Igor Duljaj facts for kids
Duljaj with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Igor Duljaj | ||
| Date of birth | 29 November 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Topola, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.75 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1997 | Partizan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–2004 | Partizan | 154 | (4) |
| 2004–2010 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 118 | (5) |
| 2010–2014 | Sevastopol | 82 | (3) |
| Total | 354 | (12) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2007 | Serbia | 47 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2016–2019 | Shakhtar Donetsk (assistant) | ||
| 2019–2022 | Partizan (assistant) | ||
| 2022–2023 | Teleoptik | ||
| 2023–2024 | Partizan | ||
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Igor Duljaj (born October 29, 1979) is a former Serbian football player. He was known for being a tough and energetic defensive midfielder.
During his career, Duljaj played for only three clubs: Partizan, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Sevastopol. He won 14 major trophies with his clubs, including the 2008–09 UEFA Cup.
He also played for the Serbian national team (and its earlier names) 47 times. He was part of the Serbia and Montenegro squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Igor Duljaj's Club Career Highlights
Starting at Partizan: A Young Talent's Journey
Igor Duljaj was born in Topola, Serbia. The famous football club Partizan noticed him in 1990. He first traveled to Belgrade for training sessions for several years. Later, he moved to the capital city permanently. Many believe Duljaj was one of the best defensive midfielders to come from Partizan's youth academy in the 1990s.
In the 1997–98 season, Duljaj joined the main team. He played in five league games and scored one goal. By his third year as a senior player (1999–2000), he became a regular starter. He played 41 games in all competitions and scored one league goal.
Winning Trophies with Partizan
For the next three seasons, Duljaj was a key player for Partizan. His team won one national cup and two league championships in 2002 and 2003. He then helped his team reach the group stage of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. They even beat Newcastle United in the final qualifying round.
Moving to Shakhtar Donetsk: International Success
In February 2004, Duljaj moved to Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. He signed a five-year contract and joined his former Partizan teammate Zvonimir Vukić. Over the next seven seasons, Duljaj achieved great success with Shakhtar.
He won four Ukrainian Premier League titles, two Ukrainian Cups, and two Ukrainian Super Cups. His biggest win was the UEFA Cup in 2009. This is a major European trophy. He played a total of 195 games for Shakhtar and scored six goals.
Final Years at Sevastopol
In July 2010, Duljaj joined another Ukrainian club, Sevastopol. He played for them for four seasons. Two of these seasons were in the top league, and two were in the second league. After these four seasons, he retired from playing football.
Igor Duljaj's International Career
Duljaj played for the national youth teams of FR Yugoslavia, including the under-18 and under-21 teams. He also played in the Millennium Super Soccer Cup in 2001. In this tournament, he played in all five games and scored two goals, helping his team win. However, these games are not officially recognized by FIFA.
Duljaj made his first official international appearance for FR Yugoslavia on November 15, 2000. It was a friendly game against Romania, which his team lost 2–1. Overall, he played 52 times for his country, including the unofficial games. He was also part of the team that played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Igor Duljaj's Coaching Career
Starting as an Assistant Coach
After he stopped playing, Duljaj began a career in coaching. In the summer of 2016, he joined the coaching staff at Shakhtar Donetsk. He became an assistant to the manager, Paulo Fonseca.
In December 2019, he returned to his old club, Partizan. He joined Savo Milošević's coaching team there.
Becoming a Head Coach
On August 16, 2022, Duljaj became the new manager of Teleoptik. He led Teleoptik to a fourth-place finish in the first part of the 2022–23 Serbian League Belgrade season.
In February 2023, after Gordan Petrić resigned, Duljaj was appointed as the head coach of Partizan. He managed the team until April 2024. Then, the club's Board of Directors decided to replace him with Albert Nađ, who had been an assistant coach.
Personal Life of Igor Duljaj
Igor Duljaj has two brothers, Joakim and Nenad. Together, they run the Duljaj Football Academy in their hometown of Topola. This academy helps young players learn and develop their football skills.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Partizan | 1997–98 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | |
| 1998–99 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 41 | 1 | ||
| 2000–01 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2001–02 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| Total | 154 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 34 | 0 | — | 207 | 5 | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2003–04 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | 24 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 2 | |
| 2005–06 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 2007–08 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
| 2008–09 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 2009–10 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| Total | 118 | 5 | 25 | 1 | 48 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 195 | 6 | |
| Sevastopol | 2010–11 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Total | 82 | 3 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 91 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 354 | 12 | 53 | 2 | 82 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 493 | 14 | |
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro Serbia |
2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 0 | |
Managerial Statistics
As of April 28, 2024
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||||
| Teleoptik |  |
6 June 2022 | 28 February 2023 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 46.67 | |||
| Partizan | |
28 February 2023 | 28 April 2024 | 54 | 30 | 9 | 15 | 55.56 | |||
| Career totals | 69 | 37 | 13 | 19 | 53.62 | ||||||
Honours and Achievements
Trophies Won as a Player
Partizan
- First League of FR Yugoslavia: 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03
- FR Yugoslavia Cup: 1997–98, 2000–01
Shakhtar Donetsk
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10
- Ukrainian Cup: 2003–04, 2007–08
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2005, 2008
- UEFA Cup: 2008–09
Sevastopol
- Ukrainian First League: 2012–13
Individual Awards
- Partizan Player of the Year: 2003
See also
In Spanish: Igor Duljaj para niños
