Dragan Žilić

Dragan Žilić

Personal information
Full name	Dragan Žilić
Date of birth	(1974-12-14) 14 December 1974
Place of birth	Kikinda, SFR Yugoslavia
Height
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1996	Kikinda	70	(0)
1996–2000	Vojvodina	49	(0)
2000–2001	CSKA Sofia	1	(0)
2001–2005	Sartid Smederevo	112	(0)
2005–2009	Rijeka	78	(0)
2009–2010	Gorica	19	(0)
International career
1998–2003	Serbia and Montenegro	8	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dragan Žilić (Serbian Cyrillic: Драган Жилић; born 14 December 1974) is a former Serbian football goalkeeper.

Playing career

Born in Kikinda, Žilić started his career at local OFK Kikinda from where he transferred to FK Vojvodina in 1996. In 2000, he moved to Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia. However, after only one season there, Žilić returned to his country with Sartid Smederevo.

During the summer of 2005, Žilić's transfer from FK Smederevo to HNK Rijeka caused a minor sensation as it marked the first occasion in a very long time that a player of Serbian ethnicity moved to a Croatian club. Already 30 years of age at this time, Žilić earned a place in the first team right away, helping his new club with a series of confident goalkeeping displays. Simultaneously off the pitch and sometimes even on it, he was the victim of constant verbal abuse from the nationalist elements of Rijeka fans. They threw flares at him, threatened him with violence and displayed match day banners that read: "Žilić, out of Rijeka, and out of Croatia".

Over time the abuse toned down and the fans mostly managed to tolerate his presence on their team. His standing in fan eyes improved as he played well during Rijeka's 2005–06 run in the Croatian Cup that ended with the club lifting the trophy. On 29 November 2006, Žilić scored a 92nd-minute header versus NK Konavljanin that got Rijeka into the 2006–07 Croatian Cup semifinals.

By fall 2008, Žilić's role in the club got marginalized as he lost his first team spot and got demoted to as low as training with juniors. During the 2008–09 winter transfer window he moved to Slovenian club ND Gorica.

Post-playing career

In December 2012, Žilić became the president of OFK Kikinda. Today he lives in Deux-Ponts in Germany.

Career statistics

Club	Season	League
		Apps	Goals
Smederevo	2001–02	33	0
	2002–03	33	0
	2003–04	27	0
	2004–05	19	0
	Total	112	0

Honours

Sartid Smederevo

• Serbia and Montenegro Cup: 2002–03

Rijeka

• Croatian Cup: 2005–06

External links

• PrvaLiga profile
• Reprezentacija profile
• Dragan Žilić at National-Football-Teams.com