Dario Knežević
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dario Knežević | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Rijeka, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Rijeka | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| NK Omladinac Vrata | |||
| 1995–2001 | Orijent | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2002 | Orijent | ||
| 2002–2006 | Rijeka | 89 | (0) |
| 2006–2012 | Livorno | 130 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | → Juventus (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2012– | Rijeka | 48 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006– | Croatia | 13 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 December 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Dario Knežević (born 20 April 1982) is a Croatian football defender who currently plays for HNK Rijeka in Croatia's Prva HNL..
Club career
Born in Rijeka, Knežević started his professional career with the city's First League side NK Rijeka in 2002 and subsequently made 115 appearances in the league before moving to Livorno on a three-year deal in late August 2006. He made his Serie A debut on 25 October 2006 in Livorno's 4–1 defeat to Internazionale and scored his first goal in the league against Cagliari on 18 April 2007 to secure his team a 2–1 victory.
On 30 June 2008, Juventus has swooped to sign Knežević on a season-long loan deal worth €750 thousand, with the option to acquire half of the contractual rights at €1.6 million following Livorno's relegation to Serie B.[1] He played in several of Juventus' pre-season matches before being subbed off during a game versus Hamburger SV, in the Emirates Cup, along with teammate Christian Molinaro.[2] The two defenders will miss about a week of on the pitch action. On 5 October, Knežević made his first league appearance for the team. It was a 2–1 home loss to Palermo.
On 15 June 2009, Knežević made his return to Livorno; with Juventus he appeared only 4 times, since he was a substitute and only the fourth centre-back in the team. He stayed with Livorno for three seasons, before returning to Rijeka in June 2012.
National team
Knežević has won twelve caps and scored one goal for the Croatian national team, making his debut as well as scoring his first international goal in a friendly match against Hong Kong on 1 February 2006. He was not called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was a regular part of Croatian team in qualifying matches for 2008 European Championship. Knežević came on as a substitute in two tournament matches, but in the third match which he started, he played 25 minutes before he had to be replaced because of an injury.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 February 2006 | Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China |  Hong Kong | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly match |
References
- ↑ "Half-yearly financial report at 31 December 2008". Juventus F.C. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ↑ Dario Knezevic signs for Juventus
External links
- Dario Knežević profile, detailed club and national team statistics, honours (palmares) and timeline
- Become A Croatia Fan Website – Dario Knežević Player Profile
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