Zoran Milinković (footballer)

Serbian footballer and manager

Zoran Milinković
Personal information
Date of birth	(1968-07-18) 18 July 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth	Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Al-Zulfi (manager)
Youth career
1975–1977	TEK Sloga Veliki Crljeni
1977–1987	Partizan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1987–1989	Mladost Petrinja
1990	Partizan	2	(0)
1991	Vojvodina	10	(0)
1991–1992	Mogren	25	(6)
1992–1993	Borac Banja Luka
1993–1994	Radnički Niš	31	(5)
1994	Kispest-Honvéd	13	(1)
1995	Tosu Futures	25	(4)
1996	Waregem	13	(1)
1996–1998	Nice	63	(2)
1998–1999	Hansa Rostock	6	(0)
1999–2001	Anorthosis Famagusta	40	(3)
2001–2002	Doxa Katokopia	8	(0)
Managerial career
2004	Obilić
2005–2008	BSK Borča
2008	Kolubara
2009	Srem
2009–2010	Spartak Subotica
2010–2011	Vojvodina
2012	Spartak Subotica
2012–2013	OFK Beograd
2013	Aris Thessaloniki
2014–2015	Voždovac
2015	Partizan
2016	Anorthosis
2017	Borac Banja Luka
2018	Rad
2019–2020	Kolubara
2020–2021	Kolubara
2021	Borac Banja Luka
2021–2022	Radnički 1923
2022	Napredak Kruševac
2022–2023	Al-Nasr Benghazi
2023–2024	Al-Ain
2024–	Al-Zulfi
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Zoran Milinković (Serbian Cyrillic: Зоран Милинковић; born 18 July 1968) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Saudi club Al-Zulfi.

Playing career

Milinković came through the youth system of Partizan, before starting his senior career at lower league club Mladost Petrinja. He returned to Partizan and made two league appearances during the first part of the 1990–91 season, before moving to Vojvodina. Milinković also played for Mogren, Borac Banja Luka, Radnički Niš, Kispest-Honvéd, Tosu Futures, Waregem, Nice, Hansa Rostock, Anorthosis Famagusta and Doxa Katokopia.

Managerial career

Milinković started his managerial career as an assistant manager to Ratko Dostanić at Obilić during the 2002–03 season, before they both left and took up identical roles at Sartid Smederevo ahead of the 2003–04 season. He was appointed as the manager of Obilić in August 2004, but was released after only two months. He then became the manager of BSK Borča, having a lot of success in the following three seasons. He left the club before they made their Serbian SuperLiga debut. After leaving BSK Borča, Milinković had unassuming brief spells at Kolubara and Srem.

In the summer of 2009, he was appointed manager of newly promoted SuperLiga club Spartak Subotica. He also worked at Vojvodina, OFK Beograd, Aris Thessaloniki and Voždovac.

Partizan

On 25 March 2015, Milinković was named manager of FK Partizan after Marko Nikolić was sacked. On 4 April 2015, he made his debut on the bench of Partizan in a 2–1 home win against Radnički Kragujevac. In the spring part of the 2014–15 season, Milinković has returned the title of champion of Serbia to Partizan, which was last season won by Red Star Belgrade. Milinković enrolled 7 wins with Partizan in the Serbian SuperLiga in the spring part of the 2014–15 season and three draws, while in the Serbian Cup he enrolled one win and one defeat.

He began the 2015–16 season in a win over Dila Gori in the second qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League on 14 July 2015. In the Serbian SuperLiga he also had a great start, defeating Metalac Gornji Milanovac 4–0, while in the second round Partizan won against Jagodina 6–0. On 5 August 2015, Milinković and his squad won against Romanian champions Steaua București in the second leg of the third qualifying round for the Champions League and so qualified Partizan to the Champions League qualifying play-off. The last time that Partizan qualified to the Champions League play-off was when it was led by Aleksandar Stanojević in the summer of 2010.

On 26 August 2015, Milinković's Partizan was defeated by BATE Borisov and as a result entered the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.