 Ćirić in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dragan Ćirić | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-09-15)15 September 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Belgrade,SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Srem Jakovo | |||
| Partizan | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1997 | Partizan | 143 | (42) |
| 1997–2000 | Barcelona | 26 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | →AEK Athens (loan) | 26 | (10) |
| 2000–2004 | Valladolid | 51 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Partizan | 13 | (3) |
| Total | 259 | (59) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995–1997 | FR Yugoslavia | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Dragan Ćirić (Serbian Cyrillic: Драган Ћирић; born 15 September 1974) is aSerbian retired professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder forPartizan,Barcelona,AEK Athens, andReal Valladolid. Internationally, he played for theYugoslavia national team, earning 4 caps.[1]
After starting out at local clubSrem Jakovo,[2]Belgrade-born Ćirić finished his development atPartizan, sharing teams with the likes ofSavo Milošević andAlbert Nađ. This trio was promoted to the senior squad in1992–93, as they wonthe league in that andthe following seasons under managerLjubiša Tumbaković. Ćirić conquered a further two national championships during his first spell and was the team'scaptain in the1996–97 season.
In July 1997, Ćirić signed a four-year contract withBarcelona. Over the course of his career at Barcelona, he played 35 games across all competitions inhis debut season. In addition into featuring in Barcelona's1997–98 UEFA Champions League campaign, he also contributed to the team'streble conquest ofLa Liga,Copa del Rey and theUEFA Super Cup. CoachLouis van Gaal employed Ćirić primarily as a right-winger, although it was not his best position.[1] After losing his spot in the lineup[3] he was loaned to Greek sideAEK Athens in aseason-long move, scoring in double digits and alsowinning thedomestic cup. Upon his return to theCamp Nou, he was sold to fellow SpaniardsReal Valladolid in July 2000.[4][5]
In June 2004, Ćirić returned to Partizan, signing a three-year contract.[6] Under coachVladimir Vermezović, he helped the club win the national league in hiscomeback season with an unbeaten record.[7] He also played in Partizan's historic2004–05 UEFA Cup campaign, up totheir elimination in the final 16 byCSKA Moscow. After that season, he retired shortly after at the age of 31.
Ćirić wascapped four times forSerbia and Montenegro. He made his debut in a 4–1friendly win againstEl Salvador on 12 November 1995, coming on as asubstitute forDejan Petković.[8]
In December 2014, Ćirić was nameddirector of football at Partizan.[9] He left the position less than two months later, citing dissatisfaction with the state of Serbian football as the main reason for his decision.[10]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslavia | 1995 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
