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Mirko Vučinić
Personal information
Vučinić playing for Montenegro in 2012
Full name	Mirko Vučinić
Date of birth	(1983-10-01) 1 October 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Nikšić, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1998–1999	Sutjeska Nikšić
2000–2002	Lecce
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2000	Sutjeska Nikšić	9	(3)
2000–2006	Lecce	111	(34)
2006–2011	Roma	147	(46)
2011–2014	Juventus	75	(21)
2014–2017	Al Jazira	29	(27)
Total		371	(131)
International career
2005–2006	Serbia and Montenegro	3	(0)
2007–2017	Montenegro	46	(17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mirko Vučinić, born on October 1, 1983, is a former professional footballer from Montenegro. He was known for playing as a forward. Mirko was a quick, strong, and creative player. He had great technique and could shoot powerfully from far away. After his football career, he started playing golf professionally in 2018.

Mirko first caught the eye of Pantaleo Corvino, a sports director for the Italian club Lecce. He joined Lecce in the summer of 2000. He played for Lecce as they moved between Italy's top football leagues, Serie A and Serie B. His best scoring season was in 2004–05, when he scored 19 goals in 28 Serie A games. In 2006, he moved to Roma, where he won the Coppa Italia twice. Later, in 2011, he joined Juventus and helped them win three Serie A titles in a row. In July 2014, he moved to Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates.

On the international stage, Mirko played for the Serbia and Montenegro under-21 team. He was supposed to play for Serbia and Montenegro in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but an injury stopped him. After Montenegro became an independent country in 2006, Vučinić chose to play for his home country, Montenegro.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Vučinić began his football journey at his hometown club, Sutjeska Nikšić. When he was just 16, in the summer of 2000, he was signed by Lecce in Italy. The person who brought him to Lecce was Pantaleo Corvino, who was known for finding talented young players from Eastern Europe.

In his fourth season with Lecce, the 2004–05 season, 21-year-old Vučinić scored 19 goals in 28 Serie A games. This included scoring three goals in one match against Lazio in May 2005. After this successful season, his progress slowed down a bit due to an injury.

Playing for Roma

On August 30, 2006, Vučinić joined Roma on a one-year loan. Roma later bought half of his player rights from Lecce. He signed a contract to play for Roma for several years.

First Season at Roma (2006–07)

During his first season in Rome, Mirko didn't play as much because he had two knee operations. Also, the team's main striker was European Golden Boot winner Francesco Totti, which limited Vučinić's playing time. Despite this, he scored three important goals. His first goal for Roma was in a 1–0 win against Siena. He also scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 2–1 victory against Manchester United.

Second Season at Roma (2007–08)

At the start of the 2007–08 season, Roma fully bought Vučinić's player rights from Lecce. He chose to wear the number 9 jersey, which was a famous number at Roma. Since Francesco Totti usually played as the main striker, Vučinić often played as a left winger. He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 Champions League win against Sporting CP.

When Totti was injured, Vučinić played as a striker against Milan and scored the only goal in a 1–0 win. He also scored a crucial goal and assisted another in a 3–2 win against city rivals Lazio. Another important goal was a header against Real Madrid at their home stadium, helping Roma win 2–1 and move to the next round of the Champions League.

Later Years at Roma (2008–11)

In June 2008, Roma fully owned Vučinić's player rights. In November 2008, he scored two goals in Roma's Champions League match against Chelsea, helping his team win 3–1. Roma reached the round of 16 that season.

In June 2009, Vučinić signed a new four-year contract with Roma. The 2009–10 season started slowly for Roma, and their coach resigned. However, under the new coach Claudio Ranieri, Roma went on a long unbeaten run. Vučinić's performance improved greatly, and he scored many goals, including three goals in one game against Udinese and two goals in a win against Lazio.

The 2010–11 season started well for Vučinić, as he scored a late winning goal against the league champions Inter Milan. However, his form dipped later in the season.

Moving to Juventus

Vučinić playing for Juventus

On July 30, 2011, Juventus signed Vučinić from Roma. He signed a four-year deal. He scored his first goal for Juventus in a friendly match against AC Milan.

Winning with Juventus (2011–14)

Vučinić scored a fantastic long-range goal in extra time against Milan in March 2012. This helped Juventus draw 2–2 and win 4–3 overall to reach the Coppa Italia final.

His second season at Juventus, 2012–13, started very well. He was a key player and scored his first Serie A goal of the season against Udinese. In January 2013, he scored a goal in the 96th minute against AC Milan to help Juventus reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. He continued to score important goals, including another one against Udinese.

On May 1, 2014, during a Europa League semi-final match, Vučinić was sent off for an argument with an opponent, even though neither player was on the field at the time.

Time at Al Jazira

On July 4, 2014, Vučinić joined UAE Pro League team Al Jazira. He had a very successful first season, scoring 27 goals in 24 matches and becoming the top scorer in the league. However, he faced many injuries in the following seasons, which limited his playing time until he left the club in July 2017.

International Career

Playing for Serbia and Montenegro

Mirko Vučinić was part of the Serbia and Montenegro under-21 national team. He was one of two players from Montenegro chosen to play for Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, he injured his knee ligaments in a match against Germany in May 2006, which meant he couldn't play in the World Cup.

Representing Montenegro

After Montenegro became an independent country in June 2006, a new national team was formed. Vučinić decided to play for his home country. He scored the very first goal in the history of the Montenegro national football team. This happened when he scored a penalty kick in their first international match on March 24, 2007, a 2–1 friendly win against Hungary. He played a total of 46 games for Montenegro and scored 17 goals. His last international game was a friendly match against Iran in June 2017.

How Mirko Played

Mirko Vučinić was a quick, strong, and very skilled player. He played with a certain style that made him stand out. He was good at both scoring goals and setting up chances for his teammates. He could play in many attacking positions, like a winger on either side, a main striker, or even a deep-lying forward.

People praised Mirko for his vision, his understanding of the game, and his ability to work with his team. He was also good at short passes, which helped him create scoring opportunities and assist other players. His smart movement on the field helped him create space for his teammates. He was excellent at dribbling, controlling the ball closely, and keeping possession even when under pressure. He could also hold the ball up and pass it to his teammates. Because he had a good eye for goal, he was known for scoring powerful long-range shots with both feet.

When he was younger, he was even nicknamed "the Balkan Maradona" because of his amazing skills. However, sometimes he was criticized for his attitude and not always playing consistently.

Career Statistics

Club Performance

Team	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Team	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sutjeska Nikšić	1999–2000	Yugoslavia League	9	3	1	1	–		–		10	4
Lecce	2000–01	Serie A	3	0	0	0	–		–		3	0
	2001–02	Serie A	7	0	2	0	–		–		9	0
	2002–03	Serie B	28	5	1	0	–		–		29	5
	2003–04	Serie A	12	1	1	0	–		–		13	1
	2004–05	Serie A	28	19	3	3	–		–		31	22
	2005–06	Serie A	34	9	0	0	–		–		34	9
	Total		111	34	7	3	–		–		119	37
Roma	2006–07	Serie A	25	2	2	0	6	1	0	0	33	3
	2007–08	Serie A	33	9	6	1	8	4	1	0	48	14
	2008–09	Serie A	27	11	2	2	8	3	1	1	38	17
	2009–10	Serie A	34	14	4	2	8	3	–		46	19
	2010–11	Serie A	28	10	4	1	4	0	1	0	37	11
	Total		147	46	18	6	34	11	3	1	202	64
Juventus	2011–12	Serie A	32	9	3	1	–		–		35	10
	2012–13	Serie A	31	10	3	1	8	2	1	1	43	14
	2013–14	Serie A	12	2	0	0	5	0	1	0	18	2
	Total		75	21	6	2	13	2	2	1	96	26
Al Jazira	2014–15	UAE Pro League	23	25	1	2	0	0	0	0	24	27
	2015–16	UAE Pro League	6	2	0	0	0	0	3	3	9	5
	2016–17	UAE Pro League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		29	27	1	2	0	0	3	3	33	32
Career total			371	131	33	14	47	13	8	5	459	163

International Performance

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Serbia and Montenegro	2005	2	0
Serbia and Montenegro	2006	1	0
Total		3	0
Montenegro	2007	4	4
	2008	7	2
	2009	4	2
	2010	7	3
	2011	5	0
	2012	5	2
	2013	5	2
	2014	3	1
	2015	4	1
	2016	0	0
	2017	2	0
Total		46	17

International Goals

Scores and results list Montenegro's goal tally first.

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	24 March 2007	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	1	Hungary	1–1	2–1	Friendly
2	22 August 2007	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	2	Slovenia	1–0	1–1	Friendly
3	12 September 2007	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	3	Sweden	1–0	1–2	Friendly
4	17 October 2007	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia	4	Estonia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	6 September 2008	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	8	Bulgaria	1–1	2–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	15 October 2008	Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce, Italy	10	Italy	1–1	1–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	9 September 2009	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	14	Cyprus	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	18 November 2009	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	15	Belarus	1–0	1–0	Friendly
9	29 May 2010	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	18	Norway	1–1	1–2	Friendly
10	3 September 2010	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	20	Wales	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
11	8 October 2010	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	22	Switzerland	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
12	25 May 2012	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	29	Belgium	1–0	2–2	Friendly
13	7 September 2012	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	31	Poland	2–1	2–2	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	22 March 2013	Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova	33	Moldova	1–0	1–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
15	14 August 2013	Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus	36	Belarus	1–1	1–1	Friendly
16	8 September 2014	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	38	Moldova	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
17	9 October 2015	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	43	Austria	1–0	2–3	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

Awards and Achievements

Team Honours

Roma

Coppa Italia: 2006–07, 2007–08
Supercoppa Italiana: 2007

Juventus

Serie A: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
Supercoppa Italiana: 2012, 2013

Individual Awards

Montenegrin Footballer of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
UAE Pro-League Top-scorer: 2014–15

Golf Career

After facing serious injuries while playing football in the UAE, Mirko Vučinić played only a few more football matches. He then started an amateur golf career and took part in several competitions. In 2018, he became a professional golf player, joining the Princess Milica Golf Club in Tivat.