Red Star Belgrade

Not to be confused with Red Star F.C..
FK Crvena zvezda
Full name Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda
Nickname(s) Crveno-beli, Delije
Founded 4 March 1945 (1945-03-04)
Ground Stadion Rajko Mitić
Belgrade
Ground Capacity 55,538[1]
President Serbia Svetozar Mijailović
Head Coach Montenegro Miodrag Božović
League Serbian SuperLiga
2015-16 1st
Website Club home page

Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, IPA: [t͡sř̩ʋenaː zʋěːzda]), commonly known in English as Red Star Belgrade, is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, the major part of the Red Star Sports Society. They are the only Serbian and ex-Yugoslav club to have won the European Cup, having done so in 1991, and the only team from Eastern Europe to have won the Intercontinental Cup, also in 1991. With 27 national championships and 24 national cups between Serbian and the former Yugoslav competitions, Red Star was the most successful club in former Yugoslavia and finished as first in the Yugoslav First League all-time table,[2] and is the most successful club in Serbia. However, since the 1991–92 season, Red Star has failed to qualify in the group stages of UEFA Champions League.

According to 2008 polls, Red Star Belgrade is the most popular football club in Serbia, with nearly 48.2% of the population supporting them.[3] They have many supporters in all other former Yugoslavian republics and in the Serbian diaspora. Their main rivals are fellow Belgrade side Partizan. The championship matches between these two clubs are known as The Eternal derby. In September 2009, British Daily Mail ranked the Red Star – Partizan derby fourth among the 10 greatest football rivalries of all time.[4]

According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics' list of the Top 200 European clubs of the 20th century, Red Star Belgrade is the highest-ranked Serbian and Ex-Yugoslavian club, sharing the 27th position on the list with Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam.[5]

History

Red Star legend Rajko Mitić.

In February 1945, during World War II, a group of young men, members of the Serbian United Antifascist Youth League, decided to form a Youth Physical Culture Society, that was to become Red Star Belgrade on 4 March. At the end of the Second World War, several pre-war Yugoslav clubs were dissolved because they had played matches during the war and were labelled collaborators by Marshal Tito's communist authorities. Two of these clubs from Belgrade were SK Jugoslavija and BSK Belgrade. Red Star was formed from the remains of Jugoslavija and they were given Jugoslavija's stadium, offices, players, and even their red and white colours. The name Red Star was assigned to the club after a long discussion, and the first vice presidents of the Sport Society, Zoran Žujović and Slobodan Ćosić, were the ones who assigned it.[6] Red Star was soon adopted as a symbol of Yugoslavia and Serbia, a sporting institution that remains the country's most popular to this day.[7] On that day, Red Star played the first football match in the club's history against the First Battalion of the Second Brigade of KNOJ (People's Defence Corps of Yugoslavia) and won, 3–0.

Red Star's first successes involved small steps to recognition. The club won its first championship in 1951. It was a team of players consisting of Stanković, Popović, Mitić, Kostić and Šekularac. Those football players, whose names are still remembered, won four Yugoslav championships and two Cups, not missing the opportunity to win every Yugoslav Trophy for five straight seasons. As champions, Red Star were Yugoslavia's entrants into the 1957–58 European Cup where they were famously beaten, 5–4, on aggregate by English champions Manchester United in the quarter-finals, with the team managed by Matt Busby beating Red Star, 2–1, in the first leg in England before drawing, 3–3, with them in Yugoslavia in the return game on 5 February at JNA Stadium.[8] The second leg is notable for being the last game played by the "Busby Babes". On the return flight to England the following day, the plane crashed in Munich, West Germany, resulting in the deaths of 23 people including eight Manchester United players.

After the Miljanić era, it was the time of Gojko Zec, whose reign as head coach was to last four years and bring Red Star three trophies and the first great European final. The first season with Gojko Zec at the helm was quite literally a real demonstration of force – the league was won with an advantage of nine points over all rivals, which was, up to that moment, the biggest margin of victory in the history of the league. In the following season, Red Star finished second in the league, paving the way for a great performance in the 1978–1979 season of the UEFA Cup. After eliminating teams like Arsenal, West Bromwich and Hertha BSC, Red Star made for the first time the Cup final. And there, Red Star met Borussia Mönchengladbach, who played five European finals from 1973–1980. The Germans, who were backed by about 100,000 fiery supporters, fell behind today a goal from Miloš Šestić, but Jurišić’s own goal gave Gladbach a psychological advantage before the rematch. This game was played at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, where the Italian referee gave a questionable penalty to the Germans, and the Danish player Allan Simonsen sealed Red Star's fate. The Foals won, 2–1, on aggregate.[9]

After the 1970s, historical matches against Udo Lattek’s Barcelona followed during the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup. In both matches Barcelona were the better team and Red Star was eliminated. Remarkably, when Barça’s Maradona scored his second goal in front of about 100,000 spectators at "Marakana", the Belgrade audience were so excited about the goal, that even the loyal Belgrade fans applauded Maradona.[10] Gojko Zec returned to the team in 1983, finding only one player from the champions generation he was coaching back in 1977 – Miloš Šestić. Zec similarly repeated the team’s triumph from his previous mandate by winning the championship immediately upon his arrival. Gojko Zec would later leave the club in a controversial Scheiber's case-style scandal which was the result of irregularities in the 1986 season.

After Zec left in 1986, there were great changes in the club. The management of the club, run by Dragan Džajić and Vladimir Cvetković, began to build a team that could compete with some of the most powerful European sides. During that summer, Velibor Vasović became coach and the side was strengthened by acquiring a number of talented young players, among whom Dragan Stojković and Borislav Cvetković stood out. In the first season that started with penalty points, Red Star focused on the European Cup and achieving good results. In 1987, a five-year plan was developed by the club with the only goal being to win the European Cup. All that was planned was finally achieved. On the club's birthday in 1987, it started. Real Madrid were defeated at "Marakana". From that day through to March 1992, Red Star enjoyed the best period of success in its history. In these five seasons, Red Star won four National Championships; in the last of those four years of heyday, the club won the 1991 European Cup Final which was played in Bari. Red Star coach Petrović brought the team to Italy a week before the finals, in order to peacefully prepare the players for a forthcoming encounter with Olympique Marseille. By that time, Red Star had 18 goals in 8 matches, whereas the French champions had 20. Therefore, the 100th European competing final was expected to be a spectacle of offense. Nonetheless, both Petrović and Goethals opted for defence and the match settled down into a war of attrition. After a 120-minute game and only few chances on both sides, the match was decided following the penalty shootout. After several minutes of stressful penalties, two of Marseille's players missed their penalties, and Darko Pančev converted his penalty and brought the European Cup to Yugoslavia for the first time. Red Star won the shootout, 5–3, on 29 May 1991 in front of 60,000 spectators and the millions watching on television around the world. 20,000 Red Star fans at Stadio San Nicola and millions of them all over Yugoslavia and the World celebrate the greatest joy in Red Star’s history. Sadly the night of the 1991 European Cup Final was to prove to be one of the final times that Yugoslavia could come together to celebrate as one.[11][12] They won unbeaten the 1990–91 European Cup in Bari and the 1991 Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo.

Dejan Stanković was the youngest captain ever in Red Star's history.

In 1992, the club was weakened by the departure of almost the whole champions generation (new players were later added, such as Drobnjak and Ivić). In addition, Red Star had to defend the trophy out of their country due to the war in former Yugoslavia (not even in Serbia, although there was possible locations), thereby reducing their chances of defending their title. UEFA changed the form of the championship that year and instead of the cup they started the 1991–92 Champions League, in which eight best teams from the continent participated. In domestic competition, main rival Dinamo Zagreb left the league, just as all the other clubs from Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia did, and the championship in a Yugoslavia that was cut in size was played on the edge of observance of regulations around the beginning of the Bosnian War. At the end of May the UN had the country under sanctions and dislodged Yugoslav football from the international scene. The disintegration of Yugoslavia, the civil war (1992–1995), the inflation and the UN sanctions have hit Red Star hard. In the period between May 1992 and May 2000, only one championship victory was celebrated at "Marakana". However, they did manage to win five cups, along with several glorious European performances, including the famed 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup showdown against an FC Barcelona side which featured Ronaldo and Hristo Stoichkov.

Immediately after the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia ended, Red Star won the 17th cup in its history by winning 4:2 against Partizan. Just a season later, the club returned to the European spotlight by making it to the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League qualification, where Red Star was eliminated by Bayer from Leverkusen (0–0 and 0–3 in away), which would later be a finalist in the Champions League that year. Muslin left the bench in September 2001, after which Red Star's subsequent seasons became more volatile.

In the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, Red Star was barely eliminated (by 3–1 aggregate score) by the same A.C. Milan side which ended up winning the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final. Furthermore, the campaign in Group F of the 2007–08 UEFA Cup was a large disappointment, especially given that the first game against Bayern Munich was a sensational last-minute loss (by a score of 2–3 in Belgrade). In those recent years, Red Star's teams featured the likes of Žigić, Pantelić, Janković, Luković, Basta, Biševac, Milijaš, Koroman, Castillo, Gueye, and Đokić. After a six-year drought, Red star won their 26th league title in season 2013–14.

Despite Red Star's success on the pitch in 2013–14, the financial situation at the club has worsened—so much so that the club were banned from participating in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League for which they qualified by winning the Serbian SuperLiga. The UEFA Club Financial Control Body found that Red Star's debts to players, some of whom had not been paid for at least six months, staff and other clubs, totalled €1.86 million. The club board were also alleged to have hidden debts and falsified documents. This, on top of an earlier UEFA disciplinary measure in 2011, meant Red Star did not meet the necessary Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play criteria and, as such, should not have been granted a UEFA license by the Serbian FA.[13] Rivals Partizan took Red Star's place in the UEFA Champions League.

Crest and colours

Red Star Belgrade's previous logo used from 1996/97 till 2011/2012

At the end of the World War II, several of pre-war Yugoslav clubs were dissolved because they had played matches during the war and were labelled collaborators by Marshal Tito's communist authorities. One of these clubs were SK Jugoslavija from Belgrade. Red Star was formed from the remains of Jugoslavija and they were given their red and white colours. The typical kit of Red Star is a shirt with red and white vertical stripes, and red or white shorts and socks. Sometimes used the club also an all-red one next to the all-white one. Red Star used also as away kit or third kit, an all-blue jersey, but very rarely, so that the club used all the colours of the Serbian flag. The crest is a red five-pointed star, white framed, on a red-white background. In addition, the whole crest is framed with gold colour. There are two golden stars on the top of their emblem, symbolizing the twenty titles won.

Stadium

Red Star Stadium viewed from the air.
Main article: Red Star Stadium

Red Star's home ground is the "Rajko Mitić" Stadium (since 21 December 2014), formerly known as Red Star stadium. With a maximum capacity of about 60, 000, of which 55,538 are seated, it is the largest stadium in Serbia and in the former Yugoslavia. The stadium was opened in 1963, and in the course of time and due to the fact that stadium's former capacity was about 110,000, it got the unofficial moniker "Marakana", after the large and famous Maracanã stadium in Brazil, and Belgrade's sold-out "Marakana" garnered the reputation of being a very tough ground for visiting teams to play in. During the mid-90s, in order to meet UEFA demands for spectators comfort and security, standing places at the stadium were completely done away with and seats were installed on all four stands. In the years, since the stadium's capacity was gradually decreased, followed different stadium modernisations. In 2008, the club reconstructed the stadium's pitch, under-soil grass heaters, improved drainage systems were installed and new modern turf replaced the old surface. The training pitch, located next to the stadium, was also renovated by laying down synthetic turf and installing new lighting equipment. In 2011, the stadium received also a new modern LED scoreboard. Today, the stadium has a central lodge, named 5 Zvezdinih Zvezda (English: 5 Star's of Red Star), which consist of five segments, each bears the name of one of Red Star's legendary players (Mitić, Šekularac, Džajić, Petrović, Stojković), two other VIP lounges and a special VIP gallery with over 450 seats. It has also a modern press box with a capacity of 344 seats including seven extra-comfortable seats, an extra media center, the Red Cafe and a restaurant. On the west stand of the stadium exist also an official Red Star shop along with a Delije shop. The playing field measures are 110 x 73 m, and is illuminated by 1,400 lux floodlights. According to the known German Web portal "Stadionwelt", Belgrade’s "Marakana" is in the top 50 football stadiums in Europe.[14] In 2012, American Bleacher Report ranked the Red Star Stadium, especially if it’s sold out, as the among the most intimidating stadiums in the world.[15]

Youth school

History

Some of the most notable home-grown players are Dragan Džajić, officially the best player in the history of Serbia (the choice of the Football Association on the 50th anniversary of UEFA, known as the Golden Player), who achieved the 3rd place at the election for the European Footballer of the Year in 1968, then Dragoslav Šekularac – a runner-up with Yugoslavia at the 1960 European Football Championship, Vladimir Petrović "Pižon" – the fourth Star of Red Star, Vladimir Jugović – two times the European Cup winner (with Red Star & Juventus), as well as Nemanja Vidić, Dejan Stanković and Dušan Savić.

Other former home-grown players include Stanislav Karasi, Vladica Popović, Vladislav Bogićević, Boško and Milko Đurovski, Zoran Filipović, Ratomir Dujković, Ognjen Petrović, Stevan Stojanović (the goalkeeper of the European Cup winner 1991 generation) and Miloš Šestić. Further notable players from the last 25 years are Perica Ognjenović, Nebojša Krupniković, Goran Drulić, Zoran Jovičić, Vladan Lukić, Goran Gavrančić, Nikola Lazetić, Marko Pantelić, Boško Janković, Dušan Basta, Nenad Tomović, Zvonko Milojević, Filip Đorđević, Vladimir Stojković, Dragan Mrđa, Dejan Milovanović and Vladimir Dišljenković.

Former Red Star & Real Madrid football coach legend Miljan Miljanić, was also a member of Red Star’s football youth school.

Current coaching staff

Supporters

Main article: Delije
Delije section at Red Star Stadium.

The organized supporters of Red Star are known as Delije, the plural of the singular form Delija, which in Serbian generally signifies a courageous, brave, strong or even handsome young man. A rough English translation might be simply "Hardman" or "Studs". The name Delije first began to be used by hardcore Red Star supporters during the late 1980s, with official inauguration taking place in 1989. Up to that point, the Red Star fans were scattered amongst several organized fan groups that shared in the north stand of Red Star's stadium. The Delije belongs today to one of the most famous supporter groups in the world, who support all clubs in the Red Star Sports Society. Their style of supporting includes the use of large and small flags, displaying of banners and especially the creation of colorful and large choreographies, noisy and constant cheering and other supporters stuff. The acoustic support is often coordinated by a so-called "Vodja" (Serbian: leader) by a megaphone and accompanied by drums. Delije members exist also outside of Belgrade, as well exist various fan groups in cities across Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They also have members in all other former Yugoslavian republics and in the Yugoslavian diaspora. As a sign of appreciation, Red Star painted in the late 1990s, the word Delije in block letters across their stadium's north stand.

Since the mid-1980s the supporters maintain brotherhood relations with Olympiacos CFP ultras – a friendship based on common Orthodox faith and same club colours. Since the mid-2000s FC Spartak Moscow fans are also included in this friendship.

The Eternal derby

Main article: Večiti derbi
Graffiti of the Delije at Red Star Stadium.

Red Star’s fiercest and long standing city rival is FK Partizan, the other large and popular sport society in Serbia. They also have many supporters in all other former Yugoslavian republics and also in the Yugoslavian diaspora. The rivalry started immediately after the creation of the two clubs in 1945. Red Star was founded with close ties to the Interior ministry and Partizan as the football section of the Yugoslav People's Army. Since then, both clubs have been dominant in domestic football. The match is particularly noted for the passion of the Red Star’s supporters, called Delije, and Partizan’s supporters, the Grobari (English: Gravediggers or Undertakers). The stands of both teams feature fireworks, coloured confetti, flags, rolls of paper, torches, smoke, drums, giant posters and choreographies, used to create visual grandeur and apply psychological pressure on the visiting teams, hence the slogan "Welcome to Hellgrade". Some fans also sometimes use trumpets, similar to the supporters in South America. This creates for the region a typical and distinctive Balkan Brass Band atmosphere. Both sets of supporters sing passionate songs against their rivals, and the stadiums are known to bounce with the simultaneous jumping of the fans. There are many derbies in world football but very few compare to this, it is more than just game and has a deeper meaning. The duel is regarded as one of the greatest football rivalries in the world and the matches between these rivals have been labeled as the Eternal derby. Given its widespread touch on the entirety of a major city, it's dubbed one of, along with the Old Firm, the Rome derby and the Istanbul derby, the most heated rivalries in European football.[23] In 2009, British Daily Mail ranked the Eternal derby 4th among the 10 greatest football rivalries of all time.[4] The biggest attendance for a Red Star – Partizan match was about 108,000 spectators at the Red Star Stadium.

Honours and achievements

Red Star has won 2 international trophies, 2 regional, and 51 domestic making them the most successful football club in Serbia and former Yugoslavia.

Domestic

National Championships – 27 (record)

National Cups – 24 (record)

International

Red Star is the most successful club from Serbia (and former Yugoslavia) in all European competitions, and the only club from Eastern Europe that has won both UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup. The club competed in 50 European seasons, and the most notable results are:

International titles – 4

Other Tournaments – 17

Individual awards

Domestic

Yugoslav First League top scorers

Season Name Goals
1951 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Kosta Tomašević 16
1953 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Todor Živanović 17
1959 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Borivoje Kostić 25
1960 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Borivoje Kostić 19
1969 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vojin Lazarević 22
1975 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dušan Savić 24
1977 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Filipović 21
1979 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dušan Savić 24
1990 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Darko Pančev 25
1991 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Darko Pančev 34
1992 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Darko Pančev 25

FR Yugoslavia First League top scorers

Season Name Goals
1993 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Anto Drobnjak 22
1997 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Jovičić 21
1998 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Saša Marković 27

Serbia and Montenegro First League top scorers

Season Name Goals
2004 Serbia and Montenegro Nikola Žigić 19
2005 Serbia and Montenegro Marko Pantelić 21

Serbian SuperLiga top scorers

Season Name Goals
2008 Serbia Nenad Jestrović 13
2011 Serbia Andrija Kaluđerović 13
2014 Serbia Dragan Mrđa 19

Yugoslav Footballer of the Year Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Sportperson of the Year in Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Serbian SuperLiga Footballer of the Year

International

Ballon d'or
European Golden Boot
Golden Player
FIFA Best Young Player Award
UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament
UEFA Euro Top Scorer
UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament

Club records

Dragan Džajić is Red Star’s record appearance holder, with 615 matches. The goal-scoring record-holder is also Dragan Džajić, with 370 goals. Numerous Red Star’s players were in the Yugoslavian national team and Rajko Mitić, Dragoslav Šekularac, Dragan Džajić, Branko Stanković, Vladimir Durković, Vladica Popović, Jovan Aćimović, Vladimir Petrović, Tomislav Ivković, Dušan Savić, Miloš Šestić, Dragan Stojković and Dejan Savićević (a former player A.C. Milan ) are among them. Dragan Džajić played 85 matches for the Yugoslavian national football team, a national record. Red Star holds records such as to be only the second foreign team that could beat Liverpool on the Anfield Road (after Ferencváros in the 1967–68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup), which was also the only defeat of Liverpool at home in the European Cup history in the whole 20th century (during 1973–74 European Cup).[24] Red Star was also the first team that could beat Bayern Munich on the Olympic Stadium in its long UEFA competition history (during the 1990–91 European Cup).[25] They are the only Serbian (and ex-Yugoslav) club, and only the second team from this southern corner of Europe and Eastern Europe, to have ever won the European Cup, having done in 1991, which was also the 100th UEFA competing final. Red Star is among the nine clubs, which have ever won the European Cup unbeaten. They are also the only team from the Balkans and Eastern Europe to have ever won the Intercontinental Cup, which it won also in 1991. Red Star is the second most successful club from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, behind only to FC Steaua Bucharest, being the only club to win both UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup. The Romanian football player Miodrag Belodedici was the first ever Red Star player to have won the European Cup with two different teams, Steaua and Red Star, and very curious both of the team's names mean "Star". Later, the double winners were also Dejan Savićević (Red Star and AC Milan) and Vladimir Jugović (Red Star and Juventus)

Top 10 scorers of all time

Rank. Player Period Goals
1 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dragan Džajić 1963–75; 1977–78 370
2 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Filipović 1970–80 302
3 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Rajko Mitić 1945–58 262
4 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Bora Kostić 1951–61; 1962–66 158
5 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Ivan Toplak 1954–61 144
6 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dušan Savić 1973–82 120
7 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Darko Pančev 1988–92 84
8 Serbia and Montenegro Mihajlo Pjanović 1999–03 81
9 Serbia Nenad Milijaš 2006–2009; 2012–2014 66
10 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Predrag Đajić 1945–55 59

Last updated on: 7 September 2014

Top 10 most appearances of all time

No Player Period App.
1 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dragan Džajić 1963–75; 1977–78 615
2 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Rajko Mitić 1945–58 572
3 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Filipović 1970–80 520
4 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Predrag Đajić 1945–55 439
5 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vladimir "Pižon" Petrović 1972–82 257
6 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Borivoje Kostić 1951–61; 1962–66 250
7 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Ljubomir Lovrić 1945–52 241
8 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Jovan Aćimović 1965–76 237
9 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Boško Đurovski 1978–89 237
10 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Miloš Šestić 1973–84 216

Last updated on: 25 October 2013

Club all-time European record

Red Star Belgrade Seasons P W D L GF GA Match %W
Representing Serbia Serbia 840131017535432.50
Representing FR Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro 11662620201067839.39
Representing SFR Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 3317989306034623749.72
Total 52285128609750536944.90
Competition P W D L
European Cup / Champions League 108551934
UEFA Cup / Europa League 141603150
European Cup Winners' Cup 34121012
UEFA Super Cup 1001
Intercontinental Cup 1100
Total 2851286097
As of Aug 08, 2013

UEFA Ranking

As of 22/10/2015 [26]
Rank Team Points
205Kazakhstan Shakhter Karagandy7.175
206Serbia Crvena zvezda7.075
207Denmark Brøndby7.070
208Netherlands Utrecht7.012

Best results in European competitions

Season Achievement Notes
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1991 Winner defeat France Olympique de Marseille 0–0 in Bari, 5–3 pen.
1957 Semi final lost to Italy Fiorentina 0–1 in Belgrade, 0–0 in Firenze
1971 Semi final lost to Greece Panathinaikos Athens 4–1 in Belgrade, 0–3 in Athens
UEFA Cup / Europa League
1979 Runners-up lost to Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 1–1 in Belgrade, 0–1 in Düsseldorf
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1975 Semi final lost to Hungary Ferencváros Budapest 1–2 in Budapest, 2–2 in Belgrade
Mitropa Cup
1958 Winner defeat Czechoslovakia Ruda Hvijezda Brno 4–1 in Belgrade, 3–2 in Brno
1968 Winner defeat Czechoslovakia Spartak Trnava 0–1 in Trnava, 4–1 in Belgrade

Biggest win in UEFA competition:

Season Match Score
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1957–58 Red Star – Stade Dudelange 9–1
1969–70 Red Star – Linfield F.C. 8–0

Current squad

First team

As of 2 February 2016.[27][28][29]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Serbia GK Damir Kahriman
2 Serbia DF Marko Petković
3 Serbia DF Aleksandar Luković
4 France MF Damien Le Tallec
5 Brazil DF Edson Silva
7 Serbia MF Saša Stojanović
8 Serbia MF Marko Grujić (on loan from Liverpool)
10 Serbia MF Aleksandar Katai
14 Montenegro DF Savo Pavićević (vice-captain)
17 Serbia MF Srđan Plavšić
18 Republic of Macedonia MF David Babunski
19 Serbia DF Miloš Cvetković
20 Netherlands MF Mitchell Donald
No. Position Player
22 Serbia GK Filip Manojlović
24 Serbia MF Mihailo Ristić
27 Bosnia and Herzegovina GK Nemanja Supić
33 Serbia DF Dušan Anđelković
34 Serbia DF Miloš Stojanović
44 Serbia MF Nenad Gavrić
55 Serbia MF Slavoljub Srnić
70 Portugal FW Hugo Vieira
77 Serbia DF Zoran Rendulić
81 Serbia FW Predrag Sikimić
88 Argentina DF Luis Ibáñez
99 Montenegro FW Petar Orlandić

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
 — Serbia GK Marko Trkulja (at Zemun until the end of 2015–16 season)[30]
 — Serbia GK Ognjen Obradović (at Sopot until the end of 2015–16 season)[31]
 — Serbia GK Jovan Vićić (at dual registration with Loznica until the end of 2015–16 season)[30]
 — Serbia GK Filip Manojlović (at dual registration with Bežanija until the end of 2015–16 season)[31][32]
 — Serbia DF Marko Mijailović (at Bežanija until the end of 2015–16 season)[30]
 — Serbia DF Miloš Stojanović (at dual registration with Bežanija until the end of 2015–16 season)[31][33]
 — Serbia DF Marko Marinković (at BSK Borča until the end of 2015–16 season)[34]
 — Serbia DF Nemanja Tošić (at Sinđelić Beograd until the end of 2015–16 season)[31][33]
 — Serbia DF Nenad Cvetković (at Zemun until the end of 2015–16 season)[31][33]
No. Position Player
 — Serbia DF Zlatko Iličić (at Sopot until the end of 2015–16 season)[31][33]
 — Brazil MF Bruno Matos (at Novi Pazar until the end of 2015–16 season)[35]
 — Serbia MF Nemanja Ahčin (at Novi Pazar until the end of 2015–16 season)[36]
 — Serbia MF Dušan Živković (at Bežanija until the end of 2015–16 season)[30]
 — Serbia MF Lazar Tufegdžić (at Bežanija until the end of 2015–16 season)[30]
 — Montenegro MF Vladimir Jovović (at OFK Beograd until the end of 2015–16 season)[37]
 — Republic of Macedonia MF Daniel Avramovski (at OFK Beograd until the end of 2015–16 season)[38]
 — Republic of Macedonia FW Darko Grozdanoski (at BASK until the end of 2015–16 season)[31]

For recent transfers, see List of Serbian football transfers winter 2015-16.

Retired number(s)

12 – Delije (the 12th Man)

Club officials

Technical staff

Current staff
  • Manager: Montenegro Miodrag Božović
  • Assistant manager/coach: Montenegro Vojo Ćalov
  • Assistant manager/coach: Montenegro Saša Petrović
  • Assistant manager/coach: Serbia Ivica Momčilović
  • Goalkeeping coach: Serbia Srđan Maksimović
  • Fitness coach: Serbia Mihajlo Radulović
  • Doctor: Serbia Dejan Purić
  • Physiotherapist: Serbia Ivan Popović
  • Physiotherapist: Serbia Goran Zuvić
  • Physiotherapist: Serbia Dejan Toševski
  • Secretary of the coaching staff: Serbia Goran Negić
  • Kit manager: Serbia Stojan Milanović
  • Kit manager: Serbia Dragan Milanović
  • Chief Scout: Serbia Marko Mitrović

Club management

Current staff

Coaching history

For details see List of Red Star Belgrade football coaches

Club presidents

  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Mita Miljković (1948–1951)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Isa Jovanović (1951–1952)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sava Radojčić (1952–1954)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dragoslav Marković (1954–1955)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milić Bugarčić (1955–1956)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dragoje Đurić (1956)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dušan Blagojević (1956–1960)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milić Bugarčić (1960–1963)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Radovan Pantović (1963–1965)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dušan Blagojević (1965–1968)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Bugarčić (1968–1977)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Radovan Pantović (1977–1981)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Brana Dimitrijević (1981–1982)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vlastimir Purić (1982)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Miladin Šakić (1982–87)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Mijailović (1987–1993)

Notable players

Stars of Red Star

Red Star has almost a 50-year-long tradition of giving the title of the Star of Red Star (Serbian: Звездина звезда / Zvezdina zvezda) to the players that had a major impact on the club's history and have made the name of the club famous around the globe. So far, five players and the entire 1991 team were officially given the title. They are:

The 1991 European and World Champions Generation

Coach:

Goalkeepers:

Defenders:

Midfielders:

Strikers:

More notable players

To appear in this section a player must have either:

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

In popular culture

The club's name in Serbian is also the title of the 2013 Italian novel Crvena Zvezda by Enrico Varrecchione. Written in the alternate history genre, utilizing elements of uchronia, its story is based on the premise of what if the 9 November 1988 return leg of the European Cup second round clash between Red Star and AC Milan hadn't been ordered abandoned by German referee Dieter Pauly in the 65th minute due to thick fog that night in Belgrade. Red Star were leading 1–0 after a goal by Dejan Savićević and were also a man up due to Milan striker Pietro Paolo Virdis receiving a red card. After abandonment, UEFA cancelled the match and ordered it replayed in full the next day. This time it finished 1–1 and went to penalties (the first leg in Milan also ended 1–1) where Milan won and went through to the quarter-finals, eventually winning the European Cup — thus getting the coveted trophy again after twenty years, the club's first under its recently arrived owner, ambitious businessman Silvio Berlusconi. In the novel's parallel universe, Red Star won the 8 November 1988 match in Belgrade and eliminated AC Milan, which thus never won its 1989 European Cup, meaning that Berlusconi's ultimate entry into Italian politics had a much weaker background push, which adversely affected his performance at the 1994 Italian general election.[40] The novel also follows the fate of Red Star's fictional striker, loosely based on Savićević, Jovan Eldzic who scored the famous goal in the fog and later went on to transfer to AC Milan where he achieved more accolades, eventually taking Italian citizenship, remaining living in Italy upon retiring from football before entering politics and running for mayor of a small town in Piedmont's Alessandria province.[40]

Billy Bragg's 1991 UK top thirty hit song "Sexuality" contains the lyric "I had an uncle who once played for Red Star Belgrade." When interviewed many years later Bragg was asked if this was true, to which he replied that his uncle actually played for Fulham but that did not fit the rhyme with played.[41]

Two non-related bands, one of them from Great Yarmouth, Great Britain,[42] and the other one from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States,[43] shared the name Red Star Belgrade.

References

  1. ↑ "Stadion Rajko Mitić (Marakana)". Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Yugoslavian first league all-time table
  3. ↑ Svaki drugi Srbin navija za Crvenu zvezdu retrieved from b92.net, 18 March 2008
  4. 1 2 "THE LIST: The greatest rivalries in club football, Nos 10–1". Mail Online. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Europe's Club of the Century retrieved from iffhs.de, 13 September 2009
  6. ↑ "History Start". crvenazvezdafk.com.
  7. ↑ "Classic club: Red Star claim gold for the Balkan peninsula — FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Crvena Zvezda – Manchester United 3:3. YouTube. 6 February 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Finale Kupa UEFA 1979. YouTube. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  10. ↑ Crvena Zvezda – FC Barcelona 2:4 (1982.). YouTube. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Crvena Zvezda – Olympique Marseille penali 5:3. YouTube. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  12. ↑ Bari 1991. Dodela pehara šampionu Evrope. YouTube. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Red Star player pay a hefty price". fifpro.org. 18 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Blic Sport – Stadion Zvezde među 50 najznačajnijih u Evropi". Blic Sport. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Allan Jiang. "10 Most Hostile World Football Stadiums". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Juniors" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "Cadets" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  18. ↑ "Younger Cadets" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "Pioneers" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  20. ↑ "Younger Pioneers" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  21. ↑ "Base" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Pre-Base" (in Serbian). Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  23. ↑ "The Inferno At Yesterday’s Biggest Rivalry Game". theoffside.com. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
  24. ↑ Liverpool – Crvena Zvezda 1:2 (1973.). YouTube. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  25. ↑ "UEFA Champions League 1990/91 - History – UEFA.com". UEFA.com. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  26. ↑ "Member associations - UEFA rankings - Club coefficients – UEFA.com". UEFA.com. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "First Team". FK Crvena zvezda. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  28. ↑ "Licensed for Uefa Europa League". UEFA. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  29. ↑ "List of licensed footballers". Red Star Belgrade official website. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 Božović ostaje bar do leta u Zvezdi at Večernje novosti, 28-1-2016 (Serbian)
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "FUDBAL" number 32 – pages 2865, 2878, 2984 & 2985 at Football Association of Serbia official website (Serbian)
  32. ↑ ZLATNI 'ORLIĆ' U BEŽANIJI NAPADA SUPERLIGU: Manojlović na golu 'Lavova'! at supersport.rs, 30-7-2015 (Serbian)
  33. 1 2 3 4 IGRAČI NA POZAJMICI: ŽIVKOVIĆ PONOVO BEZ ŠANSE at czbgtv.com, 17-8-2015 (Serbian)
  34. ↑ Вождовац – БСК Борча 0:2 (0:2) at FK Voždovac official website, 27-1-2016 (Serbian)
  35. ↑ Pazarci dobili veliko pojačanje iz Zvezde! I to nije sve, dovode i fudbalera Vojvodine! at sportske.net, 25-1-2016 (Serbian)
  36. ↑ at mozzartsport, 27-1-2016 (Serbian)
  37. ↑ Vladimir Jovović za BUTASPORT.RS: OFK Beograd je klub sa velikom istorijom at butasport.rs, 11-1-2016 (Serbian)
  38. ↑ Zvezdina "desetka" u OFK Beogradu at mondo.rs, 12-7-2015 (Serbian)
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Generacija iz Barija: Od profesora do predsednika at Večernje novosti, 31-12-2010, retrieved 22-2-2016 (Serbian)
  40. 1 2 "Crvena Zvezda 09/11/1988". Crvena Zvezda 09/11/1988. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  41. ↑ "Q Magazine – Music news & reviews, music videos, band pictures & interviewsQ Magazine". Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  42. ↑ Too Far, Red Star Belgrade. YouTube. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  43. ↑ Jason Ankeny. "Red Star Belgrade – Music Biography, Streaming Radio and Discography – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2015.

External links

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