Dejan Stefanović

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Dejan Stefanović
Personal information
Full name Dejan Stefanović
Date of birth October 28, 1974
Place of birth Niš, Yugoslavia
Height 188 cm
Nickname Stef
Position Centre Back, Left back
Club information
Current club Portsmouth
Number 3
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1994-1995
1995-1999
1999
2000
2000-2003
2003-		 Crvena Zvezda
Sheffield Wednesday
Perugia
OFK Beograd
Vitesse Arnhem
Portsmouth		 46 (9)
66 (4)
0 (0)
- (-)
94 (4)
95 (3)
National team**
1995- FR Yugoslavia / Serb.-Mont. 20 (0)

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 31 August 2006.
** National team caps and goals correct
as of 31 August 2006.

Dejan Stefanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дејан Стефановић), (born October 28, 1974 in Niš, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian football player who currently plays for Portsmouth. He is a central defender who can also play at full back.

Stefanović began his career in his home town with FK Radnički before being signed by Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda). Whilst at the club he made his international debut for FR Yugoslavia, aged 20, against Hong Kong in January 1995.

For the 1995/96 season English club Sheffield Wednesday signed both Stefanović, and compatriot, striker Darko Kovačević. Stefanović cost the English club £2 million.

However, Stefanović struggled to break into the Wednesday side with Emerson Thome and Des Walker among those ahead of him in the pecking order.

In 1998/99, after playing 72 games for the club, Stefanović was released on a free transfer, signing for A.C. Perugia. But it didn't work out and before long he returned to Serbia with OFK Belgrade.

Stefanović moved to his third club of the 1999/2000 season when transferring to Vitesse Arnhem of the Netherlands. He quickly became a first team regular, and spent four years at the club, becoming captain during that time.

At the start of the 2003/04 season, he returned to England with Premiership newcomers Portsmouth for a then club record of £1.85million. He established himself as a first choice defender during the club's first season in the top-flight, and was a regular in the 2004/05 campaign, winning the fans' player of the season award. He was made Portsmouth captain by Alain Perrin in the 2005/2006 season, although a dip in form and a habit of speaking out to the press earned him the ire of some supporters. Indeed, he confessed to "not giving 100%" under Perrin due to disliking the French coach, comments criticised as highly unprofessional by some fans.

Stefanović's influence on chairman (and fellow Serbian) Milan Mandarić is said to have been an important factor in the dismissal of Perrin and the re-appointment of Harry Redknapp and he was an important member of the side that survived at Wigan in the penultimate game of the season.

Stefanović was converted to a left back at the start of the 2006/07 season and thus far has been a success, with Portsmouth conceeding only one goal in the first six games of the season.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Arjan de Zeeuw		 Portsmouth F.C. captain
2005-		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Arjan de Zeeuw		 Portsmouth F.C. Fans' Player of the Year
2004-2005		 Succeeded by
Gary O'Neil


Portsmouth F.C. - Current Squad

1 James | 2 Primus | 3 Stefanović | 4 Johnson | 5 O'Brien | 6 Manuel Fernandes | 7 Thompson | 8 Cole | 11 Pamarot | 14 Taylor | 15 Ashdown | 17 Koroman | 19 Kranjčar | 21 Songo'o | 22 Hughes | 23 Campbell | 25 Benjani | 26 O'Neil | 27 Kanu | 28 Davis | 29 Douala | 30 Pedro Mendes | 32 LuaLua | 35 Jordan | -- Berlin | -- Fordyce | -- Harris | -- Pearce | -- Wilson | Manager: Redknapp
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