Aleksandar Dragović facts for kids
Dragović with Bayer Leverkusen in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 March 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Vienna, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Austria Wien | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2009 | Austria Wien | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2009 | Austria Wien II | 8 | (2) |
| 2009–2011 | Austria Wien | 66 | (1) |
| 2011–2013 | Basel | 77 | (4) |
| 2013–2016 | Dynamo Kyiv | 66 | (0) |
| 2016–2021 | Bayer Leverkusen | 71 | (3) |
| 2017–2018 | → Leicester City (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2021–2024 | Red Star Belgrade | 95 | (7) |
| 2024– | Austria Wien | 15 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Austria U17 | 11 | (2) |
| 2008–2009 | Austria U19 | 6 | (2) |
| 2009– | Austria | 100 | (2) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Aleksandar Dragović (born on March 6, 1991) is an Austrian professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back (a defender) for Austria Wien. He also plays for the Austria national team. Dragović is known for being a strong and tough defender.
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Starting at Austria Wien
Aleksandar Dragović began his football journey in the youth teams of Austria Wien. This is a big club in Austria. In 2007, he started playing for their B-team. By the summer of 2009, he joined the main team. He played 66 league games for them. He also played in the UEFA Europa League and the Austrian Cup. He won the Austrian Cup with Austria Wien in 2009.
Moving to Basel
On February 1, 2011, Dragović signed a contract with FC Basel, a top club in Switzerland. He joined their first team in early 2011. He played his first league game for Basel on February 12, 2011. Basel won that game 3–0. He played in every match until the end of the season. Dragović helped Basel win the Swiss Championship title that year.
In the 2011–12 season, Basel won the Uhrencup. This is a friendly tournament. Dragović also helped Basel in the UEFA Champions League. On December 7, 2011, Basel beat Manchester United 2–1. This win helped Basel become the first Swiss team to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Dragović scored his first league goal for Basel on October 1, 2011. It was in a 3–0 win against Servette FC. At the end of the 2011–12 season, he won the "Double" with Basel. This means they won both the league championship and the Swiss Cup. They won the league by a large margin. They won the Swiss Cup final against Luzern after a penalty shootout.
In the 2012–13 season, Basel played in the UEFA Europa League. They reached the semi-finals of the competition. Dragović even scored a goal in the quarter-finals against Tottenham Hotspur. Basel won that match on penalties. In the semi-finals, they played against Chelsea. Chelsea won both games and went on to win the competition. Dragović played in almost all of Basel's European matches that season.
He played in 32 league games and scored three goals in the 2012–13 season. Basel won the Championship title again that year. They also reached the Swiss Cup final but lost on penalties.
Dragović left Basel on July 26, 2013. He had played 142 games for the club and scored nine goals.
Playing for Dynamo Kyiv
On July 26, 2013, Dragović signed a five-year contract with FC Dynamo Kyiv, a club in Ukraine. On May 17, 2015, he helped Dynamo beat Dnipro 1–0. This win secured Dynamo's first Ukrainian Premier League title in six years.
On November 4, 2015, Dragović scored his first ever UEFA Champions League goal. It was against Chelsea. Dynamo Kyiv lost that match 2–1. In that season, he helped Dynamo reach the last sixteen of the Champions League. This was the first time in 16 years for the club. They were knocked out by Manchester City.
Time at Bayer 04 Leverkusen
On August 22, 2016, Dragović signed a five-year contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a German club.
Loan to Leicester City
On August 31, 2017, Dragović joined Premier League club Leicester City. He played for them for one season on loan from Bayer Leverkusen.
Joining Red Star Belgrade
On May 26, 2021, Dragović signed a three-year contract with Red Star Belgrade. This was a special move for him because Red Star Belgrade was his favorite team growing up.
Playing for His Country
Aleksandar Dragović also played for Austria's national youth teams. He was part of the under-17 and under-19 teams. He was first called up to the main national team of Austria in 2009. He made his international debut on June 6, 2009. Dragović scored his first goal for Austria on November 18, 2014, in a game against Brazil.
He was part of the Austrian team for UEFA Euro 2016. In their first game, he was sent off. He also missed a penalty in a key match against Iceland. Austria lost that game.
Dragović was also part of the Austrian team that reached the round of 16 in UEFA Euro 2020. On March 29, 2022, he played his 100th match for Austria. This is a big achievement for a footballer.
About His Life
Aleksandar Dragović was born in Vienna, Austria. His parents are from Belgrade, Serbia. His favorite football team has always been Red Star Belgrade. He was very happy to join them in 2021.
In 2012, after winning the Swiss Cup with FC Basel, Dragović playfully tapped the head of a Swiss government minister during the medal ceremony. He later apologized in person for this action.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Austria Wien II | 2008–09 | Austrian First League | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | ||||
| Austria Wien | 2008–09 | Austrian Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 66 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | — | 85 | 1 | ||||
| Basel | 2010–11 | Swiss Super League | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | —!!8 | 0 | —!!39!!1 | |||||||
| 2012–13 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | —!!19 | 0 | —!!54!!3 | |||||||
| 2013–14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 77 | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | — | 111 | 4 | ||||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2013–14 | Ukrainian Premier League | 21 | 0 | 5 | 0 | —!!9 | 0 | —!!35!!0 | |||||
| 2014–15 | 24 | 0 | 6 | 1 | —!!10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41!!1 | |||||
| 2015–16 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | —!!8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30!!1 | |||||
| 2016–17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 5!!0 | |||||
| Total | 66 | 0 | 15 | 1 | — | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 111 | 2 | |||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | —!!3 | 0 | —!!23!!0 | |||||
| 2017–18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | —!!0 | 0 | —!!1!!0 | |||||||
| 2018–19 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | —!!8 | 0 | —!!28!!2 | |||||||
| 2019–20 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | —!!6 | 0 | —!!25!!0 | |||||||
| 2020–21 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | —!!8 | 1 | —!!29!!2 | |||||||
| Total | 71 | 3 | 10 | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | — | 106 | 4 | ||||
| Leicester City (loan) | 2017–18 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 16!!0 | |||
| Red Star Belgrade | 2021–22 | Serbian SuperLiga | 34 | 4 | 5 | 0 | —!!13 | 0 | —!!52!!4 | |||||
| 2022–23 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | —!!9 | 0 | —!!44!!0 | |||||||
| 2023–24 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 0 | —!!6 | 0 | —!!40!!3 | |||||||
| Total | 95 | 7 | 13 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | — | 136 | 7 | ||||
| Austria Wien | 2024–25 | Austrian Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 394 | 17 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 123 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 573 | 20 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2009 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dragović goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 November 2014 | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Brazil |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 28 March 2021 |  Faroe Islands |
1–1 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Austria Wien
- Austrian Cup: 2008–09
Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Swiss Cup: 2012
Dynamo Kyiv
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2014–15, 2015–16
- Ukrainian Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2016
Red Star Belgrade
- Serbian SuperLiga: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Serbian Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Individual
- Swiss Golden Player Award: "Best Defender" 2012
- Europa League team of the group stage: 2012
- Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2022–23
See Also
In Spanish: Aleksandar Dragović para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
