1. Early Life and Background
Milan Rodić's early life and background are rooted in the former Yugoslavia, where he began his journey in football.
1.1. Birth and Nationality
Milan Rodić was born on 2 April 1991, in Drvar, which was then part of Yugoslavia and is now located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He holds Serbian nationality.
2. Club Career
Milan Rodić has played for several clubs throughout his professional career, primarily in Serbia and Russia, establishing himself as a reliable left-back.
2.1. OFK Beograd
Rodić began his professional career at OFK Beograd. He made his professional debut for the club on 26 April 2009, at the age of 18, in a match against Partizan. His performance earned him recognition, and almost two years later, on 25 April 2012, he was named left-back in Sportal's ideal team for Round 26 of the 2011-12 Serbian SuperLiga. During his time with OFK Beograd, he made 71 league appearances, scoring 3 goals, and contributed to 7 cup appearances with 2 goals. He also made 3 appearances in continental competitions.
2.2. Zenit Saint Petersburg
On 31 January 2013, Rodić signed a contract with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. He made his debut for Zenit on 21 February 2013, when coach Luciano Spalletti brought him on as a substitute for Sergei Semak in the 85th minute of a 2012-13 UEFA Europa League match against Liverpool. Despite this high-profile debut, Rodić made only five league appearances for Zenit. He was subsequently loaned out to FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod and Zenit's reserve team, Zenit-2, before his transfer to Krylia Sovetov.
2.3. Krylia Sovetov Samara
In August 2015, Rodić signed with Krylia Sovetov. During his two seasons with the club, he regained his competitive form. After his tenure, Rodić expressed gratitude to the fans and stated his enjoyment of playing for Krylia, but also mentioned missing his family in Serbia. He made 33 league appearances for Krylia Sovetov, scoring 2 goals, and played in 2 cup matches, scoring 1 goal.
2.4. Red Star Belgrade
On 21 July 2017, Rodić signed a three-year contract with Serbian side Red Star Belgrade. The transfer fee paid to Krylia Sovetov for Rodić was approximately 250.00 K EUR. He quickly became an integral part of the team under coach Vladan Milojević, participating in Red Star's 2017-18 UEFA Europa League campaign. On 19 October 2017, he received a red card in a Group H home match against Arsenal, which Red Star lost 1-0.
Rodić has been a key player in Red Star Belgrade's domestic dominance and European campaigns. On 12 March 2019, he extended his contract with the club until the summer of 2022. He has consistently featured in major competitions, including the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, and has been instrumental in the club's success, winning multiple Serbian SuperLiga titles and Serbian Cups. As of December 22, 2024, he has made 189 league appearances for Red Star, scoring 14 goals, and has played in 19 cup matches and 75 continental matches.
3. International Career
Milan Rodić has represented Serbia at both the youth and senior international levels, including participation in a major tournament.
3.1. Serbia national under-21 team
Rodić gained his early international experience with the Serbia national under-21 football team. He made his debut for the U-21 team on 6 June 2011, in a match against Sweden's U-21 team. He made 8 appearances for the U-21 squad.
3.2. Serbia national football team
Five years after his U-21 debut, Rodić received his first call-up to the senior Serbia national football team for a friendly match against Russia on 5 June 2016. In May 2018, he was named in Serbia's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He made his international debut on 4 June 2018, in a friendly match against Chile, coming on as a substitute for Aleksandar Kolarov in the 80th minute. Although he was selected for Serbia's squad for the 2018 World Cup, he did not make any appearances during the tournament. He has made a total of 7 appearances for the senior national team.
4. Career Statistics
This section provides a comprehensive statistical overview of Milan Rodić's professional football career, detailing his appearances and goals for various clubs and the national team.
4.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| OFK Beograd | 2008-09 | Serbian SuperLiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2009-10 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 2010-11 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2011-12 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 1 | ||||
| 2012-13 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 71 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | 81 | 5 | |||
| Zenit | 2012-13 | Russian Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||
| Volga (loan) | 2013-14 | Russian Premier League | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 18 | 0 | ||
| Zenit-2 (loan) | 2015-16 | Russian National Football League | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | 4 | 0 | |||
| Krylia Sovetov | 2015-16 | Russian Premier League | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2016-17 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 16 | 1 | ||||
| 2017-18 | Russian National Football League | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 35 | 3 | ||||
| Red Star | 2017-18 | Serbian SuperLiga | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | - | 39 | 3 | |
| 2018-19 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | - | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2019-20 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | - | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2020-21 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | - | 39 | 1 | |||
| 2021-22 | 33 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1 | - | 51 | 4 | |||
| 2022-23 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | - | 38 | 1 | |||
| 2023-24 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 34 | 3 | |||
| 2024-25 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 15 | 2 | |||
| Total | 189 | 14 | 19 | 0 | 75 | 1 | - | 283 | 15 | |||
| Career total | 320 | 24 | 30 | 4 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 431 | 28 | ||
4.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbia | 2018 | 5 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
5. Honours
Milan Rodić has achieved significant team and individual honours throughout his career, particularly with Zenit Saint Petersburg and Red Star Belgrade.
5.1. Club Honours
Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Russian Football Premier League: 2014-15
Red Star Belgrade
- Serbian SuperLiga (7): 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
- Serbian Cup (4): 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
5.2. Individual Honours
- Serbian SuperLiga Player of the Week: 2021-22 (Round 13)
- Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2023-24