Neven Subotić facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Neven Subotić

Subotić with Borussia Dortmund in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth	(1988-12-10) 10 December 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth	Banja Luka, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.93 m
Playing position	Centre-back
Youth career
1994–1999	TSV Schwarzenberg
1999–2000	Sparta United SC
2000–2001	Impact United SC
2002–2003	Manatee Magic SC
2003–2004	Braden River SC
2004–2005	IMG Soccer Academy
2006–2007	Mainz 05
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2007	Mainz 05 II	23	(3)
2007–2008	Mainz 05	34	(4)
2008–2018	Borussia Dortmund	196	(15)
2016	→ Borussia Dortmund II (loan)	2	(1)
2017	→ 1. FC Köln (loan)	12	(0)
2018–2019	Saint-Étienne	42	(3)
2019–2020	Union Berlin	23	(1)
2020–2021	Denizlispor	5	(1)
2021	Rheindorf Altach	10	(0)
Total		347	(29)
National team
2005	United States U17	10	(0)
2006	United States U20	2	(0)
2009–2013	Serbia	36	(2)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Neven Subotić (Serbian Cyrillic: Heвeн Cубoтић, pronounced [něʋen sǔbotitɕ]; born 10 December 1988) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Subotić made his professional debut in 2007 for 1. FSV Mainz 05. In the following year, he signed with Borussia Dortmund, where he spent most of his career. He won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund. After leaving Dortmund in 2017, he played for several clubs in Germany, France, and Turkey. He joined SC Rheindorf Altach in January 2021.

Neven was born to Bosnian Serb parents. He lived in Germany and the United States when he was young. He played for the United States national team at the under-17 and under-20 levels. As an adult, he chose to play for Serbia. He made his first international appearance in 2009 and played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Early Life and Moving Around

Neven Subotić was born in Banja Luka, which was then part of Yugoslavia. His parents were Bosnian Serb. He spent his early childhood in Prnjavor. In 1990, when Neven was two, his father went to Germany to find work.

In 1994, during the Bosnian War, Neven, his sister, and their mother joined their father in Germany. They settled in Schömberg. Neven started playing football at age seven with a local team called TSV Schwarzenberg.

Moving to the United States

In the late 1990s, the Subotić family's permission to live in Germany ran out. To avoid being sent back to Bosnia, they decided to move to the United States in 1999. They settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Neven's father had a cousin. Neven played football with youth clubs called Sparta Gold and Impact Black.

Two years later, the family moved again to Bradenton, Florida. This move was so Neven's sister, Natalija, could train for tennis at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Bradenton was also the home base for the U.S. under-17 national team. Neven trained by himself at G.T. Bray Park. There, he was noticed by Keith Fulk, an assistant coach for the American team. Fulk told the head coach, John Ellinger, about Neven. After a tryout, Neven was offered a spot in the team's training camp. At that time, he wasn't part of any club team. He later started playing with the University of South Florida soccer team.

Starting in Europe

While playing with the U-17 team in the Netherlands, Neven met a player agent named Steve Kelly. Kelly asked about Neven's plans and suggested playing in Europe. Neven impressed coaches at a tryout for 1. FSV Mainz 05. He then moved to Germany to play for Mainz, first with their youth and lower-division teams (1. FSV Mainz 05 II). Neven holds passports from Germany, America, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.

Club Career Highlights

Mainz 05 Debut

Subotić played his first professional game for 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the last match of the 2006–07 season. This was against Bayern Munich. His team was relegated from the Bundesliga that season. In the 2. Bundesliga the next season, he became a regular starter. Mainz had the best defense in the league, letting in only 37 goals. The team finished fourth, just missing promotion back to the Bundesliga.

In the summer of 2008, Mainz's head coach, Jürgen Klopp, moved to Borussia Dortmund. He helped bring Subotić with him to the new club.

Time at Borussia Dortmund

Subotić in action for Borussia Dortmund in 2013

On June 4, 2008, it was announced that Subotić had signed a five-year contract with Borussia Dortmund. He played his first game for Dortmund in an unofficial match against Bayern Munich, which Dortmund won 2–1. Subotić's strong defensive play quickly caught attention. In December 2008, he was named in the best team of the first half of the 2008–09 Bundesliga season. He also scored six goals that season, which is good for a defender.

In June 2009, he signed a new contract until 2014. In the 2009–10 Bundesliga season, Subotić was one of only four players in the league to play every minute of every game.

On December 15, 2010, Subotić scored his first goal in a European competition. It was a header from a corner kick against Sevilla in the Europa League. The game ended 2–2, and Borussia was eliminated from the tournament.

On July 27, 2013, Subotić won the 2013 DFL-Supercup with Dortmund. They beat their rivals Bayern Munich 4–2.

On May 27, 2015, he signed another contract that lasted until the end of the 2017–18 season.

On April 1, 2016, it was announced that Subotić would miss the rest of Dortmund's season. He was suffering from a blood clot (thrombosis) in his arm. On June 26, 2016, Subotić said he planned to leave the club. He moved temporarily on loan to another Bundesliga team, 1. FC Köln, until the end of the 2016–17 season.

At the start of the 2017–18 season, he returned to the Dortmund team under the new manager Peter Bosz.

Later Career Clubs

On January 25, 2018, Subotić signed an 18-month contract with Ligue 1 club AS Saint-Étienne in France. He left the club on July 1, 2019, when his contract ended.

On July 4, 2019, Subotić returned to the Bundesliga. He signed with the newly promoted team Union Berlin. In August 2020, he agreed to end his contract early.

On September 18, 2020, Subotić joined Süper Lig club Denizlispor in Turkey. On January 22, 2021, the club announced that he had decided to cancel his contract. He played five league games and scored one goal for them.

On February 1, 2021, Subotić joined Austrian Football Bundesliga club SC Rheindorf Altach on a six-month contract.

Subotić announced his retirement from football in 2022.

International Career

Youth Teams

Subotić was part of the U.S. team for the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru in September 2005. He was 16 years old and played as a substitute in all three group matches. In the quarter-final against the Netherlands, where the U.S. team lost 0–2, he started but received a red card.

He also played two games for the USA U-20 team. His last game for them was in November 2006. After this, the head coach, Thomas Rongen, made some comments about Subotić. The next summer, Rongen did not pick him for the 2007 U-20 World Cup. This decision caused some debate. Subotić later said:

Well, Rongen certainly said some discouraging and false things about me. Never in my life have I heard that a high-level coach publicly criticizes a player. Professional coaches do that one-on-one with the player. I find this disappointing, because a few months later after Rongen said I was not good enough for the U-20s, I played a very good season and started getting calls from various countries [U.S. included] for the full men's team. I still don't know what he saw in the other players, and what he didn't see in me.

Choosing a National Team

Subotić with Serbia in 2010

Subotić could have played for the United States, Serbia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina. In late 2008, it became clear that he was leaning towards Serbia. In mid-December 2008, Subotić told Serbia's national team coach, Radomir Antić, that he wanted to play for Serbia. He then officially told the US Soccer Federation about his decision.

2010 World Cup Qualifiers

On March 28, 2009, Subotić played his first game for the Serbia national team. It was a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Romania. Serbia won 3–2. Subotić came on as a substitute in the 65th minute. Coach Antić praised him, comparing him to famous defender Fernando Hierro.

Subotić's first start in a competitive game was against Austria on June 6. He played alongside Nemanja Vidić in central defense. Four days later, on June 10, 2009, Subotić scored his first goal for Serbia in a 2–0 win over the Faroe Islands. For the next important game against France, Subotić was on the bench. Serbia later qualified for the World Cup with a big 5–0 win over Romania.

Even though he was highly praised, Subotić's first games for Serbia were not perfect. He sometimes made mistakes and faced criticism from the Serbian media.

2010 FIFA World Cup

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Subotić did not start the first group game against Ghana. Coaches preferred Nemanja Vidić and Aleksandar Luković. Subotić's benching was due to his performances in friendly games before the World Cup. However, in the second half of the Ghana match, Luković received a red card. This forced coach Antić to bring Subotić into the game for the last 14 minutes.

Because Luković was suspended, Subotić started the next game against Germany. This was a must-win game for Serbia. Subotić played very well against the German forwards, who he knew from the Bundesliga. Germany failed to score, and Serbia won 1–0 in a famous victory. Subotić showed excellent positioning and made several key clearances.

For the final group game against Australia, Subotić was back on the bench as Luković returned from suspension.

Euro 2012 Qualifiers

Subotić playing for Serbia in November 2010

Subotić returned to the starting lineup for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. He played the full 90 minutes in the first game against the Faroe Islands and also against Slovenia. After the draw with Slovenia, coach Antić was fired, and Pižon Petrović took over. Subotić was called up for the new coach's first match against Estonia, but he did not play. Serbia lost this game at home for the first time in nine years.

Petrović gave Subotić a starting spot for the next qualifier away in Italy in October 2010. However, the game in Genoa was stopped after six minutes because of problems with Serbian fans. This resulted in an automatic 3–0 loss for Serbia.

When qualifying games started again in March 2011, Subotić started at home against Northern Ireland. Since another central defender, Luković, had retired from international football, Subotić, at 22, became a regular first-team choice. However, he had a difficult performance in this game. Subotić also got injured during the match, which meant he missed the next qualifier in Estonia.

2014 World Cup Qualifiers

When Siniša Mihajlović became the head coach in May 2012, Subotić played in some friendly games and even scored a goal against Sweden. However, he was not chosen for the final friendly game against the Republic of Ireland, reportedly due to an injury.

When the 2014 World Cup qualifying games began in September 2012, Subotić was on the bench for the first game against Scotland. The coach preferred other defenders. This happened again three days later against Wales.

The next qualifier was a big test at home against group favorites Belgium. Subotić was still on the bench. Serbia lost the match 0–3. This loss brought criticism to Mihajlović, including for not playing Subotić. Four days later, against Macedonia, Mihajlović again left Subotić on the bench. Serbia lost 0–1, making it very hard to qualify for the World Cup.

Throughout October 2012, Subotić continued to play very well for Borussia Dortmund in both the Champions League and the Bundesliga. This led to more questions for Mihajlović in the Serbian media about why he wasn't playing Subotić for the national team. Mihajlović explained that Subotić had some poor training sessions and that other players had taken their chances. He said Subotić was still important for the team.

Euro 2016 Qualifiers

Subotić did not play in the qualification matches for Euro 2016. After new Serbian coach Dick Advocaat announced his team for qualifying games, he also said that Subotić might have finished his international career. Subotić played a total of 36 games for Serbia and scored 2 goals. His last international game was a September 2013 World Cup qualification match against Croatia.

Other Activities

In 2010, Subotić recorded a dance song called "Kings of Africa" with Serbian rapper Filip Filipi.

He started the Neven Subotić Foundation in 2012. This foundation works to help people get access to clean water, especially in Ethiopia.

Career Statistics

Club

International

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

List of international goals scored by Neven Subotić

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 June 2009	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands	Faroe Islands	2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
2	5 June 2012	Råsundastadion, Solna, Sweden	Sweden	1–1	1–2	Friendly

Honours

Borussia Dortmund

• Bundesliga: 2010–11, 2011–12
• DFB-Pokal: 2011–12
• DFL-Supercup: 2013, 2014
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2012–13

See also

In Spanish: Neven Subotić para niños