1. Playing Career
Aleksandar Luković's playing career spanned nearly two decades, beginning in his hometown of Kraljevo and extending to top clubs in Serbia, Italy, and Russia, culminating in a significant return to Red Star Belgrade before his retirement.
1.1. Youth and Early Career
Luković began his football journey at his hometown club, Sloga Kraljevo, where he made his professional debut in 1998. He spent his formative years at the club before joining Crvena Zvezda in 2002. In 2002, he made his first appearance in a continental club competition, the UEFA Cup, on August 15, when he was substituted in for Nemanja Vidić during a match against FC Kairat, which Red Star won 2-0. During his early professional career, he also had a short loan spell at Borac Čačak in 1999-2000, though he did not make any appearances for the club.
1.2. Club Career
Luković's club career was characterized by stints at prominent European clubs, where he developed into a versatile and reliable defender.
1.2.1. Red Star Belgrade (First Stint)
Luković's initial period with Red Star Belgrade, from 2001 to 2006, saw him establish himself as a key defender. After his debut in the UEFA Cup in 2002, he continued to contribute to the team's success. He featured in several seasons for Red Star, including the 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05, and 2005-06 campaigns. During this time, he made 64 league appearances and scored 3 goals. He also participated in 14 cup and continental matches.
1.2.2. Loan to Jedinstvo Ub
During the 2003-04 season, Luković was loaned to Jedinstvo Ub from Red Star Belgrade. This loan spell provided him with more regular playing time, where he made 23 appearances and scored 2 goals.
1.2.3. Ascoli and Udinese
In mid-2006, after signing a pre-contract with Udinese, Luković was loaned from Red Star Belgrade to Ascoli. This arrangement was primarily to facilitate Udinese's acquisition of a non-EU player registration quota through Ascoli. He played 10 matches for Ascoli before officially moving to Udinese in the January transfer window of 2007. His Serie A debut for Udinese came on January 27, 2007, against Torino. In mid-2007, he was permanently signed by Udinese from Red Star. He remained at Udinese until 2010, making a total of 97 league appearances.
1.2.4. Zenit Saint Petersburg
On July 29, 2010, Luković officially signed a four-year contract with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. Initially, he was a regular starter for the team. However, his playing time became more limited following the arrival of Domenico Criscito, who took over the left-back position. During his tenure with Zenit, he made 40 league appearances and scored 1 goal. From 2012 to 2014, he also played for Zenit-2, the reserve team, where he made an additional 28 appearances and scored 2 goals.
1.2.5. Red Star Belgrade (Second Stint)
After persistent rumors, Aleksandar Luković made his much-anticipated return to Red Star Belgrade on December 29, 2014, signing a 2.5-year contract alongside Dušan Anđelković. His second spell, however, started with a significant setback; on February 6, 2015, he suffered a serious injury during a friendly match against Rubin Kazan, which kept him sidelined until the summer of 2015. He finally made his first appearance for Red Star after the injury on August 23, 2015, coming on as a substitute for Savo Pavićević. The entire stadium applauded his return, demonstrating the fans' appreciation. Luković played a crucial role as a captain during this period, making 56 league appearances and scoring 6 goals. He also participated in 6 cup matches and 1 continental match, scoring 2 goals in the cup. At the end of his contract in the summer of 2017, Luković departed the club as a free agent.
1.3. International Career
Luković's international career saw him represent both Serbia and Montenegro and then the independent Serbian national team, participating in a major global tournament.
1.3.1. National Team Debut and World Cup Participation
Aleksandar Luković made his international debut for Serbia and Montenegro against Poland on August 15, 2005. Following the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro, he continued to represent the Serbian national team. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Luković played a significant role, often partnering Nemanja Vidić in central defense, with Aleksandar Kolarov typically preferred at left-back. In June 2010, he was selected for Serbia's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa. He featured in the group stage matches against Ghana and Australia. In Serbia's opening match against Ghana on June 13, 2010, he was sent off. He earned a total of 28 caps for the national team.
1.3.2. Retirement from International Football
In March 2011, Luković unexpectedly announced his retirement from the national team at the age of 28, stating his desire to focus solely on his club career with Zenit Saint Petersburg. His teammate, Danko Lazović, made a similar announcement at the same time. Although he initially retired, Luković briefly returned to the national team after Siniša Mihajlović was appointed as manager, making one final appearance in 2012 before his definitive retirement.
2. Managerial Career
After concluding his playing career, Aleksandar Luković transitioned into football management, focusing on youth national teams within the Serbian football system.
He began his managerial journey with the Serbian U16 national team, serving from July 7, 2021, to June 30, 2022. During this period, he led the team to 7 wins, 1 draw, and 0 losses in 8 matches. Subsequently, on July 7, 2022, he was appointed as the manager of the Serbian U17 national team, a position he currently holds. As of March 7, 2024, he has overseen 14 matches for the U17 team, recording 9 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses.
| Team | From | To | Matches played | Matches won | Matches drawn | Matches lost | Win percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbia U16 | 7 July 2021 | 30 June 2022 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 87.50% |
| Serbia U17 | 7 July 2022 | Present | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 64.29% |
| Total | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 72.73% | ||
3. Career Statistics
Aleksandar Luković's career statistics provide a comprehensive overview of his appearances and goals throughout his professional playing career at both club and international levels.
3.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sloga Kraljevo | 1998-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999-00 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2000-01 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2001-02 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |
| Total | 49 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 5 | |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2001-02 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2002-03 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 2005-06 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| Total | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 3 | |
| Jedinstvo Ub (loan) | 2003-04 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| Ascoli | 2006-07 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Udinese | 2006-07 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2007-08 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 2008-09 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 2009-10 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| Total | 97 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 0 | |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2010 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| 2011-12 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| 2012-13 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2013-14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 1 | |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2014-15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| 2016-17 | 28 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 7 | |
| Total | 56 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 8 | |
| Career total | 360 | 17 | 20 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 422 | 20 | |
3.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbia | 2005 | 5 | 0 |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 0 | |
4. Honours
Aleksandar Luković achieved significant success throughout his playing career, winning multiple titles with his clubs and earning individual recognition.
Red Star Belgrade
- Serbian SuperLiga: 2005-06, 2015-16
- Serbian Cup: 2001-02, 2005-06
Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Russian Premier League: 2010, 2011-12
- Russian Super Cup: 2011
Individual
- Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2015-16
5. Retirement
Aleksandar Luković officially retired from professional football in July 2017. His retirement concluded a career that spanned nearly two decades, during which he achieved significant club and individual accolades.
6. External links
- [https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=12537 Aleksandar Luković at EU-Football.info]
- [http://www.reprezentacija.rs/statistika/reprezentativci/1246 Profile on Serbian National Team Page]
- [http://en.fc-zenit.ru/main/team/players/13260.html FC Zenit Saint Petersburg official profile]