Nikola Drinčić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Дринчић, pronounced [nǐkola drîːntʃitɕ]; born 7 September 1984) is a professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Radnički Niš.

Nikola Drinčić
Drinčić with Maccabi Haifa in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth (1984-09-07) 7 September 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Belgrade, SR Serbia,
SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Radnički Niš (manager)
Youth career
Partizan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Partizan 4 (0)
2003–2004Teleoptik (loan) 21 (0)
2004–2005Spartak Subotica (loan) 18 (1)
2005–2006Budućnost Banatski Dvor (loan) 28 (9)
2006 Gaziantepspor 15 (1)
2007–2010 Amkar Perm 80 (4)
2010 Spartak Moscow 4 (0)
2011–2013 Krasnodar 57 (3)
2013–2015 Partizan 36 (5)
2015 Maccabi Haifa 13 (0)
2016–2017 Rad 14 (0)
2017–2018 Čukarički 36 (4)
2018–2019 Radnički Niš 30 (4)
2019–2021 Vojvodina 64 (4)
Total 420 (35)
International career
2000 FR Yugoslavia U16[a] 2 (0)
2001 FR Yugoslavia U19[a] 1 (0)
2006–2007 Serbia U21 11 (0)
2007–2014 Montenegro 33 (3)
Managerial career
2021–2022 IMT (assistant)
2022–2023 Omladinac Novi Banovci
2023–2024 Zemun
2024– Radnički Niš
Medal record
Silver medal – second place UEFA Under-21 Championship 2007
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

After playing for Serbia's national under-21 team, Drinčić represented Montenegro at senior level between 2007 and 2014.

Club career

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Early years

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After spending his development years in Partizan's youth academy, Drinčić made his senior debuts with the club's affiliated side Teleoptik. He signed a professional contract with Partizan in March 2004,[1] making four league appearances until the end of the season. In the next two years, Drinčić was sent on loan to Spartak Subotica and Budućnost Banatski Dvor, enjoying a successful stint with the latter, scoring nine league goals from 28 appearances in the 2005–06 season.

In the summer of 2006, Drinčić was sold to Turkish Süper Lig club Gaziantepspor.

Amkar Perm, Spartak Moscow and Krasnodar

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Drinčić playing for Spartak Moscow in 2010

He left the country after only six months, transferring to Russian club Amkar Perm. Over the following three years, Drinčić made 81 league appearances and scored four goals for the side.

In January 2010, Drinčić joined Spartak Moscow on a free transfer.[2] He however broke his shinbone in a friendly just two weeks after joining the club, causing him to make a half-year break from competitive football.[3] After recovering, Drinčić was never able to break into the starting eleven and appeared in just four league games for the club, eventually leaving at the end of the season. On 3 November 2010, Drinčić made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1–4 away loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, coming off the bench in 67th minute as substitute for Aleksandr Sheshukov.[4] On 8 December 2010, he made assist in a 1–2 away victory against Žilina in UEFA Champions League.[5]

In February 2011, Drinčić signed with fellow Premier League club Krasnodar.[6] He collected 57 league appearances and scored three goals in the following two and a half years. On 2 September 2013, Drinčić was released from his contract.[7]

Return to Partizan

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In December 2013, Drinčić joined his former club Partizan on a free transfer, penning a three-year contract.[8] He made his competitive debut for the club in a 0–0 away draw with Novi Pazar on 22 February 2014.[9] On 8 March 2014, Drinčić scored his first goal for the club, in a 5–0 away league victory over Radnički 1923.[10] In next round, he scored a goal from a free kick to give his team a 4–2 win over Rad.[11] On 26 April 2014, Drinčić scored a spectacular goal from a free kick in a Belgrade derby in a 2–1 home win over Red Star Belgrade.[12] Drinčić was again named in the competition's best eleven due to his performances throughout the season.[13]

In the following 2014–15 season, Drinčić played four matches in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage. On 18 October 2014, Drinčić scored again against Red Star and again from a free kick, helping club to reach a 1–0 victory in 147th Derby.[14] On 14 March 2015, he scored a goal from a free kick in a 2–0 home league victory over Rad.[15] He recorded a 38 appearances in all competitions and scored two goals and seven assist in 2014–15 season as the club won the title. He was again named in the competition's best eleven due to his performances throughout the season.[16]

Later years

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In June 2015, Drinčić signed a two-year contract with Israeli club Maccabi Haifa with an option for another season.[17] His contract was eventually terminated in January of the following year by mutual consent.[18]

After returning to the country of his birth, Drinčić joined top-flight side Rad in July 2016.[19] He made his competitive debut for the club against Radnički Niš on 5 August 2016.[20] He left the club by mutual agreement in March 2017.

In June 2017, Drinčić signed one-year deal with Čukarički.[21] On 21 July 2017, Drinčić made his competitive debut for the club against Vojvodina.[22] In next round, Drinčić scored a spectacular goal in a 2–0 home league victory over Napredak.[23]

In August 2018, Drinčić signed with Radnički Niš.[24]

He joined Vojvodina in June 2019.[25]

International career

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Drinčić was a regular member of the Serbia national under-21 team, making his debut in August 2006. He also participated at the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship in the Netherlands, winning the silver medal after losing to the hosts in the final.[26]

Despite representing Serbia at youth level, Drinčić eventually chose to play for Montenegro on the senior level, believing it would get him more playing time.[27] He made his debut for the Montenegro national team in the country's inaugural match versus Sweden in September 2007. He has earned a total of 33 caps, scoring 3 goals.[28] His final international was a March 2014 friendly match against Ghana.[29]

Statistics

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International

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National team Year Apps Goals
Montenegro 2007 2 0
2008 7 1
2009 9 0
2010 0 0
2011 6 0
2012 5 2
2013 3 0
2014 1 0
Total 33 3

International goals

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Scores and results list Montenegro's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 27 May 2008 Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica   Kazakhstan 2–0 3–0 Friendly
2 25 May 2012 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels   Belgium 2–2 2–2 Friendly
3 7 September 2012 Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica   Poland 1–1 2–2 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Managerial statistics

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As of 3 November 2024[30]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
P W D L Win %
Radnički Niš 3 June 2024 Present 14 7 3 4 050.00
Total 14 7 3 4 050.00

Honours

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Club

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Partizan
Vojvodina

International

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Serbia

Individual

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Only official UEFA matches included

References

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  1. ^ "Nova tri musketira u crno-belom" (in Serbian). partizan.rs. 19 March 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Nikola Drinčić u Spartaku iz Moskve" (in Serbian). b92.net. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Blow for Spartak as new boy Drincic breaks leg". espnfc.com. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Chelsea 4 - 1 Spartak Moscow". BBC Sport. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Spartak comeback leaves Žilina without a point". UEFA. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Nikola Drinčić u Krasnodaru" (in Montenegrin). vijesti.me. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  7. ^ Никола Дринчич покидает "Краснодар" (in Russian). fckrasnodar.ru. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Drinčić u Partizanu, Nađ najavio nova pojačanja" (in Serbian). novosti.rs. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Partizan ponovo zaustavljen u Novom Pazaru!" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Raspucan Partizan oduševio Grobare" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Usijanje na Vračaru: Partizan jedva do bodova, tuča Lazovića i Kneževića! (VIDEO)" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Kojić ne da titulu! (VIDEO)" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  13. ^ "OVO JE JELEN SUPER TIM!" (in Serbian). jelenfootball.com. 30 May 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  14. ^ "DEJA-VU: DRINČIĆ, "SLOBODNJAK", POBEDA PARTIZANA!" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Drinčić načeo, a Ninković dotukao Rad: Partizan ponovo na "+4" od Zvezde!" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  16. ^ "TIM SEZONE U SUPERLIGI: Čuka ima više igrača od večitih zajedno!" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  17. ^ עכשיו זה רשמי: ניקולה דרינצ'יץ' חתם במכבי חיפה (in Hebrew). mhaifafc.com. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  18. ^ דרינצ'יץ' שוחרר ממכבי חיפה (in Hebrew). mhaifafc.com. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  19. ^ "Nikola Drinčić novi igrač Rada" (in Serbian). b92.net. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  20. ^ "Radnički noći na vrhu" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Čukarički već ima dva nova igrača". FK Čukarički official website (in Serbian). 9 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  22. ^ "Bempa razgalio "Karađorđe" i rasplakao se!" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  23. ^ "ČUKARIČKI - NAPREDAK 2:0 (0:0)". FK Čukarički official website (in Serbian). 29 July 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  24. ^ NIKOLA DRINČIĆ U RADNIČKOM at FK Radnički Niš official website, 7-8-2018 (in Serbian)
  25. ^ ФК Војводина: Дринчић и Ђуришић на Златибору, dvenik.rs, 20 June 2019
  26. ^ "Jong Oranje clinch European crown". UEFA. 24 June 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  27. ^ "Drinčić otkrio zašto je odabrao Crnu Goru" (in Serbian). sportal.rs. 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  28. ^ "Montenegro - Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  29. ^ "Player Database". eu-football.info. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Nikola Drincic". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Igrač kola: Iskusni Nikola Drinčić najzaslužniji za novi trijumf Novosađana". www.superliga.rs. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
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