Darko Kovačević


Darko Kovačević is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Kovačević began his career in his native country with Proleter Zrenjanin and subsequently played for Red Star Belgrade, with whom he won a Yugoslav League title and two [FR Serbia and Montenegro national football team|Yugoslavia Cup|Yugoslav Cups]. His prolific performances earned him a move to Premier League side Sheffield Wednesday, although his time in England was less successful. He is mainly known for his spells at Real Sociedad, where his offensive partnership with Nihat Kahveci was one of the best in Spain. Kovačević also had positive spells with Italian club Juventus and Greek side Olympiacos.
Internationally, Kovačević represented Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and at the UEFA Euro 2000.

Club career

Proleter and Red Star Belgrade

Beginning his career with his hometown club Radnički Kovin, he was soon spotted by Zrenjanin-based top league club Proleter Zrenjanin. Spending two seasons with the club, Kovačević managed over a goal every other game, was signed by Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade. Kovačević won a Yugoslav League title and two Yugoslav Cups, earning a call-up to the Yugoslavia national team.

Sheffield Wednesday

Kovačević was then signed by Premier League club Sheffield Wednesday in December 1995, valued at £2.5m in a joint £4.5m transfer also involving Dejan Stefanovic. Kovačević's notable goals for The Owls were two against Bolton Wanderers at Hillsborough and an important finish versus Liverpool, also at home.
Kovačević played the remainder of the 1995/96 season, but his failure to adapt and settle into the UK way of life prompted a bid of £2.5m from Real Sociedad to be accepted. A sell-on clause in the transfer agreement ensured Sheffield Wednesday received a further £2.0m when Real Sociedad later sold him to Juventus.

Real Sociedad

Kovačević moved to La Liga side Real Sociedad in 1996. Larger clubs soon came calling, with Italian giants Juventus acquiring the big Serbian in the summer of 1999 for 33 billion lire.

Juventus and Lazio

At Juventus, Kovačević found goals in both the Serie A and competitions such as the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup becoming their leading European goal scorer, and the top-scorer of the UEFA Cup during the 1999–2000 season, with 10 goals; despite facing competition from the club's starting attacking partnership of Filippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero, Kovačević made a total of 44 appearances in all competitions in his first season with the club, scoring 21 goals in all competitions.
The following season, due to the arrival of French striker David Trezeguet, Kovačević found less space in the squad under manager Carlo Ancelotti, making 27 appearances in all competitions, mostly from the bench, and scoring only six goals. The Juventus management felt Kovačević was underachieving and soon both parties were looking for a move out of Italy, with clubs such as Rangers willing to offer £12m for his transfer. In 2001, Kovačević spent a brief time with Lazio, making only seven appearances, before moving back to Spain in the middle of the season.

Return to Real Sociedad

In 2001, Kovačević returned to Real Sociedad, where he spent six more seasons at the club, netting 51 goals in his second spell with Sociedad. The 2006–07 season would be Kovačević's last season with the Spanish side, ending in the club's relegation. Alongside Jesús María Satrústegui, Kovačević is Real Sociedad's all-time top goalscorer in European club competitions, with 10 goals.
Kovačević scored 107 goals in his stages with Real Sociedad in nine seasons, with a total average of between eleven and twelve goals per season. They are only surpassed by Jesús María Satrústegui and López Ufarte in the txuri-urdin team. He is the most efficient foreigner that Real Sociedad has had in all its years of existence.

Olympiacos

In 2007, Kovačević signed with Greek champions Olympiacos. In early 2009, he was diagnosed with a blocked artery; he successfully underwent heart surgery to improve the flow of blood to his heart. His doctors advised to retire from football, and Kovačević officially retired in May 2009, playing a final friendly match for Olympiacos to celebrate the winning of the Greek domestic double. With Olympiacos, Kovačević won two Greek Super League titles, two Greek Cups and a Greek Super Cup.

International career

On the national level, Kovačević made his debut for Serbia and Montenegro in a December 1994 friendly match away against Argentina, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for Predrag Mijatović, and earned a total of 59 caps, scoring 10 goals. He would go on to compete in both UEFA Euro 2000 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. His final international was a March 2004 friendly against Norway.

Style of play

A quick and powerful striker, with good movement, technique, and an eye for goal, Kovačević's key attributes were his strength and aerial ability.

After retirement

After his retirement, Kovačević stated that he may take another role at his former team Olympiacos. Kovačević and his family subsequently returned to Spain. However, Kovačević returned to Greece, as he loved the country and worked for several months as a columnist. In June 2010, the new president of Olympiacos, Evangelos Marinakis, hired Kovačević as a chief scout; he eventually become the sports director for the club. He remained in that position until 2018. He is the current sports director of the Serbian Football Association.

Personal life

Kovačević has three children, Mia, Darko and Stella.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
14 February 1995Hong Kong Stadium, So Kon Po, Hong Kong1–01–01995 Lunar New Year Cup
28 April 1995Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico1–04–1Friendly
38 April 1995Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico2–04–1Friendly
429 May 1998Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia3–03–0Friendly
58 June 1999Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece3–14–1UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
625 May 2000Workers' Stadium, Beijing, China2–02–0Friendly
719 May 2002Central Dynamo Stadium, Moscow, Russia1–11–12002 LG Cup
821 August 2002Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina2–02–0Friendly
916 October 2002Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia1–02–0UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
1027 March 2003Mladost Stadium, Kruševac, Serbia and Montenegro1–11–2Friendly

Honours

Red Star Belgrade
Juventus
Olympiacos
Individual