Serbia national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Serbia women's national football team.

Serbia

Nickname(s)	Бели Орлови – Beli Orlovi (White Eagles)
Association	Фудбалски савез Србије – Fudbalski savez Srbije (ФCC/FSS)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Siniša Mihajlović
Captain	Branislav Ivanović
Most caps	Savo Milošević, Dejan Stanković (102)
Top scorer	Savo Milošević (37)
Home stadium	Marakana
FIFA code	SRB
FIFA ranking	40
Highest FIFA ranking	13 (September 2009, March 2010, July 2010)
Lowest FIFA ranking	47 (Jun 2006)
Elo ranking	38
Highest Elo ranking	8/2 (June 2009 as Serbia/June 1998 as FR Yugoslavia)
Lowest Elo ranking	47 (16 October 2012)
First colours Second colours
First international
Czech Republic 1–3 Serbia (Uherské Hradiště, Czech Rep.; 16 August 2006)
Biggest win
Azerbaijan 1–6 Serbia (Baku, Azerbaijan; 17 October 2007) Serbia 6–1 Bulgaria (Belgrade, Serbia; 19 November 2008) Serbia 5–0 Romania (Belgrade, Serbia; 10 October 2009) Serbia 6–1 Wales (Novi Sad, Serbia; 11 September 2012)
Biggest defeat
Serbia 0–3 Belgium (Belgrade, Serbia; 12 October 2012)
World Cup
Appearances	11 (First in 1930)
Best result	4th 1930, 1962
European Championship
Appearances	5 (First in 1960)
Best result	2nd 1960, 1968
Honours Men's Football Olympic Games Silver 1948 London Team Silver 1952 Helsinki Team Silver 1956 Melbourne Team Gold 1960 Rome Team Bronze 1984 Los Angeles Team Mediterranean Games Gold 1971 İzmir Team Gold 1979 Split Team

The Serbia national football team (Serbian: Фудбалска репрезентација Србије, Fudbalska reprezentacija Srbije) represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade and their head coach is Siniša Mihajlović. Both FIFA and UEFA consider the Serbian national team as the direct and only successor of the Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro national teams.

History

1920–1991 Heritage from Yugoslavia

See also: Yugoslavia national football team and Football Association of Yugoslavia

The Serbian national team was previously known as the Yugoslav national football team until 4 February 2003, and then as the Serbia and Montenegro national football team until 3 June 2006 when Serbia declared independence as the successor state to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. It was officially renamed the Serbia national football team on 28 June 2006, while the Montenegro national football team was created to represent the new state of Montenegro.

Serbia vs. Belgium at Marakana, 7 October 2006

Between 1921 and 1992, the team did not exist as we know it today, since Serbia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1943) and later on, of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1991). The Serbia national team existed from 1919 to 1921, but ceased to exist following the creation of the first Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

However, the Football Association of Serbia is a FIFA member since 1921 and a UEFA member since its creation in 1954. The Serbia national team is recognized, thanks to a mutual consent between both FIFA and UEFA, as the direct and only descendant of the Yugoslavia national team. Hence, the new national team formed in 1992 inherited of the full status, results, and achievements from Yugoslavia, which was not the case for any other country resulting from the breakup of Yugoslavia. Consequently, it did not have to apply to obtain a FIFA and UEFA status.

A similar situation happened following Montenegro's decision to secede following a referendum held on 21 May 2006. Once more, Serbia inherited of the Serbia and Montenegro full status, and did not have to apply for a FIFA and UEFA status, while Montenegro was obligated to do so.

Competing as FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro (1992–2006)

Main article: Serbia and Montenegro national football team

With the formation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro were both represented by a new national team under the same name of Yugoslavia until political developments changed the name of the nation to "Serbia and Montenegro" in 2003. This "Yugoslav" national team, composed by Serbian and Montenegrin players, was arguably one of the brightest heydays of Serbian football history, as Yugoslavia at one point (in 1998) was ranked second in the world by Elo ranking. From 1992 to 2003, Yugoslavia impressed the world in two major competitions by reaching the knockout phase of the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Euro 2000. The generation of Yugoslav players from 1992 to 2000 included the likes of long-time national captain Dragan Stojković, Siniša Mihajlović, Predrag Mijatović, Dejan Savićević, Savo Milošević, and other players which were renowned around the world. After Yugoslavia changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro in 2003, the newly-named nation competed in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

After the breakup of Serbia and Montenegro (2006–2007)

After Montenegro declared independence, Serbia marked independence with a 3–1 win over the Czech Republic. The Euro 2008 qualification process began not long after in 2007 and ended in disappointment for Serbia. A strong start in qualification was overshadowed by the final hurdle of matches where inconsistency took over the side dropping points against the likes of Finland, Belgium, Armenia and Kazakhstan. They eventually finished third, three points behind runners up Portugal and Group A winners Poland. Serbia's first ever foreign coach Javier Clemente was sacked after the failure.

Serbia replaced Javier Clemente with Miroslav Đukić, who then left the position on 19 August of the following year without having played any official games, due to various disagreements with the Football Association of Serbia.

Radomir Antić period (2008–2010)

• See also: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group D

Stojković Ivanović Subotić Vidić Kolarov Krasić Ninković Kuzmanović Stanković Jovanović Žigić

Serbia's starting XI in their famous 1–0 win over Germany in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Subsequent to Đukić's rapid departure, Radomir Antić was appointed coach and success followed. Serbia's World Cup qualification campaign began in 2008. Their qualification group featured former World Cup winners and 2006 FIFA World Cup runners-up France, traditionally powerful Romania, as well as Austria, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands. Serbia played consistently during the qualifiers and this led to the team automatically qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They confirmed qualification with a commanding 5–0 win at home against Romania.

Like in 2006, Serbia went into the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the dark horses of the tournament. Key points justifying their potential surprise-team status included a star-studded defense that was composed by Nemanja Vidić, Neven Subotić, Aleksandar Kolarov and Branislav Ivanović. In addition to the revered defense, Serbia featured a famous wing-partnership in Milan Jovanović and Miloš Krasić, who both earned world-wide acclaim in their careers. The captain of Serbia's 2010 World Cup campaign was stalwart Dejan Stanković, who became the only player to feature in a World Cup having played under three different national names (although he never changed nationality; this was a result of geopolitical events involving the identity of Yugoslavia). In their first tournament as an independent nation, they were to face Ghana, Germany and Australia.

Their opening group game was against Ghana and chances came to both sides but a red card to Aleksandar Luković and a handball by substitute Zdravko Kuzmanović in the second half gave Ghana a penalty to take all three points at the death. Asamoah Gyan converted eight minutes from full-time and Serbia were defeated 1–0.

In Serbia's second group match, they sensationally defeated Germany by a score of 1–0 with an acrobatic goal by Milan Jovanović late in the first half. FIFA's official Youtube channel called the win "the most famous day in Serbian football".

Serbia only needed a single point to reach the knockout stages but were defeated by Australia 2–1 in an entertaining match where Serbia's dominance in the first half and in period's of the second half would have made it look like a Serbia victory. They unfortunately were their own worst enemy, their failure to convert their chances again proved costly with Australia scoring 2 goals in the second half through Tim Cahill and Brett Holman. A late Marko Pantelić goal served only as a consolation. They finished last in the group.

Radomir Antić was sacked two games into the Euro 2012 qualification process, a 1–1 draw at home to Slovenia spelling the end to his two-year stint. The sacking meant the bringing in of Vladimir Petrović to the job.

2010–2012

Serbia once again failed to qualify for the European Championships, making it 12 years since the country last took part in the tournament. Serbia was drawn in Qualification Group C featuring Italy, Slovenia, Estonia, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. The qualifying stage began with Radomir Antić as coach and finished with Vladimir Petrović. Serbia and Antić started the first two games positively with a 3–0 win away to Faroe Islands and a 1–1 draw at home to Slovenia but this result brought the end of Antić's reign as the country's coach. New coach Vladimir Petrović faced set backs immediately with an embarrassing 3–1 loss at home to Estonia and an abandoned match resulting in a 3–0 loss to Italy due to crowd trouble from the Serbian away supporters in Genoa.

Serbia returned to form with a 2–1 win at home over Northern Ireland but could only manage a 1–1 draw away to Estonia.

Afterwards, Serbia won back to back games with a 1–0 win away to Northern Ireland and a crucial 3–1 win at home against Faroe Islands. These results put Serbia in pole position to confirm a play-off spot behind Italy.

Serbia needed a win at home against Italy to confirm a play-off spot but their efforts only resulted in a 1–1 draw. The team, however, still had one more chance to confirm a play-off place when they faced Slovenia away. This game was a must win even though Serbia had a superior goal difference over Estonia, a draw was not good enough for progression. Serbia played positively and created a number of chances during the game but a long-range goal put Slovenia up 1–0 at half time. The Serbians then failed to convert numerous chances that they had in the second half, notably Nemanja Vidić's penalty miss mid-way through the second half. Serbia left empty handed after a 1–0 loss and exited the tournament for the third time in a row during the qualifying group stages, missing out by one point behind Estonia.

Vladimir Petrović was sacked after the team's failure to qualify.

Rebuilding (2012–)

Serbia vs. Belgium at Marakana, 12 October 2012 in 2014 World Cup qualification

Dejan Stanković and Nemanja Vidić announced that they are retiring from international football. This meant that Serbia had lost two key players and that a new era had started. Branislav Ivanović became the new captain. Siniša Mihajlović, a former member of the national team, was appointed as the coach on 24 April 2012. He has made it a requirement for the players to know the words of the national anthem because he calls himself a right wing nationalist. Serbia was drawn in Group A in qualification for 2014 FIFA World Cup, together with Croatia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, and Wales. Mihajlović started with three straight defeats in friendly matches againstSpain, France and Sweden. In his fourth game as coach, the team played a draw with Republic of Ireland. The team began the qualification campaign with a goaless draw with Scotland and a 6:1 win over Wales. In the next two games, Serbia suffered two defeats, from Macedonia and Belgium. 2012 ended with a 3:1 victory in a friendly match against Chile. In 2013, Serbia's first game was a friendly match versus Cyprus. It ended 3:1 for Serbia. On 22 March, Serbia played in Zagreb against Croatia. The game was highely anticipated in both countries due their rivalry both on and off the pitch. Croatia won 2:0 and sent Serbia down on the table. This way, Serbia's chances for qualification became very small.

Competitive record

The Serbian Football Association is deemed the direct successor to both SFR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro by FIFA, and therefore the inheritor to all the records of the defunct nations.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Fourth Place	4th	3	2	0	1	7	7
1934	Did Not Qualify
1938
1950	Group Stage	5th	3	2	0	1	7	3
1954	Quarter-Final	7th	3	1	1	1	2	3
1958	Quarter-Final	5th	4	1	2	1	7	7
1962	Fourth Place	4th	6	3	0	3	10	7
1966	Did Not Qualify
1970
1974	Round 2	7th	6	1	2	3	12	7
1978	Did Not Qualify
1982	Round 1	16th	3	1	1	1	2	2
1986	Did Not Qualify
1990	Quarter-Final	5th	5	3	1	1	8	6
1994	Banned
1998	Round of 16	9	4	2	1	1	5	4
2002	Did Not Qualify
2006	Group Stage	32nd	3	0	0	3	2	10
2010	Group Stage	23rd	3	1	0	2	2	3
2014
2018
2022
Total	11/19	Fourth Place	43	17	8	18	62	59

List of FIFA World Cup matches
Year	Round	Opponent	Score	Result
1930	Group 2	Brazil	2–1	Win
		Bolivia	4–0	Win
	Semi-final	Uruguay	1–6	Loss
1950	Group 1	Switzerland	3–0	Win
		Mexico	4–1	Win
		Brazil	0–2	Loss
1954	Group 1	France	1–0	Win
		Brazil	1–1	Draw
	Quarter-finals	West Germany	0–2	Loss
1958	Group 2	Scotland	1–1	Draw
		France	3–2	Won
		Paraguay	3–3	Draw
	Quarter-finals	West Germany	0–1	Loss
1962	Group 1	Soviet Union	0–2	Loss
		Uruguay	3–1	Won
		Colombia	5–0	Won
	Quarter-finals	West Germany	1–0	Won
	Semi-finals	Czechoslovakia	1–3	Loss
	Third place	Chile	0–1	Loss
1974	Group 2	Brazil	0–0	Draw
		Zaire	9–0	Won
		Scotland	1–1	Draw
	Group B	West Germany	0–2	Loss
		Poland	1–2	Loss
		Sweden	1–2	Loss
1982	Group 5	Northern Ireland	0–0	Draw
		Spain	1–2	Loss
		Honduras	1–0	Won
1990	Group D	West Germany	1–4	Loss
		Colombia	1–0	Won
		United Arab Emirates	4–1	Won
	Round of 16	Spain	2–1	Won
	Quarter-finals	Argentina	0–0 2–3 (pen.)	Draw
1998	Group F	Iran	1–0	Won
		Germany	2–2	Draw
		United States	1–0	Won
	Round of 16	Netherlands	1–2	Loss
2006	Group C	Netherlands	0–1	Loss
		Argentina	0–6	Loss
		Ivory Coast	2–3	Loss
2010	Group D	Ghana	0–1	Loss
		Germany	1–0	Won
		Australia	1–2	Loss

European Championship record

Euro Cup Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Runners-Up	2nd	2	1	0	1	1	2
1964	Did Not Qualify
1968	Runners-Up	2nd	3	1	1	1	2	3
1972	Did Not Qualify
1976	Fourth place	4th	2	0	0	2	4	7
1980	Did Not Qualify
1984	Round 1	8th	3	0	0	3	2	10
1988	Did Not Qualify
1992	Banned
1996
2000	Quarter-Final	8th	4	1	1	2	8	13
2004	Did Not Qualify
2008
2012
2016
2020
Total	5/14	-	14	3	2	9	17	35

List of UEFA European Championship matches
Year	Round	Opponent	Score	Result
1960	Semi-final	France	5–4	Won
	Final	Soviet Union	1–2	Loss
1968	Semi-final	England	1–0	Won
	Final	Italy	1–1	Draw
	Final replay	Italy	0–2	Loss
1976	Semi-final	West Germany	2–4	Loss
	Final	Netherlands	2–3	Loss
1984	Group A	Belgium	0–2	Loss
		Denmark	0–5	Loss
		France	2–3	Loss
2000	Group C	Slovenia	3–3	Draw
		Norway	1–0	Won
		Spain	3–4	Loss
	Quarter-final	Netherlands	1–6	Loss

*It was not third place playoff, but Yugoslavia has been awarded one bronze medal

2014 FIFA World Cup

Qualification

Main articles: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A

Serbia will be competing in Group A in qualification for 2014 FIFA World Cup, together with Croatia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, and Wales.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Belgium 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 16 Croatia 6 5 1 0 10 3 +7 16 Serbia 6 2 1 3 8 7 +1 7 Wales 6 2 0 4 6 14 −8 6 Macedonia 6 1 1 4 3 7 −4 4 Scotland 6 0 2 4 3 9 −6 2

Belgium — 1–1 1–0 2–0 7 Jun 15 Oct Croatia 11 Oct — 1–0 7 Jun 2–0 2–0 Macedonia 0–2 1–2 — 10 Sep 1–0 6 Sep Scotland 6 Sep 15 Oct 1–1 — 0–0 1–2 Serbia 0–3 6 Sep 15 Oct 2–0 — 6–1 Wales 0–2 1–2 11 Oct 2–1 10 Sep —

Top Goalscorers during Qualification

3 goals

• Filip Đuričić

1 goal

• Branislav Ivanović
• Aleksandar Kolarov

• Miralem Sulejmani
• Dušan Tadić

• Zoran Tošić

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

Main article: Serbia national football team results

Date	Venues	Opponents	Results*	Scorers	Type of Games
26 May 2012	St.Gallen, Switzerland	Spain	0:2 (0:0)	Adrián (64') Cazorla (74' pen.)	Friendly
31 May 2012	Reims, France	France	0:2 (0:2)	Ribéry (11') Malouda (15')
5 June 2012	Stockholm, Sweden	Sweden	1:2 (1:1)	Toivonen (23') Subotić (27') Ibrahimović (52' pen.)
15 August 2012	Belgrade, Serbia	Republic of Ireland	0:0 (0:0)
8 September 2012	Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	0:0 (0:0)		2014 World Cup Quali.
11 September 2012	Novi Sad, Serbia	Wales	6:1 (3:1)	Kolarov (16') Tošić (24') Bale (31') Đuričić (39') Tadić (55') Ivanović (80') Sulejmani (90')
12 October 2012	Belgrade, Serbia	Belgium	0:3 (0:1)	Benteke (34') De Bruyne (68') Mirallas (91')
16 October 2012	Skopje, Macedonia	Macedonia	0:1 (0:0)	Ibraimi (59' pen.)
14 November 2012	St.Gallen, Switzerland	Chile	3:1 (1:0)	Marković (22') Đorđević (47') Đuričić (59') Henríquez (88')	Friendly
6 February 2013	Nicosia, Cyprus	Cyprus	3:1 (1:1)	Makrides (19') Tadić (33', 47') Basta (70')
22 March 2013	Zagreb, Croatia	Croatia	0:2(0.2)	Mandžukić (23') Olić (37')	2014 World Cup Quali.
26 March 2013	Novi Sad, Serbia	Scotland	2:0 (0:0)	Đuričić (60', 65')
7 June 2013	Brussels, Belgium	Belgium
6 September 2013	Belgrade, Serbia	Croatia
10 September 2013	Wales	Wales
15 October 2013	Serbia	Macedonia
5 March 2014	Dublin, Republic of Ireland	Republic of Ireland			Friendly

* Serbia's scores are always listed first

Head coaches

Last update 26 March 2013

Manager	Period	Record							Achievements
		Matches	Won	Win %	Drawn	Draw %	Lost	Loss %
Siniša Mihajlović	2012–	12	4	33,33	2	16,67	6	50,00
Radovan Ćurčić	2010–2012	5	2	40,00	1	20,00	2	40,00
Vladimir Petrović	2010–2011	13	5	38,46	3	23,08	5	38,46
Radomir Antić	2008–2010	28	17	60,71	3	10,71	8	28,57	Group stage on 2010 World Cup
Miroslav Đukić	2007–2008	5	0	0,00	2	40,00	3	60,00
Javier Clemente	2006–2007	16	7	43,75	7	43,75	2	12,5	First head coach of independent Serbian team First foreign coach
Ilija Petković	2003–2006	30	11	36,66	10	33,33	9	30,00	Group stage on 2006 World Cup
Dejan Savićević	2001–2003	17	4	23,53	3	17,65	10	58,82
Vujadin Boškov Ivan Ćurković Dejan Savićević	2001	8	4	50,00	2	25,00	2	25,00
Milovan Đorić	2001	3	0	0,00	2	66,66	1	33,33
Ilija Petković	2000–2001	4	2	50,00	1	25,00	1	25,00
Vujadin Boškov	1999–2000	15	6	40,00	5	33,33	4	26,66	Quarter-final on Euro 2000
Milan Živadinović	1998–1999	6	3	50,00	2	33,33	1	16,66
Slobodan Santrač	1994–1998	43	26	60,46	10	23,25	7	16,28	First head coach since the break up of SFRY Round of 16 on 1998 World Cup

• For the period before 1992 see: Yugoslavia national football team#Head coaches

Current coaching staff

As of 21 May 2012

Serbian coaching staff

Head coach: Siniša Mihajlović Assistant: Emilio De Leo Assistant: Nenad Sakić Assistant: Aleksandar Janković Goalkeeping coach: Aleksandar Kocić Doctor: Dr. Miodrag Mladenović Physiotherapist: Slobodan Branković Physiotherapist: Goran Zuvić Kitman: Stanko Nikolić Kitman: Nemanja Nikolić Kitman: Danijel Dragaš Team manager: Aleksandar Bošković

Squad

Current squad

Squad called up for the friendly match against Croatia and Scotland on 22 and 26 March 2013.

Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2013.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club 1 1GK Vladimir Stojković (1983-07-28) 28 July 1983 44 0 Partizan 12 1GK Željko Brkić (1986-07-09) 9 July 1986 10 0 Udinese 23 1GK Branimir Aleksić (1990-12-24) 24 December 1990 1 0 Spartak Zlatibor Voda 6 2DF Branislav Ivanović (captain) (1984-02-22) 22 February 1984 60 7 Chelsea 11 2DF Aleksandar Kolarov (vice-captain) (1985-11-10) 10 November 1985 40 1 Manchester City 20 2DF Neven Subotić (1988-12-10) 10 December 1988 33 2 Borussia Dortmund 2 2DF Antonio Rukavina (1984-01-26) 26 January 1984 24 0 Real Valladolid 4 2DF Milan Biševac (1983-08-31) 31 August 1983 14 0 Lyon 24 2DF Slobodan Rajković (1989-02-03) 3 February 1989 13 0 Hamburg 17 2DF Nenad Tomović (1987-08-30) 30 August 1987 13 0 Fiorentina 5 2DF Matija Nastasić (1993-03-28) 28 March 1993 9 0 Manchester City 18 2DF Dušan Basta (1984-08-18) 18 August 1984 7 1 Udinese 7 3MF Zoran Tošić (1987-04-28) 28 April 1987 49 8 CSKA Moscow 22 3MF Zdravko Kuzmanović (1987-09-22) 22 September 1987 47 6 Internazionale 8 3MF Radosav Petrović (1989-03-08) 8 March 1989 31 1 Gençlerbirliği 10 3MF Dušan Tadić (1988-11-20) 20 November 1988 14 3 Twente 19 3MF Filip Đuričić (1992-01-30) 30 January 1992 11 4 Heerenveen 27 3MF Aleksandar Ignjovski (1991-01-27) 27 January 1991 11 0 Werder Bremen 15 3MF Ljubomir Fejsa (1988-08-14) 14 August 1988 11 0 Olympiacos 13 3MF Ivan Radovanović (1988-08-29) 29 August 1988 6 0 Atalanta 3 3MF Alen Stevanović (1991-01-07) 7 January 1991 3 0 Torino 16 3MF Luka Milivojević (1991-04-07) 7 April 1991 2 0 Red Star Belgrade 25 3MF Nenad Krstičić (1990-07-03) 3 July 1990 1 0 Sampdoria 21 4FW Filip Đorđević (1987-09-28) 28 September 1987 4 1 Nantes 9 4FW Marko Šćepović (1991-05-23) 23 May 1991 3 0 Partizan 14 4FW Nikola Đurđić (1986-04-01) 1 April 1986 1 0 Greuther Fürth

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up GK Damir Kahriman (1984-11-19) 19 November 1984 6 0 Tavriya Simferopol v. Sweden, 5 June 2012 DF Nikola Maksimović (1991-11-25) 25 November 1991 4 0 Red Star Belgrade v. Chile, 14 November 2012 DF Marko Lomić (1983-09-13) 13 September 1983 3 0 Dynamo Moscow v. Chile, 14 November 2012 DF Aleksandar Luković (1982-10-23) 23 October 1982 28 0 Zenit Saint Petersburg v. Sweden, 5 June 2012 DF Ivan Obradović (1988-07-25) 25 July 1988 20 1 Real Zaragoza v. Sweden, 5 June 2012 DF Pavle Ninkov (1985-04-20) 20 April 1985 9 0 Toulouse v. France, 31 May 2012 DF Filip Mladenović (1991-08-15) 15 August 1991 1 0 Red Star Belgrade v. France, 31 May 2012 DF Duško Tošić (1985-01-19) 19 January 1985 11 1 Gençlerbirliği v. Spain, 26 May 2012 MF Srđan Mijailović (1993-11-10) 10 November 1993 5 0 Red Star Belgrade v. Belgium, 12 October 2012 MF Nemanja Tomić (1988-01-21) 21 January 1988 5 1 Gençlerbirliği v. Republic of Ireland, 15 August 2012 MF Miloš Ninković (1984-12-25) 25 December 1984 28 0 Évian v. Scotland, 8 September 2012 MF Darko Lazović (1990-09-15) 15 September 1990 4 0 Red Star Belgrade v. Scotland, 8 September 2012 MF Nemanja Matić (1988-08-01) 1 August 1988 5 0 Benfica v. Sweden, 5 June 2012 MF Boško Janković (1984-04-01) 1 April 1984 31 5 Genoa v. France, 31 May 2012 MF Adem Ljajić (1991-09-29) 29 September 1991 7 0 Fiorentina v. Spain, 26 May 2012 FW Miralem Sulejmani (1988-12-05) 5 December 1988 13 1 Ajax v. Cyprus, 6 February 2013 FW Lazar Marković (1994-03-02) 2 March 1994 6 1 Partizan v. Chile, 14 November 2012 FW Dejan Lekić (1985-06-07) 7 June 1985 10 0 Gençlerbirliği v. Macedonia, 16 October 2012 FW Stefan Šćepović (1990-01-10) 10 January 1990 4 0 Ashdod v. Sweden, 5 June 2012

Player statistics

Statistics do not include Serbian players who have played for the SFR Yugoslavia national team exclusively.

Most appearances As of 26 March 2013
#	Name	National team career	Caps	Goals
1	Savo Milošević	1994–2008	102	37
	Dejan Stanković	1998–2011	102	15
3	Dragan Stojković	1983–2001	84	15
4	Predrag Mijatović	1989–2003	73	28
5	Slaviša Jokanović	1991–2002	64	10
6	Siniša Mihajlović	1991–2003	63	9
7	Branislav Ivanović	2005–	60	7
8	Mladen Krstajić	1999–2008	59	2
	Zoran Mirković	1995–2003	59	0
10	Darko Kovačević	1994–2004	58	10

Most goals As of 29 February 2012
#	Name	National team career	Goals	Caps	Average
1	Savo Milošević	1994–2008	37	102	0.36
2	Predrag Mijatović	1989–2003	28	73	0.38
3	Nikola Žigić	2004–2011	20	57	0.35
4	Dejan Savićević	1986–2003	19	56	0.34
5	Mateja Kežman	2000–2006	17	49	0.34
6	Dragan Stojković	1983–2001	15	84	0.18
	Dejan Stanković	1998–2011	15	102	0.15
8	Danko Lazović	2002–2011	11	43	0.25
	Milan Jovanović	2007–2012	11	44	0.25
10	Marko Pantelić	2003–2011	10	42	0.24
	Darko Kovačević	1994–2004	10	58	0.17
	Slaviša Jokanović	1991–2002	10	64	0.15

• Players in bold are still active/available for selection.

Captains (after 1994)

Name	Period
Dragan Stojković	1994–2001
Savo Milošević	2001–2006
Dejan Stanković	2006–2011
Nemanja Vidić	2011
Branislav Ivanović	2012–

Home stadiums

Since the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia national team has played the vast majority of its matches on the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade and, occasionally, on Partizan Stadium, also in Belgrade. As of autumn 2012, only 5 of 58 team's home games since 1992 have been played outside of the capital Belgrade. However, with several ongoing reconstructions of stadiums in other cities in Serbia, it is likely that the national team will use more stadiums outside of the capital city in the future.

List of stadiums which have hosted Serbia international football matches (including the games played as FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro):

Venue	City	First international	Last international	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	Average attendance
Red Star Stadium	Belgrade	31 March 1995 1 – 0 vs. Uruguay	12 October 2012 0 – 3 vs. Belgium	43	24	15	4	68	20	26,018
Partizan Stadium	Belgrade	5 September 1999 3 – 1 vs. Macedonia	6 September 2011 3 – 1 vs. Faroe Islands	12	8	2	2	29	14	13,393
Karađorđe Stadium	Novi Sad	11 September 2012 6 – 1 vs. Wales	26 March 2013 2 – 0 vs. Scotland	2	2	0	0	8	1	8,830
Čair Stadium	Niš	22 September 1998 1 – 1 vs. Switzerland		1	0	1	0	1	1	16,000
Smederevo City Stadium	Smederevo	17 April 2002 4 – 1 vs. Lithuania		1	1	0	0	4	1	15,000
Mladost Stadium	Kruševac	27 March 2003 1 – 2 vs. Bulgaria		1	0	0	1	1	2	10,000
Podgorica City Stadium	Podgorica	12 February 2003 2 – 2 vs. Azerbaijan		1	0	1	0	2	2	7,500

Source: http://reprezentacija.rs

Team image

Nickname

Serbian team before a friendly match versus Ireland in Dublin in May 2008.

Former

Ever since the first game played by FR Yugoslavia on 23 December 1994 the team had the nickname of Plavi (Плави), literally the Blues. This was notably due to the fact the team wore blue jerseys, which they inherited from the former Yugoslavia national football team. The trend continued even when the team switched names to Serbia and Montenegro, as flags, anthem, and kits remained virtually the same. However, as Montenegro declared independence from the State Union on 3 June 2006, on the basis of a referendum held on 21 May 2006, the newly formed Serbia national team needed a new nickname, as red replaced blue as the team's primary colour.

Current

As of 16 August 2006, when Serbia played its first international match as a resurrected national team (against the Czech Republic), the team is called the Орлови (Eagles). The name is referring to the white double-headed eagle found on the coat of arms of Serbia, a national symbol of Serbia and Serbs.

Jerseys and Colour

Home gear in Red-Blue-White tricolour (Serbian tricolour).

• since 2008
  • 2010 FIFA World Cup: Nike
  • UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying: Nike

• 2006
  • 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification: Lotto

Recognized players

Main article: Serbian Footballer of the Year

International recognized players.

Active:

• Nemanja Vidić (Premier League 2006–) Centre Back
  • Barclays Player of the Season (08–09 and 10–11)
  • Part of Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2009
  • Part of PFA Team of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011
  • Manchester United Fans & Players "Player of the Year" 2008–09
  • FIFPro World XI Award 2009
  • Premier League Player of the Month – January 2009
  • Serbian Footballer of the Year – 2005, 2008

• Branislav Ivanović (Premier League 2008–) Right/Centre back
  • Part of PFA Team of the Year: 2009–10
  • Russian Cup (1): 2007
  • Premier League (1): 2009–10
  • FA Cup (3): 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12
  • FA Community Shield (1): 2009
  • UEFA Champions League (1): 2011–12
  • Serbian Player of the Year: 2012
  • UEFA Europa League (1): 2012–13

• Neven Subotić (Bundesliga 2007–) Centre back
  • Bundesliga (2): 2010–11, 2011–12
  • DFB-Pokal(1): 2011–12

• Aleksandar Kolarov (Serie A 2007–2010 , Premier League 2010–) Left back
  • Coppa Italia (1): 2008–09
  • Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2009
  • Premier League (1): 2011–12
  • FA Cup (1): 2010–11
  • FA Community Shield (1): 2012
  • Serbian Footballer of the Year: 2011

Retired:

• Mateja Kežman (Striker/Winger)
  • Yugoslav First League Top Scorer: 2000
  • Yugoslav Footballer of the Year: 2000
  • Eredivisie Top Scorer: 2001, 2003, 2004
  • UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 2004
  • Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2003

• Dejan Petković: (Attacking midfielder)
  • Yugoslav First League: 1991–92, 1994–95
  • Yugoslav Cup: 1992–93, 1994–95
  • La Liga: 1996–97
  • Supercopa de España: 1997
  • Bahia State Championship: 1999
  • Copa do Nordeste: 1999
  • Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 2000, 2001
  • Copa dos Campeões: 2001
  • Brazilian Série A: 2009
  • Chinese Jia-A League: 2003
  • Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 2003
  • Arab Champions League: 2005
  • Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão – Best XI: 2005, 2009
  • Bola de Prata – Best XI: 2004, 2005, 2009
• Orders and special awards:
  • EC Vitória's Player of the Twentieth Century (by popular vote)
  • Scored the thousandth goal of Fluminense FC in the Campeonato Brasileiro (v. Cruzeiro, on 7 September 2005)
  • Scored the most Olympic goals ever by a professional footballer: 8
  • Nominated to the Maracanã Walk of Fame
  • Named Honorary Citizen of Rio de Janeiro by the State Legislative Assembly

• Savo Milošević (La Liga 2002–2007) Striker
  • UEFA Euro 2000 Golden Boot
  • UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament
  • First League of FR Yugoslavia Top Scorer: 1994, 1995

• Siniša Mihajlović (Serie A 1992–2006) Left Back/Midfielder
  • ranked #2 #8, #10 of Best free-kickers in history.
  • ranked #30 of Best scorers in defense

• Predrag Mijatović
  • Ballon d'Or 1997 – second place

• Dragan Džajić
  • Ballon d'Or 1968 – third place
  • UEFA Golden Player

• 

  Nemanja Vidić

• 

  Savo Milošević

• 

  Branislav Ivanović

• 

  Mateja Kežman

• 

  Siniša Mihajlović

See also

• Serbia – International balance at Serbian national football team
• Serbia national football team results
• Serbia national under-21 football team
• Serbia national under-19 football team
• Serbia national under-17 football team
• List of Serbia international footballers (including predecessor teams)

External links

Official

• Football Association of Serbia – Official Site (Serbian)
• Serbian National Football Team (Serbian)
• UEFA team profile
• FIFA team profile

Unofficial

• Beli Orlovi (Serbian)
• Serbian football at xtratime.org
• BeliOrlovi.rs – Fan Site (Serbian)