Dejan Stefanović

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Personal information
Dejan Stefanović
Full name	Dejan Stefanović
Date of birth	October 28, 1974 (age 32)
Place of birth	Niš, Yugoslavia
Height	188 cm
Nickname	Stef
Playing position	Centre Back, Left back
Club information
Current club	Portsmouth
Number	3
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1994-1995 1995-1999 1999 2000 2000-2003 2003-	Red Star Belgrade Sheffield Wednesday Perugia OFK Belgrade Vitesse Arnhem Portsmouth	46 (9) 66 (4) 0 (0) - (-) 94 (4) 105 (3)
National team²
1995-2004	FR Yugoslavia / Serb.-Mont.	20 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:01, 25 January 2007 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 31 August 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Dejan Stefanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дејан Стефановић), (born October 28, 1974 in Niš, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian football player who currently plays for Portsmouth. He is a central defender who can also play at full back.

Stefanović began his career in his home town with FK Radnički before being signed by Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda). Whilst at the club he made his international debut for FR Yugoslavia, aged 20, against Hong Kong in January 1995.

For the 1995/96 season English club Sheffield Wednesday signed both Stefanović, and compatriot, striker Darko Kovačević. Stefanović cost the English club £2 million.

However, Stefanović struggled to break into the Wednesday side with Emerson Thome and Des Walker among those ahead of him in the pecking order.

In 1998/99, after playing 72 games for the club, Stefanović was released on a free transfer, signing for A.C. Perugia. But it didn't work out and before long he returned to Serbia with OFK Belgrade.

Stefanović moved to his third club of the 1999/2000 season when transferring to Vitesse Arnhem of the Netherlands. He quickly became a first team regular, and spent four years at the club, becoming captain during that time.

At the start of the 2003/04 season, he returned to England with Premiership newcomers Portsmouth for a then club record of £1.85million. He established himself as a first choice defender during the club's first season in the top-flight, and was a regular in the 2004/05 campaign, winning the fans' player of the season award. He was made Portsmouth captain by Alain Perrin in the 2005/2006 season, although a dip in form and a habit of speaking out to the press earned him the ire of some supporters. Indeed, he confessed to "not giving 100%" under Perrin due to disliking the French coach, comments criticised as highly unprofessional by some fans.

Stefanović's influence on chairman (and fellow Serbian) Milan Mandarić is said to have been an important factor in the dismissal of Perrin and the re-appointment of Harry Redknapp and he was an important member of the side that survived at Wigan in the penultimate game of the season.

Stefanović was converted to a left back at the start of the 2006/07 season and thus far has been a success, with Portsmouth conceeding only one goal in the first six games of the season.

[edit] International Career

Stefanović is a full Serbian international, earning his first call-up in 1995 (The team name was referred to as Serbia and Montenegro). He has a total of 20 caps to his name. Stefanović retired from international football in 2004.

[edit] External links

Preceded by Arjan de Zeeuw	Portsmouth F.C. captain 2005-	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Linvoy Primus	Portsmouth F.C. Fans' Player of the Year 2004-2005	Succeeded by Gary O'Neil

Portsmouth F.C. - Current Squad
1 James \| 2 Primus \| 3 Stefanović \| 4 Johnson \| 5 O'Brien \| 6 Traoré \| 9 Todorov \| 10 Lauren \| 11 Pamarot \| 14 Taylor \| 15 Ashdown \| 19 Kranjčar \| 21 Songo'o \| 22 Hughes \| 23 Campbell \| 25 Benjani \| 26 O'Neil \| 27 Kanu \| 28 Davis \| 29 Douala \| 30 Pedro Mendes \| 32 LuaLua \| 34 Mvuemba \| 35 Jordan \| Manager: Redknapp