Serbia national football team
| Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
| Nickname(s) | White Eagles (Бели Орлови, Beli Orlovi) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Association of Serbia (Фудбалски савез Србије, Fudbalski savez Srbije) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach |  Radomir Antić | ||
| Captain | Dejan Stanković | ||
| Most caps | Savo Milošević (102) | ||
| Top scorer | Savo Milošević (37) | ||
| Home stadium | Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade | ||
| FIFA code | SRB | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 36 | ||
| Highest | 16 (December 1998) | ||
| Lowest | 55 (October 2004) | ||
| First international | |||
As FR Yugoslavia Brazil 2 - 0 Yugoslavia  (Porto Alegre, Brazil; 23 December, 1994) As Serbia  Czech Republic 1 - 3 Serbia (Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic; 16 August, 2006) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Faroe Islands 1 - 8 Yugoslavia (Toftir, Faroe Islands; 6 October 1996) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Argentina 6 - 0 Serbia & Montenegro (Gelsenkirchen, Germany; 16 June, 2006) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 10 (first in 1930) | ||
| Best result | Semi Finals 1930, 1962 | ||
| European Championship | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 1960) | ||
| Best result | Final 1960, 1968 | ||
The Serbia national football team (Serbian: Фудбалска репрезентација Србије / Fudbalska reprezentacija Srbije) represents Serbia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia. It was previously known as the Yugoslavia national football team from January 15, 1992 until February 4, 2003, and then as the Serbia and Montenegro national football team until June 3, 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 June 28, 2006, while the Montenegro national football team was created to represent the new state of Montenegro.
Both FIFA and UEFA consider the Serbia national team the direct descendant of the Serbia & Montenegro team and, by proxy, the Yugoslavia team.
Between 1921 and 1992, this team did not exist as we know it today, since Serbia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1943) and later on, the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia (1945-1991). The Serbia national team existed from 1919 to 1921, and then ceased to exist following the creation of the first Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The new national team formed in 1992 was considered the direct descendant of the Yugoslavia national team, as it kept Yugoslavia's former status, which was not the case for any other country resulting from the breakup of Yugoslavia.
History
Heritage from Yugoslavia
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 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 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 May 21, 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.
The beginnings and the 1998 FIFA World Cup
Although the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed on April 28, 1992, its teams were banned from all international sporting events, including the national football team. Consequently, the national team did not play its first name as a new country before December 23, 1994, a friendly match played in Porto Alegre and in which Brazil won by the mark of 2-0. This was the first ever team composed of Serbian and Montenegrin players exclusively, while Slobodan Santrač, a former Yugoslavia national team player, was named the team's first ever manager. The next game was played only three days later, this time in Buenos Aires, resulting in 1-0 loss to Argentina. Despite two losses in two games, the team was honoured to play its first two games ever against such football powerhouses.
Also due to the United Nations international sanctions, the team could not take part in the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, nor the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying process.
On March 31, 1991, the team recorded its first official win in history, a 1-0 friendly against Uruguay, simultaneously marking the team's first ever home game, played at Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, and the first ever goal scored, courtesy of Savo Milošević. Slightly more than one year later, the team records its first ever win in a FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament in what would also appear to be its first game in such a tournament, a 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands. Shortly after, the team would also record its biggest win in history, once again against the Faroe Islands, 8-1. Yugoslavia would finish second in Group 6, just behind Spain, meaning it had to go through the play-off system in order to qualify. Yugoslavia was paired up with Hungary, and what was believed would be a tough matchup turned out to be an easy win for Yugoslavia, 7-1 in Budapest and 5-0 in Belgrade, for an aggregate score of 12-1. This was enough to secure Yugoslavia its first ever FIFA World Cup appearance as a new country.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup seeding had Yugoslavia ranked on 21st position, but the Yugoslav national football team was received in France as one of the shadow favorites for the highest place at the World Cup. The justification for such estimation was partially found in the names of the Yugoslav players, members of great European teams and proven footballers. The draw puts the team in Group F alongside Germany, the United States, and finally, Iran. Yugoslavia wins its first game by the mark of 1-0 against Iran thanks to a goal from defender Siniša Mihajlović. The next game is a heartbreaker for Yugoslavia. After leading Germany 2-0, last game's hero, Mihajlović, scores an unlucky own goal following a German freekick, and Oliver Bierhoff equalises at 2-2 with only about ten minutes to the match. Nonetheless, Yugoslavia responds in the next game against the United States and wins 1-0 due to an early goal in Nantes. Yugoslavia made easy work of Group 6, but despite an excellent record, the game against Germany would prove costly as Germany wins the group thanks to a better goal differential.
Due to its second position, Yugoslavia sees itself face the Netherlands in the Round of 16. Yugoslavia enters in the match with a sole attacker, but its defensive tactics prove unsuccessful as Dennis Bergkamp puts the Netherlands in front in the 38th minute. Immediately following the start of the second half, Yugoslavia pressures the Dutch, who inevitably concede a header from Slobodan Komljenović. However, the turning point of this match would be a penalty shot awarded to Yugoslavia after Vladimir Jugović was fouled in the penalty area. Predrag Mijatović's shot dazzled Edwin van der Sar, but not the crossbar, and the scoreline remained the same at 1-1. Such an event demoralized the Yugoslavs, as the Dutch took the initiative. In the late seconds of the game, as everybody was preparing for extra time, Edgar Davids shot towards the Yugoslav net from a distance of 20 meters and beat goalkeeper Ivica Kralj, to the pure disbelief of the Yugoslav players and fans. This marked the end of Yugoslavia's run in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, since there was not much time left to do anything.
Unlucky events forced Yugoslavia out of the tournament, but the team definitely demonstrated its great ability and proved it had a spot among the world's best teams. This was also reflected in the FIFA World Rankings following the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in which Yugoslavia was constantly ranked in the Top 10 for a long period of time.
Tournament records
World Cup record
- 1930 to 1990 – Was part of SFR Yugoslavia.
1994; Could not enter ; Banned because of international sanctions due to Yugoslav wars (as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
| Year | Round | Position | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1998 |
Round 2 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
  2002 |
Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
 2006 |
Round 1 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Total | 2/3 | - | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 |
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
Template:2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 7
European Championship record
- 1960 to 1992 –Not applicable; Was part of SFR Yugoslavia.
1996 – Could not enter ; Banned because of international sanctions due to Yugoslav wars (as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
| Year | Round | Position | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  2000 |
Quarterfinals | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
 2004 |
Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  2008 |
Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 1/3 | - | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
Players
Current squad
| Number | Name | DOB | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||
| 1 | Vladimir Stojković | July 29, 1983 |  Getafe |
23 (0) | v Czech Republic, 16 August 2006 |
| 12 | Vladimir Dišljenković | July 2, 1981 |  Metalurh Donetsk |
5 (0) | v Norway, 31 March 2004 |
| Defenders | |||||
| 2 | Antonio Rukavina | January 26, 1984 | Munchen 1860 |
15 (0) | v Finland, 2 June 2007 |
| 3 | Ivica Dragutinović | November 13, 1975 | Sevilla |
45 (0) | v Greece, 13 December 2000 |
| 5 | Nemanja Vidić | October 21, 1981 |  Manchester United |
38 (3) | v Italy, 12 October 2002 |
| 6 | Branislav Ivanović | February 22, 1984 | Chelsea |
20 (3) | v Italy, 8 June 2005 |
| 13 | Ivan Obradović | July 25, 1988 | Partizan |
6 (1) | v Faroe Islands, 6 September 2008 |
| 25 | Aleksandar Kolarov | October 23, 1982 |  Lazio |
4 (0) | v Kazakhstan, 24 November 2007 |
| 28 | Igor Đurić | November 10, 1985 | Vojvodina |
4 (0) | v Bulgaria, 19 November 2008 |
| 4 | Neven Subotić | December 10, 1988 | Borussia Dortmund |
0 (0) | - |
| Midfielders | |||||
| 7 | Boško Janković | March 1, 1984 | Genoa |
21 (4) | v Norway, 15 November 2006 |
| 10 | Dejan Stanković | September 1, 1978 | Internazionale |
81 (13) | v South Korea, 22 April 1998 |
| 11 | Nenad Milijaš | April 30, 1983 | Red Star |
8 (1) | v Faroe Islands, 6 September 2008 |
| 16 | Zoran Tošić | April 28, 1987 | Manchester United |
14 (0) | v Finland, 8 September 2007 |
| 17 | Miloš Krasić | November 1, 1984 |  CSKA Moscow |
19 (2) | v Norway, 15 November 2006 |
| 18 | Zdravko Kuzmanović | September 22, 1987 | Fiorentina |
17 (2) | v Finland, 2 June 2007 |
| 20 | Gojko Kačar | January 26, 1987 | Hertha BSC |
6 (0) | v Kazakhstan, 24 November 2007 |
| Strikers | |||||
| 8 | Danko Lazović | May 17, 1983 | PSV Eindhoven |
26 (8) | v Brazil, 27 March 2002 |
| 14 | Milan Jovanović | April 18, 1981 | Standard Liège |
14 (6) | v Finland, 2 June 2007 |
| 15 | Nikola Žigić | September 25, 1980 | Racing |
34 (13) | v Norway, 31 March 2004 |
| 19 | Miralem Sulejmani | December 5, 1988 | Ajax |
5 (0) | v Macedonia, 6 February 2008 |
World Cup 2006 squad
Competitions
2006 World Cup
- See also: 2006 World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Serbia and Montenegro began their 2006 World Cup campaign by finishing first with an undefeated record in their qualification group ahead of favourites Spain. The Serbia and Montenegro team also allowed only one goal in the 10 matches, the best defensive record out all 51 teams participating in qualification.
In the group stage, Serbia and Montenegro lost their opening game to joint group favourite, the Netherlands. The final score was 1-0 after Arjen Robben scored the only goal of the game. They also lost their second game to Argentina 6-0, the country's worst ever international result. With the team's two losses and with Netherlands and Argentina winning both their games, Serbia and Montenegro could no longer qualify for the knockout matches, and was playing for pride alone in their final group game against Côte d'Ivoire. Despite having a 2-0 lead for much of the first half, the Elephants managed to come back and win 3-2, leaving Serbia and Montenegro with a disappointing 0-0-3 World Cup run.
Statistics
Managers
| Name | Tenure | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slobodan Santrač
|
1994–1998 | 43 | 26 | 10 | 7 | 60% |
| Milan Živadinović
|
1998–1999 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Vujadin Boškov
|
1999–2000 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 40% |
| Ilija Petković
|
2000–2001 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Milovan Đorić
|
2001 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0% |
| Vujadin Boškov Ivan Ćurković Dejan Savićević
|
2001 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| Dejan Savićević
|
2001–2003 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 24% |
| Ilija Petković
|
2003–2006 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37% |
| Javier Clemente
|
2006–2007 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 44% |
| Miroslav Đukić
|
2008 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0% |
| Radomir Antić
|
2008–present | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 63% |
- Last updated: Serbia 6–1 Bulgaria, November 19, 2008.
Most appearances
| # | Name | National Team career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Savo Milošević | 1994–2008 | 102 | 37 |
| 2 | Dragan Stojković | 1983–2001 | 84 | 15 |
| 3 | Dejan Stanković | 1998–present | 80 | 13 |
| 4 | Predrag Mijatović | 1989–2003 | 73 | 28 |
| 5 | Slaviša Jokanović | 1991–2002 | 64 | 10 |
| 5 | Siniša Mihajlović | 1991–2003 | 64 | 9 |
| 7 | Mladen Krstajić | 1999–present | 59 | 2 |
| 7 | Zoran Mirković | 1995–2003 | 59 | 0 |
| 9 | Darko Kovačević | 1994–2004 | 58 | 10 |
| 10 | Dejan Savićević | 1986–1999 | 56 | 19 |
- Statistics do not include Serbian players who have played for the SFR Yugoslavia national team exclusively.
- As of 12 March 2009[1]
- Players in bold are still active/available for selection.
Leading goalscorers
| # | 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 | Dejan Savićević | 1986–1999 | 19 | 56 | 0.34 |
| 4 | Mateja Kežman | 2000–2006 | 17 | 49 | 0.35 |
| 5 | Dragan Stojković | 1983–2001 | 15 | 84 | 0.18 |
| 6 | Dejan Stanković | 1998–present | 13 | 78 | 0.17 |
| 7 | Nikola Žigić | 2004–present | 13 | 33 | 0.39 |
| 8 | Darko Kovačević | 1994–2004 | 10 | 59 | 0.17 |
| 8 | Slaviša Jokanović | 1991–2002 | 10 | 64 | 0.16 |
| 10 | Siniša Mihajlović | 1991–2003 | 9 | 63 | 0.14 |
- Statistics do not include Serbian players who have played for the SFR Yugoslavia national team exclusively. Last updated: Serbia 6–1 Bulgaria, November 19, 2008.
Record against other countries
| Opponent | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 12 | -8 |
 Armenia |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| Austria |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 Azerbaijan |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 |
| Belgium |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
 Bulgaria |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 |
| Brazil |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 |
 China |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 |
 Colombia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Ivory Coast |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
 Croatia |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Cyprus |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Czech Republic |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -1 |
 Ecuador |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
 Egypt |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 El Salvador |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| England |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| Faroe Islands |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | +19 |
 Finland |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| France |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| Germany |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 |
 Ghana |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 Greece |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 Hungary |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 |
 Iran |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
 Israel |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Italy |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Japan |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
 Kazakhstan |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| South Korea |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
 Lithuania |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 |
 Luxembourg |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
 North Macedonia |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 5 | +5 |
 Malta |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 |
 Mexico |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 |
 Nigeria |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
 Northern Ireland |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
 Norway |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Paraguay |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 |
 Poland |
5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 |
| Portugal |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Republic of Ireland |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
 Romania |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Russia |
8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 8 | -2 |
 San Marino |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 |
 Slovakia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
 Slovenia |
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Spain |
5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 |
| Switzerland |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
 Tunisia |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
| Ukraine |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | -6 |
 United States |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
 Uruguay |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
 Wales |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
Notable matches
Nickname
Ever since the first game ever played by Yugoslavia's new team, on December 23, 1994, a 2-0 loss to Brazil, the team wore the name of Plavi, literally translating to the Blues, much like France's famous nickname of les Bleus. 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 Serbia on June 3, 2006, on the basis of a referendum held on May 21, 2006, the newly formed Serbia national team needed a new nickname, as red replaced blue as the team's primary colour.
Hence, on August 16, 2006, as Serbia played its first international match in history (vs the Czech Republic), B92, a broadcaster with national coverage throughout Serbia, proposed the name of Beli Orlovi (White Eagles). The name referred to the white double-headed eagle found on Serbia's national flag. The name was acclaimed by Serbian fans, but it immediately sparked some controversy, espcially in Croatian media.Nonetheless, as B92 sent clarification to Croatia, the name remained and is still used to describe the national team, while the Serbia national under-21 football team wears the name of Orlići (Eaglets).
See also
References
- ^ Alpuin, Luis Fernando Passo; Mamrud, Roberto; Miladinovich, Misha (20 February 2009). "Yugoslavia (Serbia (and Montenegro)) - Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
External links
- Official
- Football Association of Serbia - Official Site Template:Sr icon
- Serbian National Football Team Template:Sr icon
- UEFA team profile
- FIFA team profile
- Unofficial
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