak Kruševac

Čukarički

References