Dejan Stankovic born ( September 11, 1978) in Belgrade is a Serbian professional footballer manager and former player who now the current manager of Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade.
He captained the Serbia national team from 2007 until 2011, when he announced his retirement from international football.
Stanković began his career at Red Star Belgrade, before joining the Italian giant Lazio in 1998.
Having spent more than five years with Lazio, he moved on to join Inter Milan, where he remained until his retirement in 2013.
Stanković is known for being the only player to play at three different FIFA World Cup competition representing different national team on each occasion – Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Serbia.
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No other player has managed to reach this peculiar feat, set by former Inter legend Dejan Stankovic, who also never won a match in the knockout stages.
Dejan Stankovic first World Cup Appearance.
Stankovic was Yugoslavia’s fresh-faced midfield maestro.
The midfielder played in the World Cup for the first time at France ’98, representing the unified country of Yugoslavia.
The very season he left Red Star Belgrade for Lazio at age 20.
He played all three group fixtures in 1998, but he was left out of the last-sixteen as they lost to Holland (2-1).
In 2003, the Yugoslavian National football team ceased to exist.
Political issues results to Yugoslavia’s dissolution, forming five independent nations in 2001.
Stankovic, born in Belgrade, went on and was picked by Serbia and Montenegro.
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After missing out on Japan and South Korea in 2002, the newly-named Serbia and Montenegro were drawn in the ‘Group of Death’ at the 2006 World Cup.
With Stankovic as captain as they lost all the three of their group games against Netherlands, Argentina and Ivory Coast.
Serbia and Montenegro part way to become an independent Nation each
Political and social issues did not stop among the people of the Nation. A referendum occured in which the people of Montenegro decided to separate from Serbia with a month to go for the 2010 World Cup.
Stankovic was once again elegible to be selected for his third different national team, Serbia.
He travelled to South Africa with Serbia to make a history despite being knocked out again in the group stage.
They lost their first two games against against Ghana and Australia respectively but however celebrate their special World Cup moment with a win against Germany.
However, he may not have excelled during the tournaments but he’ll always have a place in World Cup history as the only player to have played three different FIFA World Cups repenting different national team.
