Miodrag Knežević

Miodrag Knežević
Personal information
Full name Miodrag Knežević
Date of birth (1940-08-22)22 August 1940
Place of birth Aleksandrovac, Yugoslavia
Date of death 25 June 2022(2022-06-25) (aged 81)
Place of death Niš, Serbia
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1957–1960 Napredak Aleksinac
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1971 Radnički Niš 291 (1)
1971–1972 Partizan 14 (0)
1974 Radnički Niš 3 (0)
Total 308 (1)
International career
1966–1967 Yugoslavia 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Miodrag Knežević (Serbian Cyrillic: Миодраг Кнежевић; 22 August 1940 – 25 June 2022) was a Yugoslav and Serbian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.[1]

Club career

Born in Gornji Stupanj, a village near Aleksandrovac, Knežević went to school in Aleksinac and began playing football at local club Napredak.[2] He joined Yugoslav Second League side Radnički Niš in 1960, helping them win promotion to the Yugoslav First League in 1962.[3] Over the next nine seasons, Knežević established himself as the team's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, making over 250 appearances and scoring one goal in the top flight.

In 1971, Knežević was close to signing with Rapid Wien, but instead moved to Partizan.[4] He spent one season with the club before hanging up his boots. In March 1974, Knežević briefly came out of retirement and made three league appearances for Radnički Niš in the remainder of the 1973–74 season.[5]

International career

At international level, Knežević was capped twice for Yugoslavia between 1966 and 1967.[6]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League
Division Apps Goals
Radnički Niš 1960–61[7] Yugoslav Second League 14 0
1961–62[8] Yugoslav Second League 8 0
1962–63 Yugoslav First League 25 0
1963–64 Yugoslav First League 26 0
1964–65 Yugoslav First League 28 0
1965–66 Yugoslav First League 30 1
1966–67 Yugoslav First League 30 0
1967–68 Yugoslav First League 28 0
1968–69 Yugoslav First League 34 0
1969–70 Yugoslav First League 34 0
1970–71 Yugoslav First League 34 0
Total 291 1
Partizan 1971–72 Yugoslav First League 14 0
Radnički Niš 1973–74 Yugoslav First League 3 0
Career total 308 1

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[9]
National team Year Apps Goals
Yugoslavia 1966 1 0
1967 1 0
Total 2 0

References

  1. ^ "Preminuo Miodrag Knežević, bivši golman niškog Radničkog" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Sportski spomenar" (in Serbian). rts.rs. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  3. ^ "50 godina od ulaska Radničkog u Prvu ligu" (in Serbian). juznevesti.com. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Miodrag Knežević" (in Serbian). partizanopedia.rs. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  5. ^ "1973/74: ЈЕСЕЊИ ПРВАК У ПОСЛЕДЊЕМ КОЛУ ИЗБОРИО ОПСТАНАК!" (in Serbian). gacikdesign.com. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Knežević Miodrag" (in Serbian). reprezentacija.rs. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  7. ^ "1960-61". historical-lineups.com. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  8. ^ "1961-62". historical-lineups.com. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Miodrag Knežević, international football player". 11v11.com. Retrieved 11 January 2024.