Danijel Aleksić

Danijel Aleksić
Personal information
Full nameDanijel Aleksić
Date of birth30 April 1991
Place of birthPula, SFR Yugoslavia
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionSecond striker
Club information
Current team
Lechia Gdańsk
Number7
Youth career
1998–2002Veternik
2002–2007Vojvodina
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2007–2010Vojvodina48(8)
2010–2011Genoa1(0)
2010–2011Greuther Fürth (loan)16(2)
2012–2014Saint-Étienne3(0)
2012–2014Saint-Étienne B (loan)32(12)
2013–2014Arles-Avignon (loan)1(0)
2013–2014Arles-Avignon B (loan)2(1)
2014-2015Lechia Gdansk3(0)
2015-FC St. Gallen0(0)
National team
2006–2008Serbia U1712(9)
2008–2010Serbia U1913(7)
2008–2011Serbia U218(1)
2008–Serbia1(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:34, 7 July 2014 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:40, 22 January 2011 (UTC)

Danijel Aleksić (Serbian Cyrillic: Дaниjeл Aлeкcић; born 30 April 1991 in Pula) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for FC St. Gallen in the Swiss Super League.

Early life

Born in SR Croatia, Aleksić was only a couple of months old when his mother fled to Serbia due to the escalating ethnic conflict in Croatia. Aleksić never met his biological father and carries his mother's last name.[1]

Club career

He started playing football at seven years of age in local club FK Veternik. By the age 11, he transferred to FK Vojvodina where he made it through every age group. Simultaneous to football he attended Jovan Vukanović streamlined technical high school.[2]

Vojvodina

On 5 May 2007, he made his senior debut for Vojvodina under head coach Milovan Rajevac in a league match away at Red Star Belgrade. Being only 16 years and five days old, Aleksić became the second youngest player ever to appear in a Serbian SuperLiga match (behind Slavko Perović). By the end of the 2006–07 season, he recorded one more league appearance.

He scored his first league goal on 2 April 2008 in a 4–1 home win versus Hajduk Kula.[3]

During Vojvodina's 2008–09 season opening league match, a derby versus Red Star Belgrade, Aleksić scored a 90th minute goal to put the game beyond reach and ensure a famous 2–0 win for his team.[4] In November 2008, Aleksić started to figure as a transfer target for Serbia's biggest clubs – Red Star and Partizan – however, Vojvodina officials at the time were adamant that they would never sell him to league competitors.[5] In late March 2009, he reportedly also started getting attention form abroad with scouts from Real Madrid and Villarreal coming to watch him play for the Serbian U19 national squad.[6] For his part, in mid May 2009 Aleksić said that he would prefer his first transfer abroad to be to Holland's Eredivisie or Germany's Bundesliga.[7] On 26 August 2009, The Daily Mail had claimed that Manchester City had agreed a fee of £6mil to sign the 18 year old.

Genoa

On 19 January 2010, the highly rated youngster was signed by Genoa CFC.[8]

He became the club's second Serbian signing of the season, after Nenad Tomović. Playing under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Aleksić made his Serie A debut against Juventus on 14 February 2010, coming on as the 88th minute substitute for Domenico Criscito, a game which Genoa lost 3–2. The brief minutes-long runout remained his only league appearance until the end of 2009–10 Serie A season.

The summer 2010 arrival of striker Luca Toni to Genoa meant that Aleksić became surplus to club's current requirements so, on 1 July, the youngster was set to be loaned out to Serie B club FC Crotone.[9] However, he refused the transfers and eventually remained at Genoa.[10] But only until the end of 2010 summer transfer window, when he got loaned to 2. Bundesliga club SpVgg Greuther Fürth until the end of the season 2010–11.[11]

On 28 June 2011, FK Austria Wien confirmed Aleksić was on trial.[12]

Kavala loan attempt

Greek media wrote on 21 August 2011 that Genoa loaned him to Kavala, but after a couple of weeks the Greek team was expelled from the Greek Superleague and relegated to the Greek Regional Division, so the loan cancelled and the player returned to Genoa.

International career

Aleksić is the holder of a significant distinction. He's the only player to appear for four different age-level national squads during a single calendar year. Throughout year 2008, he turned out for Serbian U17 (cadets), U19 (juniors), U21, and senior national teams.

Yugoslavia national team
YearAppsGoals
200810
Total10

Youth level

Aleksić was the captain of the Serbian U17 national football team. In the 2008 campaign of the qualifying tournament's elite round held over five days during late March 2008, Aleksić scored five goals in three matches (three from open play and two penalties) as Serbia qualified top of the group for the final tournament. In addition to his five goals the team scored only one more – scored by Adem Ljajić. Aleksić led his team single-handedly all the way to the final group stage and was a main contender for the U17 golden boot award for most goals.

In May 2008 at the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in Turkey he scored a spectacular bicycle kick goal in a first match against Scotland as well as adding the second for a 2–0 final score. Next group match pitted Serbia versus the Netherlands, and despite dominating the proceedings the team couldn't convert due, in no small part, to the heroics of Dutch goalie Jeroen Zoet – in the end Serbia lost 0–1. The final and deciding group match was against Turkey and Serbia again missed their share of goalscoring chances including Aleksić hitting the woodwork – the match ended 0–0 meaning that Serbia finished third in the group and didn't progress to the semifinals.

Senior national team

Aleksić made his senior national team debut as a 17-year-old in December 2008 under head coach Radomir Antić in a friendly versus Poland, making him one of the youngest debutantes ever. The match was played in Belek, Turkey.

Career statistics

As of 16 December 2012
Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Serbia League Serbian Cup Europe Total
2006–07VojvodinaSuperLiga20000020
2007–081220010132
2008–092241140275
2009–101223200154
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
2009–10GenoaSerie A10000010
Germany League DFB-Pokal Europe Total
2010–11Greuther Fürth (loan)2. Bundesliga1621000172
France League Coupe de France Europe Total
2011–12AS Saint-ÉtienneLigue 110000010
2012–1320000020
League Cup Continental Total
Total Serbia 48843505711
Italy 10000010
Germany 1621000172
France 30000030
Career total 681053507813

References

  1. "Trnovit put Vošinog "vunderkinda"" (in Serbian). MTS Mondo. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  2. "Srpski vunderkind" (in Serbian). Večernje novosti. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  3. "Bežanija iznenadila Partizan!" (in Serbian). B92. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  4. "SL: Vojvodina slavila u derbiju!" (in Serbian). MTS Mondo. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  5. "ZVEZDA HOĆE ALEKSIĆA, BATA NI DA ČUJE" (in Serbian). Press. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  6. "Skauti Reala gledali Aleksića u Inđiji" (in Serbian). MTS Mondo. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  7. "Aleksić: Privlači me magija Bundeslige" (in Serbian). Blic. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  8. Siljanovski, Vlatko (19 January 2010). "Genoa win Aleksic chase". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  9. "Toni poslao Aleksića u Krotone" (in Serbian). MTS Mondo. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  10. "Salta l'arrivo di Aleksic al Crotone". crotonesport.com (in Italian). 23 July 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  11. "Aleksić u Grojter Firtu" (in Serbian). MTS Mondo. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  12. "Austria testet in Flachau einen serbischen Stürmer" (in German). fk-austria.at. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.

External links