Darko KovaÄević
Kovačević 2008 jersey Olympiakos Piraeus
Darko Kovačević ( Cyrillic spelling: Дарко Ковачевић, born November 18, 1973 in Kovin, SFR Yugoslavia ) is a former Serbian football player.
He distinguished himself particularly by his heading ability and his athleticism.
Career
In the club
Darko Kovačević began his career at Proleter Zrenjanin. Between 1994 and 1995 he played for FK Red Star Belgrade where he made the breakthrough, and won with the team the Yugoslav championship and the Yugoslav Cup.
He then moved to the English first division only Sheffield Wednesday and then to Real Sociedad in Spain.
In 1999, Darko Kovačević committed by Italian giants Juventus. At Juve he was two years under contract and missed with the team twice very nearly winning the Italian championship. In the season 1999/2000 he was, despite Juve from in the second round, with ten goals in eight games top scorer in the UEFA Cup.
For the 2001/02 season Juventus committed Chilean Marcelo Salas of Lazio, as part of this transfer Kovačević moved in return for the capital club. With Lazio he did not come to train and therefore returned even during the season to his old club Real Sociedad. In the season 2002/ 03 he was back with 20 goals in 36 league appearances to his old form, but after his goal tally went back. At the end of the season 2006/ 07 he went down with his club and then moved in summer 2007 to Olympiakos Piraeus to Greece, where he received a one-year contract. His contract was renewed again; Kovačević was one of the performers at the Greek champions. During the 2008/ 09 season have been diagnosed with heart problems. He was then operated on 13 January 2009 in Spain, the surgery went well.
In the National Team
Darko Kovačević completed on December 27, 1994 at 0:1 against Argentina, his first international match, he denied a total of 59 appearances for Serbia and Montenegro and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, scoring ten goals and participated in the 1998 World Cup in France.
After finishing his career as a football player
Currently, Darko Kovačević head of the scouting team of Olympiakos Piraeus and technical advisor to the administrative department of Olympiakos Piraeus.
Achievements
- Yugoslav Championship: 1994/95
- Yugoslavian Football Cup: 1994/95
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
- UEFA Cup top scorer: 1999/2000
- Greek Soccer Supercup: 2007
- Greek Cup: 2007/ 08
- Greek Soccer Cup: 2008