Dejan Damjanović

This article is about the footballer born in 1981. For the footballer born in 1986, see Dejan Damjanović (footballer, born 1986).
Dejan Damjanović

Damjanović playing for FC Seoul in 2008
Personal information
Full name Dejan Damjanović
Date of birth (1981-07-27) 27 July 1981
Place of birth Mostar, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 FC Seoul
Number 9
Youth career
1995–1996 Dinamo Pančevo
1996–1998 Sinđelić Beograd
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Sinđelić Beograd 33 (8)
2000–2003 Železnik 13 (0)
2001–2002 → Lasta Sremčica (loan) 21 (10)
2002–2003 → Srem Beograd (loan) 8 (0)
2003–2006 Bežanija 76 (37)
2004–2005 → Radnički Jugopetrol (loan) 18 (4)
2006 → Al-Ahli (loan) 8 (7)
2007 Incheon United 26 (14)
2008–2013 FC Seoul 181 (116)
2014 Jiangsu Sainty 11 (5)
2014–2015 Beijing Guoan 45 (26)
2016– FC Seoul 36 (13)
National team‡
2008–2015 Montenegro 30 (8)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 October 2015

Dejan Damjanović (Cyrillic: Дејан Дамјановић; born 27 July 1981), also known only by his first name Dejan, is a Montenegrin football forward who plays for FC Seoul in the K League Classic.

Early life

Damjanović was born in the town of Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia (modern Bosnia and Herzegovina) on 27 July 1981.[1] During the Yugoslav Wars, he moved to Serbia, initially to Pančevo, and then to Belgrade.

Club career

Early career

He made his debut for Sinđelić Beograd in 1998, scoring 6 goals in 21 matches in his first season. He moved to FK Železnik in 2000 and later also played with FK Radnički Beograd and FK Bežanija in the First League of Serbia and Montenegro. He played one season in the Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli Jeddah and in summer 2006 he returned to Serbia and played with FK Bežanija in the debut season of the Serbian SuperLiga. During the winter break, by early 2007, he moved to South Korean football club Incheon United FC.

FC Seoul

He signed a contract with FC Seoul on 7 December 2007.[2]

Damjanović was the second highest scorer in the K-League in 2007, 2008 and 2009. With 23 goals for Seoul in 2011 season, he was crowned the league's top scorer.

In July 2009, he managed to score two goals against Manchester United in United's Asian tour. However, FC Seoul lost 3–2, United's goals being scored by Wayne Rooney, Federico Macheda and Dimitar Berbatov.[3]

In January 2012, Guangzhou R&F in Chinese Super League offered $5,000,000 to FC Seoul for Damjanović, but it was rejected by Seoul. Damjanović scored his 100th career goal with FC Seoul from a penalty goal, along with the 101st in the same match over a 3–1 win against his former club Incheon United on 28 May 2012. On 25 July 2012, He became top scorer in K-League foreign player history by scoring his 105th goal in the match against Daejeon Citizen. The previous record holder is Saša Drakulić who made 104 goals in K-League.

In the first match of the 2012 K-League season, Damjanović was substituted out after 22 minutes against Daegu FC. It had been speculated that the FC Seoul manager, Choi Yong-Soo, and Damjanović had a rift. Damjanović wanted to leave but FC Seoul would not let him. However, as time went on, FC Seoul issued an official statement by Choi saying there was no tension between the two.

He finished the 2012 K-League season with many accolades and records broken. He scored 31 goals in 40 appearances, thus breaking the record held by Kim Do-Hoon in 2002. He won the league with FC Seoul as well as becoming the Golden Boot winner, a spot in the K-League Best XI in the forward position, and the K-league MVP.

In the January 2013, IFFHS ranked Damjanović seventh in the world for most goals in a top-division league surpassing players such as Zlatan Ibrahimović, Robin van Persie, and Wayne Rooney.[4]

In September 2013, Damjanović scored in both of two legs of the AFC Champions League quarter finals against his former team Al-Ahli Jeddah. His scoring continued against the first leg of the semi-final against Esteghlal. [5]

Despite scoring in both legs of the 2013 AFC Champions League Final against Guangzhou Evergrande, FC Seoul lost on away goals and thus ending the competition as runners-up.

Jiangsu Sainty

He transferred to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Sainty with transfer fee $4,200,000 in December 2013.[6]

Beijing Guoan

On 17 July 2014, Damjanović transferred to fellow Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan.[7]

FC Seoul

On 28 December 2015, Damjanović returned to FC Seoul, signing a two-year contract.[8]

On 3 August 2016, Damjanović scored his 150th goal in 254th appearance in the K League, setting a record for the quickest player to reach 150 goals in the K League history.[9]

International career

Damjanović while playing for Montenegro in 2012

His first international as a Montenegrin football player was against Italy on 16 October 2008. He scored two goals in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus.[10][11] He scored his third international goal at 2014 World Cup qualification match against Ukraine on 16 October 2012.

On 26 March 2013, during a 2014 World Cup qualifier, Damjanović would once again prove vital as he came on, as a substitute, for Mitar Novaković in the 46th minute. Twenty minutes later he would score his fourth international goal against England to end the match in a one-one draw letting Montenegro keep the lead with 2 above England in the group stage.

On 6 September 2013, during a 2014 World Cup qualifier, Damjanović provided the only goal for Montenegro as they tied 1–1 with Poland in Warsaw.

On 11 October 2013, Damjanović scored the only goal for Montenegro in their 4–1 defeat to England at Wembley in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Career statistics

K League Classic career

Statistics accurate as of 28 November 2016.

Club Season K League Classic KFA Cup League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Incheon United 2007 26144110500 4020
Incheon total 261441105004020
FC Seoul 2008 2915104000 3415
2009 2314202095 3619
2010 2813107600 3619
2011 3024330095 4232
2012 423120—00 4431
2013 291921—137 4427
2016 361341—115 5119
Seoul total 2171291551364222287162
K League Classic total 24314319623114222327182

China Super League career

Statistics accurate as of 1 November 2015.[12]

Club Season China Super League CFA Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jiangsu Sainty 2014 1150000 115
Beijing Guoan 2014 16100000 1610
2015 29162192 4019
China Super League total 563121926734

International goals

Scores and results list Montenegro's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 6 June 2009 Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca  Cyprus 1–2 2–2 2010 World Cup qualifier
2. 2–2
3. 16 October 2012 Olympic Stadium, Kiev  Ukraine 1–0 1–0 2014 World Cup qualifier
4. 26 March 2013 Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica  England 1–1 1–1 2014 World Cup qualifier
5. 6 September 2013 National Stadium, Warsaw, Warsaw  Poland 1–0 1–1 2014 World Cup qualifier
6. 11 October 2013 Wembley Stadium, London  England 1–2 1–4 2014 World Cup qualifier
7. 5 March 2014 Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica  Ghana 1–0 1–0 Friendly
8. 14 June 2015 Friends Arena, Solna  Sweden 1–3 1–3 2016 UEFA Euro qualifier

Personal life

His daughter and son were born in South Korea.[13]

Honours

Club

Al-Ahli Saudi FC
FC Seoul

Individual

FC Seoul

References

Awards
Preceded by
South Korea Yoo Byung-soo		 K League Top Scorer
2011, 2012, 2013 		Succeeded by
Brazil Santos
Preceded by
South Korea Lee Dong-gook		 K League Most Valuable Player
2012 		Succeeded by
South Korea Kim Shin-wook
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