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Dušan Tadić
Personal information
Tadić with Ajax in 2023
Full name	Dušan Tadić
Date of birth	(1988-11-20) 20 November 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth	Bačka Topola, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, forward
Youth career
	AIK Bačka Topola
2002–2006	Vojvodina
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2010	Vojvodina	107	(29)
2010–2012	Groningen	68	(14)
2012–2014	Twente	66	(28)
2014–2018	Southampton	134	(21)
2018–2023	Ajax	161	(77)
2023–2025	Fenerbahçe	73	(21)
International career
2007–2010	Serbia U21	24	(1)
2008–2024	Serbia	111	(23)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:00, 26 May 2025 (UTC)

Dušan Tadić (born on November 20, 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer. He recently played for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. Tadić can play as an attacking midfielder, winger, or forward. He also played for the Serbian National Team.

Tadić started his youth career at his hometown club AIK Bačka Topola and then Vojvodina. He even played in the UEFA Europa League with Vojvodina. After playing for Groningen and Twente in the Netherlands, he moved to Southampton in England's Premier League.

In 2018, Tadić returned to the Netherlands to join Ajax. There, he won three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups. He was also the top scorer in the 2018–19 Eredivisie and named 2020–21 Eredivisie Player of the Season. Tadić left Ajax in 2023 with 105 goals and 112 assists in 241 matches, then joined Fenerbahçe.

Tadić holds the record for most appearances for Serbia, with 111 caps. He first played for his country in 2008. He represented Serbia at the Olympics in 2008, and at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022. He also played in the UEFA European Championship in 2024.

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Club Career Highlights

Starting at Vojvodina

Dušan Tadić began his football journey in his hometown. He joined Vojvodina as a professional player at 18. He played his first matches in the Meridian SuperLiga. During his time at Vojvodina, he gained valuable experience. He played almost four full seasons without major injuries. In the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase, he scored a goal against Austria Wien when he was only 20.

Moving to Groningen

Tadić playing for Groningen in 2011

In 2010, Vojvodina sold Dušan Tadić to Groningen. He made his debut for Groningen on August 8, 2010, in an Eredivisie match against Ajax. He played the whole game and helped set up a goal. On December 18, 2010, Tadić scored his first goal for Groningen. He finished the 2010–11 season with 7 goals and 22 assists in 41 matches. He had the third-highest number of assists in Europe that season. Only Mesut Özil and Lionel Messi had more.

He played for Groningen from 2010 to 2012. After that, he moved to Twente.

Time at Twente

On April 10, 2012, Tadić signed with Twente. He moved from Groningen for €7.7 million. In his first game on August 12, 2012, he scored two goals against his old club. He ended his first season as the team's second-highest scorer with 16 goals. In the next season, Tadić again scored 16 goals. This made him the team's top scorer.

Playing for Southampton

Tadić scoring a penalty, his first goal for Southampton, as they defeated Arsenal in 2014

Tadić was the first player signed by new Southampton manager Ronald Koeman. He joined on July 8, 2014, signing a four-year deal. He made his first game appearance on August 17 in their first Premier League match of the season. He helped set up Southampton's goal in that game.

He scored his first Southampton goal on September 23 with a penalty against Arsenal. His first league goal came in an 8–0 win over Sunderland. In that game, he also assisted four other goals. This equaled a Premier League record for most assists in one match.

On January 1, 2015, Tadić scored in a 2–0 win against Arsenal. Ten days later, he scored the only goal as Southampton beat Manchester United at Old Trafford. This was Southampton's first league win at Old Trafford since 1988. He scored two goals in a 3–0 win against Norwich City on August 30, 2015. He also scored twice in a 4–2 win over Aston Villa on April 23, 2016. In the next game, he provided three assists against Manchester City. This made him only the fourth player to have three or more assists in more than one Premier League game.

Success at Ajax

Tadić captaining Ajax in 2023

Tadić joined Dutch club Ajax in June 2018. Ajax paid €11.4 million for him. On March 5, 2019, Tadić had an amazing game against Real Madrid in the Champions League. He scored one goal and assisted two others. This helped Ajax win 4–1 and knock Real Madrid out of the competition. Real Madrid had won the previous three Champions League titles. Tadić's performance was so good that a French football newspaper, L'Equipe, gave him a perfect 10/10 rating.

Many experts believed Tadić was the main reason for Ajax's great season in 2018–19. By April 23, 2019, Tadić had helped Ajax score 53 goals (34 goals and 19 assists) in all competitions. He led Ajax to the Champions League Semi-Finals. He was also named to the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season. He was even nominated for the 2019 Ballon d'Or award, finishing in 20th place.

On May 2, 2021, Ajax became Eredivisie champions. Tadić was honored as the Dutch Footballer of the Year. On September 3, 2022, he played his 200th match for Ajax. On February 19, 2023, he scored his 100th goal for Ajax. On July 14, 2023, Tadić left Ajax. He had scored 105 goals and made 112 assists in 241 matches for the club.

Joining Fenerbahçe

Dušan Tadić, Fenerbahçe v. Ankaragücü (January 28, 2024).

On July 16, 2023, Tadić signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Fenerbahçe. He made his debut on July 26 in a Conference League match. On August 1, he scored his first goal for Fenerbahçe. On August 13, he played his first Süper Lig game.

On March 28, 2025, he played his 100th game for Fenerbahçe in all competitions.

International Career

Youth and Early Senior Matches

Tadić played regularly for Serbia's under-19 and under-21 teams. He took part in the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He also represented Serbia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, playing in all three group matches.

On December 14, 2008, Tadić made his debut for the Serbian senior team. This was in a friendly match against Poland. On September 12, 2012, he scored his first goal for the senior national team. This was in a 6–1 win against Wales during 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.

FIFA World Cup Appearances

Tadić was a very important player for Serbia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. He scored four goals and helped his team win their group. In June 2018, he was chosen for the 23-man squad for the final tournament. He played in all three group stage matches.

In November 2022, he was the captain of Serbia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He played in all three group stage matches. He provided two assists in the tournament. Serbia finished fourth in their group.

100 Appearances and Retirement

On September 10, 2023, Tadić played his 100th international match. This was in a 3–1 win against Lithuania during the Euro 2024 qualifying.

On May 28, 2024, he was named in the Serbia squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He played in the group stage matches against England, Slovenia, and Denmark. Serbia finished fourth in the group.

On July 18, 2024, Tadić announced he was retiring from international football.

Career Statistics

Club Performance

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Vojvodina	2006–07	Serbian SuperLiga	23	3	5	1	—		—		—		28	4
	2007–08	Serbian SuperLiga	28	7	1	0	—		3	0	—		32	7
	2008–09	Serbian SuperLiga	29	9	1	0	—		2	0	—		32	9
	2009–10	Serbian SuperLiga	27	10	5	0	—		2	1	—		34	11
	Total		107	29	12	1	0	0	7	1	0	0	126	31
Groningen	2010–11	Eredivisie	34	7	3	0	—		—		4	0	41	7
	2011–12	Eredivisie	34	7	1	0	—		—		—		35	7
	Total		68	14	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	76	14
Twente	2012–13	Eredivisie	33	12	1	0	—		13	3	4	1	51	16
	2013–14	Eredivisie	33	16	1	0	—		—		—		34	16
	Total		66	28	2	0	0	0	13	3	4	1	85	32
Southampton	2014–15	Premier League	31	4	3	0	3	1	—		—		37	5
	2015–16	Premier League	34	8	1	0	2	0	3	1	—		40	9
	2016–17	Premier League	33	3	2	0	4	0	5	0	—		44	3
	2017–18	Premier League	36	6	4	1	1	0	—		—		41	7
	Total		134	21	10	1	10	1	8	1	0	0	162	24
Ajax	2018–19	Eredivisie	34	28	4	1	—		18	9	—		56	38
	2019–20	Eredivisie	25	11	4	2	—		12	3	1	0	42	16
	2020–21	Eredivisie	34	14	5	3	—		12	5	—		51	22
	2021–22	Eredivisie	34	13	3	1	—		7	2	1	0	45	16
	2022–23	Eredivisie	34	11	5	2	—		7	0	1	0	47	13
	Total		161	77	21	9	0	0	56	19	3	0	241	105
Fenerbahçe	2023–24	Süper Lig	38	10	2	0	—		16	6	0	0	56	16
	2024–25	Süper Lig	35	11	2	0	—		16	2	—		53	13
	Total		73	21	4	0	0	0	32	8	0	0	109	29
Career total			609	190	53	11	10	1	115	33	11	1	799	235

International Performance

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Serbia	2008	1	0
	2009	0	0
	2010	1	0
	2011	0	0
	2012	9	1
	2013	10	4
	2014	8	1
	2015	6	0
	2016	7	5
	2017	7	1
	2018	12	2
	2019	6	2
	2020	6	0
	2021	9	2
	2022	12	2
	2023	10	2
	2024	7	1
Total		111	23

Scores and results list Serbia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tadić goal.

List of international goals scored by Dušan Tadić
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 September 2012	Karađorđe Stadium, Novi Sad, Serbia	8	Wales	4–1	6–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	6 February 2013	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	12	Cyprus	1–1	3–1	Friendly
3	6 February 2013	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	12	Cyprus	2–1	3–1
4	11 October 2013	Karađorđe Stadium, Novi Sad, Serbia	19	Japan	1–0	2–0
5	15 October 2013	Jagodina City Stadium, Jagodina, Serbia	20	Macedonia	4–0	5–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	26 May 2014	Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States	23	Jamaica	1–0	2–1	Friendly
7	25 May 2016	Užice City Stadium, Užice, Serbia	36	Cyprus	2–0	2–1
8	31 May 2016	Karađorđe Stadium, Novi Sad, Serbia	37	Israel	3–1	3–1
9	5 September 2016	Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	39	Republic of Ireland	2–1	2–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	6 October 2016	Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova	40	Moldova	3–0	3–0	Friendly
11	9 October 2016	Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	41	Austria	3–2	3–2
12	24 March 2017	Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia	43	Georgia	1–1	3–1
13	23 March 2018	Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, Italy	50	Morocco	1–1	1–2
14	7 September 2018	LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania	57	Lithuania	1–0	1–0	2018–19 UEFA Nations League C
15	25 March 2019	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	62	Portugal	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
16	17 November 2019	Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	67	Ukraine	1–0	2–2	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
17	12 October 2021	Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	80	Azerbaijan	3–1	3–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
18	14 November 2021	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	82	Portugal	1–1	2–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
19	18 November 2022	Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain	91	Bahrain	1–0	5–1	Friendly
20	18 November 2022	Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain	91	Bahrain	2–1	5–1	Friendly
21	24 March 2023	Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	95	Lithuania	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
22	17 October 2023	Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	102	Montenegro	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
23	8 June 2024	Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden	108	Sweden	3–0	3–0	Friendly