Slobodan Rajković

1.1. Early Career and Chelsea Transfer

Rajković began his football career at his hometown club, OFK Beograd. He made his debut with the club's first team at the remarkably young age of 15. His talent quickly became apparent, leading to widespread attention. In November 2005, when he was just 16 years old, English Premier League club Chelsea secured his transfer for a fee reported to be around 2.00 M EUR or 3.80 M GBP, with some reports even stating 3.50 M GBP (approximately 700.00 M JPY). This transfer fee was, at the time, notably high for an under-18 player. Chelsea's acquisition of Rajković came after competition from major European clubs like Arsenal and AC Milan. Under the terms of the agreement, Rajković remained at OFK Beograd on a loan deal from Chelsea until the conclusion of the 2006-07 Serbian SuperLiga season, allowing him to continue his development in Serbia.

1.2. Loans in the Eredivisie

Following his time at OFK Beograd, Chelsea orchestrated a series of loan moves for Rajković to clubs in the Dutch Eredivisie. In June 2007, he joined PSV for the 2007-08 Eredivisie season, a transfer that was part of the deal facilitating Alex's move to Chelsea. During his spell at PSV under coach Sef Vergoossen, Rajković made 18 official appearances and contributed to the team's league title victory. Despite PSV's desire to extend his loan for another year, Chelsea declined due to concerns over Rajković's limited playing time at Eindhoven.

He returned to the Eredivisie on July 9, 2008, signing a one-year loan deal with Twente. This move marked Twente's first signing under new manager Steve McClaren, ahead of their UEFA Champions League campaign. His loan was extended until June 2010. During his two seasons at Twente, Rajković played a total of 34 official matches, scoring one goal, and was part of the team that secured the 2009-10 Eredivisie title, marking his second league triumph in the Netherlands.

On August 23, 2010, Rajković moved to another Eredivisie club, Vitesse, on a season-long loan. He was joined by former Chelsea teammates Nemanja Matić and Matej Delač. At Vitesse, Rajković was appointed captain by new manager Albert Ferrer in October 2010. His time in the Netherlands was a period of significant development, though it was also notably interrupted by a controversial incident during his international duty.

1.3. Return to Chelsea and Departure

Rajković returned to Chelsea prior to the 2011-12 Chelsea F.C. season at the specific request of the club's new manager, André Villas-Boas. He made his first appearance in a Chelsea shirt in a friendly match against Wycombe Wanderers on July 12, 2011, at Chelsea's Cobham Training Centre. He played the second half of the match and scored Chelsea's third goal by volleying home a corner kick from Yuri Zhirkov, contributing to a 3-0 victory. He also featured in a pre-season friendly against a Malaysian XI and played against Kitchee SC in the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy held in Hong Kong.

Despite these appearances, Rajković continued to face significant hurdles regarding his eligibility to play competitive matches in England. Four years after initially signing with Chelsea, he still remained ineligible for a work permit or an EU passport. This administrative barrier prevented him from participating in matches open to the public, restricting his appearances to closed-door games or pre-season friendlies. The systemic challenges in obtaining a work permit ultimately impacted his career trajectory and led to his departure. On August 23, 2011, Rajković joined German Bundesliga club Hamburger SV on a four-year deal for a transfer fee of around 2.00 M EUR or 3.00 M GBP.

1.4. Bundesliga (Germany)

Upon joining Hamburger SV, Rajković's time in Germany was marked by both playing opportunities and significant challenges, including internal team conflicts and severe injuries. During his four years at the club, he struggled to secure a consistent starting position, making only 46 appearances across all competitions.

In July 2012, a notable incident occurred during training when Rajković was involved in a conflict with teammate Son Heung-min. The altercation resulted in another player, Turgay Arslan, sustaining a laceration to the head while attempting to intervene. This incident led to Rajković being demoted to the reserve team by then-manager Thorsten Fink. His subsequent criticism of the manager further complicated his position, and he did not feature in any senior team matches for the remainder of the year. He eventually returned to the first team in January 2013, making a substitute appearance in the Nordderby against Werder Bremen.

Rajković faced further setbacks during the 2013-14 Bundesliga season. Initially deemed surplus to requirements alongside other players like Michael Mancienne and Gojko Kačar, he was recalled to first-team training in September 2013. However, shortly after Fink's dismissal, Rajković suffered a left knee medial collateral ligament injury during a training session on September 18, 2013. He did not feature under new manager Bert van Marwijk. After another managerial change and the appointment of Mirko Slomka, Rajković made a full comeback on February 22, 2014, playing the entire match against Borussia Dortmund. In the very next game against Werder Bremen, he suffered a devastating injury, rupturing his left knee ACL in the 68th minute of the match on March 2, 2014. He resumed training in November 2014 and returned to league play after a 10-month absence on January 31, 2015, against Köln.

After his contract with Hamburger SV expired at the end of the 2014-15 Bundesliga season, Rajković signed a two-year deal with newly promoted club Darmstadt 98 on September 29, 2015.

1.5. Serie A and Serie B (Italy)

On August 1, 2016, Rajković made a move to Italy, signing a four-year contract with Serie A club Palermo. His tenure with the Rosanero lasted for three seasons, including one season in Serie A and two in Serie B. In the 2016-17 Serie A season, he was affected by injuries, limiting him to just five appearances across all competitions as the club finished 19th and was relegated. He remained with Palermo for their subsequent Serie B campaigns. However, following the 2018-19 Serie B season, Palermo faced severe financial difficulties and was ultimately excluded from Serie B, leading to their relegation to Serie D. Consequently, Rajković, along with all other players, was released in July 2019, highlighting the precarious nature of club finances on players' careers.

After a period of six months without a club, Rajković signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Serie B club Perugia on January 27, 2020, as a free agent. He made 12 appearances in the league for Perugia before his contract with the club was terminated by mutual consent on August 3, 2020.

1.6. Later Career in Eastern Europe

Following his departure from Perugia, Rajković moved to Eastern Europe. On August 13, 2020, he signed a one-year contract with Russian Premier League club FC Lokomotiv Moscow. During his time in Russia, he made nine appearances across all competitions, including matches in the UEFA Champions League group stage. His contract with Lokomotiv Moscow was mutually terminated on January 19, 2021.

Rajković then briefly played for FK TSC in his home country during the 2021-22 Serbian SuperLiga season, making five appearances and scoring one goal. His final recorded club move was on January 10, 2022, when he signed with MTK Budapest in Hungary, where he played 11 matches and scored one goal during the 2021-22 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season.

5.1. Club Statistics

5.2. International Statistics