Dragan Stojković

Radnički Niš

A midfielder and occasional forward, Stojković began his professional playing career with Yugoslav First League and hometown side Radnički Niš. His full squad debut took place at age seventeen under head coach Dušan Nenković during the 1981-82 season in the form of a substitute league appearance on 4 April 1982 away at FK Vardar. It was the young player's only full squad appearance of the season and it took place just a few days before Radnički's famous UEFA Cup semi-final tie versus Hamburger SV, the Niš club's greatest success. Over the following four seasons, Stojković appeared in 70 matches for Radnički, scoring eight goals.

Red Star Belgrade

In the summer of 1986, twenty-one-year-old Stojković moved to Red Star Belgrade where he would spend the next four seasons, scoring 54 times in 120 appearances. By the 1989-90 season, Stojković became a transfer target for some of the biggest and richest European clubs of the day. Juventus representatives were the first to approach the player as well as Red Star. However, any possibility of a deal soon fell through due to Stojković's reported skepticism about his playing opportunities in Turin due to the UEFA-enforced three-foreigners matchday squad rule and the bianconeri already having three foreigners in their Dino Zoff-coached team—Soviets Sergei Aleinikov and Oleksandr Zavarov as well as Portuguese Rui Barros. Then, in late November 1989, Olympique de Marseille owner Bernard Tapie flew to…

Youth level

Stojković made his under-21 debut on 11 October 1983 versus Norway in Pančevo as part of qualifying for the 1984 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Playing under head coach Ivan Toplak, the youngster from Radnički Niš scored on his debut as Yugoslavia won 6–2.

Senior team

Stojković made 84 career international appearances, scoring 15 times, those split between the SFR Yugoslavia national team and the FR Yugoslavia national team. He played for the former in UEFA Euro 1984, 1984 Summer Olympics, 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1990 FIFA World Cup and for the latter in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. He made his international debut on 12 November 1983 in a scoreless draw against France. At the 1990 World Cup, Stojković scored both goals in Yugoslavia's 2–1 round-of-16 defeat of Spain in Verona. In the quarter-final, he was one of three Yugoslavs to miss in the 3–2 penalty shootout defeat to finalists Argentina. He was later called to UEFA Euro 1992, but the nation would be suspended due to the Yugoslav Wars. After being part of team in 1998 FIFA World Cup (scoring in a 2–2 draw against Germany in the team's second group match) and UEFA Euro 2000, his final international match was against the country he spent much of his playing career in, Japan, on 4 July 2001.

A highly skilful midfield playmaker, Stojković is considered to be one of the greatest players ever to come out of former Yugoslavia; he was also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, as a central midfielder, or as a forward, and was even used as a target–man on occasion. A quick, opportunistic, and unpredictable player, he was known in particular for his vision, creativity, and passing ability, as well as his excellent technique and dribbling skills, which enabled him to beat several opponents, and earned him the nickname "the Maradona of the Balkans." Despite his talent, however, his career was affected by several injuries, which hindered his potential.

Born to father Dobrivoje and mother Desanka in Niš, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, Stojković took to football very early while growing up in the Pasi Poljana community in Niš. He was nicknamed Piksi after Pixie, one of the characters from the cartoon Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks. In addition to his native Serbian, Stojković also speaks English, French, Italian, and some Japanese.

Youth football

Playing in the FK Radnički Niš youth system, in summer 1979, fourteen-year-old Stojković's talent was already evident as he was attached to the Vladica Kovačević-coached FK Partizan under-16 team as a temporary addition to the squad for the duration of a tournament in Quimper, France. Flown to Belgrade and then to France for the occasion, the trip marked a series of firsts for the youngster: his first time in the Yugoslav capital Belgrade, first time travelling abroad, and his first time on an airplane. Upon returning to Radnički, Stojković was again attached to the FK Partizan youth squad the following summer, 1980, for youth tournaments in the Italian Adriatic coastal towns of Senigallia and Falconara Marittima.