1. Overview
Ranko Despotović (Ранко ДеспотовићRanko DespotovićSerbian), born on 21 January 1983, is a Serbian retired professional footballer who primarily played as a forward. His career spanned multiple clubs across various countries, including his native Serbia, Romania, Spain, Japan, and Australia, where he achieved notable successes such as being a top scorer in the Serbian SuperLiga and contributing significantly to his teams. Following his retirement from playing, Despotović transitioned into management, currently serving as the manager of UD Caravaca.
2. Early life
Ranko Despotović was born on 21 January 1983, in Loznica, located in the Mačva District of what was then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia).
3. Playing career
Ranko Despotović had a notable career as a professional footballer, primarily operating as a forward. His career saw him play for numerous clubs across several leagues and countries, demonstrating his versatility and goal-scoring ability. He also represented the Serbian national team in international competitions.
3.1. Club career
Despotović began his professional career at the age of 17 with his local club, FK Loznica, where he played from 2001 to 2003. During his initial three years, he made 64 appearances and scored 21 goals. Following his impressive performances, he was acquired by FK Vojvodina.
His time at Vojvodina (2003-2007) included loan spells at FK Mačva Šabac. While on loan at Mačva Šabac from 2003 to 2005, he played 32 matches and scored 10 goals. Upon his return to Vojvodina, Despotović had a stellar 2006-07 season, where he topped the nation's goal charts by netting 17 times in 24 appearances, helping the team secure third place in the Serbian Superliga and reaching the final of the Serbian Cup. Overall for Vojvodina, he made 64 league appearances and scored 21 goals across his various stints. In the 2007-08 season, he scored 4 goals in 16 appearances before his mid-season transfer.
In January 2008, Despotović signed with FC Rapid București in Romania, where he made 8 appearances and scored 4 goals during the 2007-08 season. Later that summer, he moved to Spain, joining second-division club Real Murcia on a three-year contract for 1.50 M EUR. He was recruited by head coach Javier Clemente, who had become aware of Despotović while coaching the Serbian national team. For Murcia, he played 35 matches and scored 8 goals in the 2008-09 season.
For the 2009-10 campaign, Despotović remained in Spain's second division, joining UD Salamanca on a season-long loan. He made 24 league appearances, scoring 4 goals, and also played in 3 cup matches. The following year, during the 2010-11 season, he moved to Girona FC, where he was a key player, leading the Catalans with 18 goals in 34 appearances. This placed him as the seventh-best scorer in the competition, helping Girona finish comfortably in mid-table. He also scored 1 goal in 1 cup appearance for Girona.
On 1 July 2011, Despotović signed for Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds. He made his official debut for Urawa in a J1 League match against Júbilo Iwata on 17 July 2011. His first official goal for the club came on 27 July in the J. League Cup 1st round 2nd leg against Montedio Yamagata, scoring from a pass by Sergio Escudero. He was the top scorer in the Nabisco Cup that year with 4 goals. In the 2012 season, he scored his first J1 League goal in his second game, against Kashiwa Reysol. He made 14 league appearances in 2011 (scoring 0 goals) and 11 appearances in 2012 (scoring 1 goal). He also played 5 cup matches, scoring 4 goals in 2011, and 4 cup matches, scoring 1 goal in 2012. He did not feature in any matches during the 2013 season due to a lower back injury and his contract expired at the end of June 2013.
In late 2013, after an unsuccessful trial at his former club Girona, Despotović moved to Sydney FC in Australia, reportedly convinced to join by his former Vojvodina teammate Nikola Petković. He made a memorable debut for Sydney FC against Wellington Phoenix FC, coming on as a substitute and scoring the 2-1 winning goal in injury time. He played 17 matches and scored 6 goals for Sydney FC in the 2013-14 A-League season.
Despotović returned to Spain on 7 July 2014, joining second-level side Deportivo Alavés. For Alavés, he made 24 appearances and scored 4 goals in the 2014-15 season, also scoring 1 goal in 2 cup appearances. He subsequently competed in Spain's lower leagues, playing for Cádiz CF and Marbella FC. In the 2015-16 season, he played 16 matches for Cádiz without scoring. He joined Marbella FC on 17 August 2016, making 15 appearances and scoring 4 goals before leaving the club at the end of 2016.
3.2. International career
Ranko Despotović made his debut for the Serbian national team on 24 November 2007, in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Kazakhstan, which Serbia won 1-0 at home. He accumulated 4 international caps between 2007 and 2011, without scoring any goals. His fourth and final international appearance was a friendly match away against Australia in June 2011.
4. Managerial career
Following his retirement as a professional footballer, Ranko Despotović transitioned into football management. He is currently the manager of UD Caravaca.
5. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Loznica | 2000-01 | 14 | 2 | - | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 2001-02 | 21 | 6 | - | 0 | 0 | 21 | 6 | ||||
| 2002-03 | 29 | 13 | - | 0 | 0 | 29 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 21 | - | 0 | 0 | 64 | 21 | ||||
| Mačva Šabac (loan) | 2003-04 | 15 | 4 | - | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | |||
| 2004-05 | 17 | 6 | - | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 10 | - | 0 | 0 | 32 | 10 | ||||
| Vojvodina | 2003-04 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2005-06 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2006-07 | 24 | 17 | 5 | 3 | - | 0 | 0 | 29 | 20 | ||
| 2007-08 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 | 4 | 21 | 8 | ||
| Total | 64 | 21 | 8 | 3 | - | 4 | 4 | 76 | 28 | ||
| Rapid București | 2007-08 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | ||||
| Murcia | 2008-09 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 8 | ||||
| Salamanca (loan) | 2009-10 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | ||
| Girona | 2010-11 | 34 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 19 | ||
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2011 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | - | 19 | 4 | |
| 2012 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | 15 | 2 | ||
| Total | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5 | - | 34 | 6 | ||
| Sydney FC | 2013-14 | 17 | 6 | - | - | - | 17 | 6 | |||
| Alavés | 2014-15 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 26 | 5 | |
| Cádiz | 2015-16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | |
| Marbella | 2016-17 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 15 | 4 | |
| Career total | 358 | 101 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 385 | 115 | |