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| nationalyears = 2008-
| nationalyears = 2008-
| nationalteam = [[Serbia national football team|Serbia]]
| nationalteam = [[Serbia national football team|Serbia]]
| nationalcaps(goals) = {{0}}1 {{0}}(0)
| nationalcaps(goals) = {{0}}1 (0)
| pcupdate = 16 March 2009
| pcupdate = 16 March 2009
| ntupdate = 9 February 2009
| ntupdate = 9 February 2009

Revision as of 20:53, 28 March 2009

Neven Subotić
Personal information
Full name Neven Subotić
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Borussia Dortmund
Number 4
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 February 2009

Neven Subotić (born 10 December 1988 in Banja Luka) is a Serbian football defender, who plays for Borussia Dortmund. Subotić made his first-team debut at the very end of the 2006–07 season as Mainz were relegated from the Bundesliga. In the 2. Bundesliga the following year, he seized a starting role and quickly received high marks as one of the best young defenders in the league.

Early life

Born to Serbian [1]parents Željko and Svetlana in SFR Yugoslavia, Neven was five years old when the family moved to Germany in 1994, settling in the town of Schömberg. Neven took up football at the age of 7 with the local outfit TSV Schwarzenberg.[2]

In the late 1990s, his family's residence authorization in Germany expired and they opted to move to the USA in 1999. They settled in Salt Lake City where Neven's father had a cousin. Neven played soccer with Sparta Gold and Impact Black youth clubs.

Within two years the family was on the move again, this time to Bradenton, Florida so that Neven's sister Natalija can pursue a tennis career at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. The city also happens to be the base for the United States U-17 national team. Neven trained on his own in G.T. Bray Park where he got spotted by Keith Fulk, one of the team's assistant coaches who then informed the team's head coach John Ellinger about Subotić. After arranging a tryout, they offered Neven a spot in the residency camp. At the time he was not attached to any club sides, but eventually started playing with the University of South Florida team.

While playing with the U-17 team in the Netherlands, Subotić was approached by player agent Steve Kelly who inquired about his career plans and offering a possibility of playing in Europe. After impressing at the tryout for 1. FSV Mainz 05, young Subotić was on his way there, initially playing for the club's youth and fourth-division teams.[3]

Club career

Mainz 05

Subotić made his professional debut for Mainz 05 in the last match of the 2006–07 season against Bayern Munich as his team was relegated from the Bundesliga. In the 2. Bundesliga the following season, he seized a starting role in what was the leagues best defense, conceding only 37 goals. The team finished in fourth place, missing the promotion back to Bundesliga by only two points.

In the 2008 summer offseason, Mainz head coach Jürgen Klopp got a job coaching Borussia Dortmund and was instrumental in bringing Subotić along with him.

Borussia Dortmund

On 4 June 2008 it was announced that Subotić had signed with Borussia Dortmund on a 5-year contract. He debuted for his new club in the unofficial German Supercup match against Bayern Munich, which Dortmund won 2-1. Subotić's defensive displays quickly turned a lot of heads. In December 2008, he was named in the ideal 11 team of the first part of the 2008-09 Bundesliga season.

International career

Youth level

Subotić was on the squad for the US entry in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship during September 2005. While he has made appearances for the USA U-20 team, he was not selected to play in the 2007 U-20 World Cup.

Senior level

He was eligible to represent the United States, Serbia[4], or Bosnia and Herzegovina.[5][6]

Bosnia-Herzegovina fell out of the running early as Subotić publicly rejected overtures by the country's football officials and head coach Miroslav Blažević.[7][8]

By fall 2008, it became clear that only Serbia figured in his international choice. Citing sources close to Subotić's family, many reports in the Serbian press appeared in this period about his decision to play for Serbia already being made, but waiting for the right moment to state it publicly since he had until December 10, 2009 (his 21st birthday) to declare his choice. In mid December 2008 Subotić informed national team head coach Radomir Antić about his decision to represent Serbia.[9][10] In late December 2008, Subotić notified US Soccer Federation about his decision - the first official step in the process of changing national team attachment.[11]

References

  1. ^ http://www.novosti.rs/code/navigate.php?Id=13&status=jedna&vest=140171
  2. ^ Woitalla, Mike (1 November 2008). "Soccer star Subotic has a choice: His native land or adopted U.S.?". SI.com.
  3. ^ Woitalla, Mike (1 November 2008). "Soccer star Subotic has a choice: His native land or adopted U.S.?". SI.com.
  4. ^ Woitalla, Mike (1 November 2008). "Soccer star Subotic has a choice: His native land or adopted U.S.?". SI.com.
  5. ^ Zdelar, Zoran (18 September 2008). "SAD, BiH, Hrvatska ili Njemačka?". Sportnet.hr (in Croatian).
  6. ^ Meuren, Daniel (6 June 2008). "Neven Subotic "Klopp ist mein Trainer, vielleicht auch ein wenig ein Freund"". faz.net (in German).
  7. ^ Neven Subotić odbio reprezentaciju BiH, MTS Mondo, September 26, 2008
  8. ^ Subotić odbio da igra za BiH, Nezavisne novine, September 29, 2008
  9. ^ Neven Subotić izabrao Srbiju, B92, December 19, 2008
  10. ^ Subotić sleće među "orlove", MTS Mondo, December 18, 2008
  11. ^ Galaracep, Ives (24 December 2008). "Subotic notifies USSF of decision to play for Serbia". ESPNsoccernet.


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