Dragan Mrđa Explained

Dragan Mrđa
Birth Date:23 January 1984
Birth Place:Vršac, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Position:Forward
Youthyears1:2000–2001
Youthclubs1:Red Star Belgrade
Years1:2001–2005
Clubs1:Red Star Belgrade
Caps1:39
Goals1:7
Years2:2003–2005
Clubs2:Jedinstvo Ub (loan)
Caps2:27
Goals2:10
Years3:2005–2007
Clubs3:Lierse
Caps3:30
Goals3:2
Years4:2006
Clubs4:Zulte Waregem (loan)
Caps4:5
Goals4:0
Years5:2007–2008
Clubs5:Khimki
Caps5:9
Goals5:2
Years6:2008–2010
Clubs6:Vojvodina
Caps6:56
Goals6:35
Years7:2010–2013
Clubs7:Sion
Caps7:32
Goals7:9
Years8:2013–2014
Clubs8:Red Star Belgrade
Caps8:27
Goals8:19
Years9:2014–2017
Clubs9:Omiya Ardija
Caps9:89
Goals9:34
Years10:2017–2018
Clubs10:Shonan Bellmare
Caps10:10
Goals10:1
Years11:2018
Caps11:1
Goals11:0
Totalcaps:325
Totalgoals:119
Nationalyears1:2008–2014
Nationalcaps1:14
Nationalgoals1:2
Manageryears1:2022
Managerclubs1:Kashima Antlers (assistant)

Dragan Mrđa (Serbian: Драган Мрђа; born 23 January 1984) is a Serbian football coach and a former forward. At international level he has represented Serbia.

Club career

Early career

After spending many years of his youth playing with Red Star Belgrade, during which he was loaned to FK Jedinstvo Ub, he decided to accept a challenge that came from Belgium and moved to Lierse S.K. in August 2005. In the summer of 2006, he was loaned to another Belgian First Division club, S.V. Zulte Waregem before moving to Russia to play with Premier League club FC Khimki.

Vojvodina

After one season in Russia, he returned to Serbia to join FK Vojvodina in the Serbian SuperLiga. In spite of arriving to the club off of dry spells in Belgium and Russia, he became Vojvodina's captain after a remarkably short period of time due to a spontaneous explosion of good form. His prolific goal-scoring with Vojvodina earned him calls from the Serbia national team from 2008, having been called up for a friendly against Bulgaria and another friendly match against Austria which took place the same year.[1] By the end of the 2009–10 season, Mrđa had scored 22 goals in 29 league games and was named SuperLiga Player of the Year.

Sion

After two seasons spent in Novi Sad, in summer 2010, he signed a 3-year contract with Swiss side FC Sion.[2] In March 2011 in a match against FC Zürich he suffered a serious knee injury which kept him out of football for six months.[3]

Return to Red Star Belgrade

After seasons spent in Sion, Mrđa returned to the club at which he debuted professionally, signing a two-year contract with Red Star Belgrade.[4] On September 29, 2013, he scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 win against FK Spartak Subotica.[5] On November 23, 2013, he scored another hat-trick in a 4–1 win against FK Sloboda Užice, becoming Red Star's highest goal-scorer of the half-season.[6]

Omiya Ardija

On 1 July 2014, Mrđa joined J. League Division 1 club Omiya Ardija.[7] Mrđa scored on his debut on 19 July 2014 helping them to earn a 3–3 draw against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.[8] He played 18 times for Omiya in the 2014 as they suffered relegation to the Division 2.

International career

Mrđa was a part of the Serbian U21 team that made it to the final of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he scored coming off the bench against the Netherlands U21 side. By the end of the championship he had scored a total of two goals, which was on level with the likes of Ryan Babel. Mrđa scored two goals for the Serbia national team in a 3–0 friendly win against Japan on April 7, 2010.[9]

In June 2010, he was called up by Radomir Antić to Serbia's squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but didn't make any appearances there.

Career statistics

Club

Updated to 23 February 2017.[10]

Club performanceLeagueCupLeague CupTotal
SeasonClubLeagueApps GoalsApps GoalsApps GoalsApps Goals
JapanLeagueEmperor's CupJ. League CupTotal
2014Omiya ArdijaJ1 League18910199
2015J2 League3619103719
2016J1 League2762030326
Total813440308834

International

Serbia national team
YearAppsGoals
200820
200900
201072
201130
201200
201300
201420
Total142

International goals

DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Orlovi ::: Srbija ::: Fudbalska reprezentacija Srbije ::: FSS ::: Mrdja Dragan . 2010-03-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100530101516/http://www.reprezentacija.rs/cgi-bin/index.pl?str=igraci&strana=Mrdja_Dragan . 2010-05-30 .
  2. Web site: Kraj "španske serije": Mrđa u Sionu.
  3. Web site: Sportal.rs - Evropski fudbal - "Orlovi" bez jednog napadača protiv Irske i Estonije . 2013-07-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110910001907/http://sportal.rs/news.php?id=46937 . 2011-09-10 . Sportal: "Orlovi" bez jednog napadača protiv Irske i Estonije - March 13, 2011
  4. http://www.b92.net/sport/fudbal/vesti.php?yyyy=2013&mm=08&dd=13&nav_id=742361
  5. Web site: Blic Sport | Petarda Zvezde: Het-trik Mrđe i sjajni golovi Daude i Milijaša protiv Spartaka . 2013-12-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211181733/http://sport.blic.rs/Fudbal/Domaci-fudbal/240577/Petarda-Zvezde-hettrik-Mrdje-i-sjajni-golovi-Daude-i-Milijasa-protiv-Spartaka . 2013-12-11 . Blic Sport: Petarda Zvezde: het-trik Mrđe i sjajni golovi Daude i Milijaša protiv Spartaka September 29, 2013. By B. Vinulović
  6. http://www.mozzartsport.com/vesti/mrdja-ne-zna-da-da-gol-on-daje-samo-po-dvatri-video/65730
  7. http://www.ardija.co.jp/news/detail/5551.html FKレッドスター・ベオグラード ムルジャ選手 大宮アルディージャ加入のお知らせ (Notice of FK Red Star Belgrade player Murr Ja Omiya Ardija join)
  8. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2014/07/21/soccer/j-league/return-shutdown-helps-forget-world-cup-woes/#.VXF-nUaYi6R Return from shutdown helps to forget World Cup woes
  9. Web site: Blic Sport | Mrđa i slobodnjak Tomića za trijumf Srbije u Japanu! . 2013-12-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211182052/http://sport.blic.rs/Fudbal/Svetski-fudbal/176088/Dva-gola-Mrdje-i-slobodnjak-Tomica-za-trijumf-Srbije-u-Japanu-od-30 . 2013-12-11 . Blic Sport: Mrđa i slobodnjak Tomića za trijumf Srbije u Japanu! April 7, 2010
  10. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)", 8 February 2017, Japan, (p. 41 out of 289)