Milivoje Novaković

Milivoje Novaković (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈmiːliʋɔjɛ nɔˈʋaːkɔʋitʃ]; Serbian Cyrillic: Миливоје Новаковић, pronounced [noʋǎːkoʋitɕ];[3] born 18 May 1979) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Milivoje Novaković
Novaković in November 2015
Personal information
Full name Milivoje Novaković[1]
Date of birth (1979-05-18) 18 May 1979
Place of birth Ljubljana, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
–1998 Olimpija
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 DSG Klopeinersee 20 (9)
2000–2001 SAK Klagenfurt 16 (7)
2001–2004 ASK Voitsberg 14 (8)
2004 → SV Mattersburg (loan) 6 (2)
2004–2005 LASK Linz 21 (8)
2005–2006 Litex Lovech 26 (18)
2006–2014 1. FC Köln 166 (74)
2012–2013 → Omiya Ardija (loan) 38 (17)
2014 Shimizu S-Pulse 34 (12)
2015 Nagoya Grampus 26 (5)
2016–2017 Maribor 37 (16)
Total 404 (176)
National team
2006–2017 Slovenia 80 (32)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Novaković spent his youth career at Olimpija where he remained until the age of 19, when he was forced to leave and look for the opportunity to play professional football elsewhere as he was written off by the club officials who considered him unpromising and too skinny for a forward.[4][5][6] Many years later, at the height of his playing career, Novaković revealed that people at Olimpija demanded money in order to promote him to the main squad.[6]

He then went to play football for lower tier Austrian clubs where he rose to prominence, eventually signing with professional sides Mattersburg and LASK Linz.[4][5] In 2005, he signed with the Bulgarian top division side Litex Lovech and immediately established himself as one of their top players scoring 16 goals in 24 appearances during the 2005–06 season, earning the title of the league's top goalscorer.[7] During the same season Litex Lovech qualified to the group stage of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup, where Novaković scored two of the clubs's four goals, helping the Bulgarian side in reaching the Round of 32 where they were eliminated by French side Strasbourg with the score 0–2 on aggregate.

During the summer of 2006 he was linked with several different clubs (e.g. German team 1. FC Köln,[8] Israeli team Beitar Jerusalem FC[9] and Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia[10]) but despite his wish to continue his career in a different club he started, with three goals on three league appearances, the 2006–07 season with Litex Lovech who faced Koper from Slovenia and AC Omonia from Cyprus in the qualifying rounds of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup.[11] However, Novaković's wish to leave the club was granted in late August 2006 when he joined German side 1. FC Köln for around €1.5 million.[12]

In his first season in Germany Novaković quickly established himself in the first team and eventually finished the season with ten goals in 25 2. Bundesliga appearances, finishing the season second on the club's top scorers list. During his second season with Köln he scored 20 goals in 33 league appearances[13] and became the top goalscorer of the 2. Bundesliga, helping his side reach the elite Bundesliga. During the 2008–09 season, he was again Köln's top goalscorer with 16 Bundesliga goals to his name. On 12 September 2008, coach Christoph Daum made him captain of the first team squad, however in late November 2009, he lost his captaincy due to a dispute with Köln's new manager Zvonimir Soldo. The 2010–11 season was his best season in the Bundesliga as Köln finished 10th on the league table with Novaković scoring 17 goals, finishing the season on third place in the league's top scorer's list. Novaković was Köln's top scorer in three of the club's four Bundesliga seasons, during his spell at the club, scoring 44 goals in 108 appearances. After finishing the next season on 17th place Köln was relegated and during the summer of 2012 the club officials decided to cut costs of the first team before the start of the season in the second tier.

Novaković was one of the players whose contract expenses were too high and on 1 August 2012, he joined J1 League side Omiya Ardija, on loan until December 2012. After the end of the loan, Novaković returned to Cologne and stayed fit with an individual training program. On 26 January 2013, the loan was eventually renewed through 31 December 2013. In 2014 Novaković signed a two-year deal with another J League side Shimizu S Pulse. After one year, he moved to Nagoya Grampus, but he was released after only one season.[14]

On 18 February 2016, he signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Slovenian club NK Maribor.[15]

International career

He was a member of the Slovenian national football team between 2006 and 2017, scoring 32 goals in 80 appearances.[16] He scored his first international goals on 31 May 2006 against Trinidad and Tobago, when he scored all three goals for Slovenia in a 3–1 win.[17] He retired from international football on 13 February 2012, saying he wanted to focus on club football. However, in January 2013 he said that he is ready to play for the national football team once again. On 11 October 2013, he scored a hat-trick against Norway in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifications.

International goals
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first.[18]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
131 May 2006Arena Petrol, Celje, Slovenia Trinidad and Tobago1–03–1Friendly
22–0
33–1
47 October 2006Arena Petrol, Celje, Slovenia Luxembourg1–02–0UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
58 September 2007Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Luxembourg2–03–0UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
66 February 2008Nova Gorica Sports Park, Nova Gorica, Slovenia Denmark1–11–2Friendly
710 September 2008Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia Slovakia1–02–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
82–0
911 October 2008Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia Northern Ireland1–02–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
1019 November 2008Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia Bosnia and Herzegovina2–43–4Friendly
113–4
129 September 2009Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia Poland2–03–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
1314 October 2009Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino San Marino1–03–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
143 March 2010Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia Qatar1–04–1Friendly
154 June 2010Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia New Zealand1–03–1Friendly
162–1
177 September 2010Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade, Serbia Serbia1–01–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
188 October 2010Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia Faroe Islands4–05–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
199 February 2011Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania Albania1–02–1Friendly
2022 March 2013Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia Iceland1–01–22014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2131 May 2013Schüco Arena, Bielefeld, Germany Turkey1–02–0Friendly
2210 September 2013GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus1–02–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2311 October 2013Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia Norway1–03–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
242–0
253–0
269 October 2014Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia  Switzerland1–01–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
2712 October 2014LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania Lithuania1–02–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
282–0
2927 March 2015Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia San Marino4–06–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
3014 June 2015Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia England1–02–3UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
315 September 2015St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland  Switzerland1–02–3UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
3210 June 2017Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia Malta2–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

Maribor

Individual

See also

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 27. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "nȍv". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 18 March 2018. Nováković
  4. "Новакович скоро ще е №1 в националния" (in Bulgarian). 7sport.net. 2 June 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  5. Luka Petrič (13 October 2014). "Pri 35 letih v lovu na rekord Zlatka Zahoviča" [At 35 years of age on the hunt for the record of Zlatko Zahovic] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  6. Matej Rijavec (19 February 2016). "18-letno popotovanje iz Ljubljane do Maribora" [An 18-year journey from Ljubljana to Maribor] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  7. "Бъдещият нападател на "Литекс": искам да повторя пътя на Миливое Новакович". sportal.bg (in Bulgarian). 19 January 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  8. "Кьолн иска Миливое Новакович" (in Bulgarian). sport1.bg. 11 July 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  9. "Бейтар Йерусалим иска Новакович" (in Bulgarian). sport1.bg. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  10. Katsarov, Rumen (6 June 2006). "Левски хвърли око на Новакович и Желев" (in Bulgarian). standartnews.com. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  11. "?". Archived from the original on 12 March 2007.
  12. Popov, Dimitar (30 August 2006). "Новакович подписа с Кьолн за три години" (in Bulgarian). topsport.ibox.bg. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  13. Arnhold, Matthias (12 December 2019). "Milivoje Novaković – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  14. http://nagoya-grampus.jp/information/pressrelease/2015/1123post-505.php
  15. A.G. (18 February 2016). "Maribor potegnil veliko potezo - Novaković se seli v Ljudski vrt" [Maribor make a big move - Novakovic in Ljudski vrt] (in Slovenian). Ekipa. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  16. Mamrud, Roberto (12 December 2019). "Milivoje Novakovic – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  17. "Slovenci nadigrali Trinidad in Tobago" (in Slovenian). Delo. 1 June 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  18. Milivoje Novaković at Soccerway
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.