Veljko Paunović
Serbian footballer and manager
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Key Takeaways
- Veljko Paunović (Serbian Cyrillic: Вељко Пауновић , pronounced [ʋěːʎko paǔ:noʋitɕ] ; born 21 August 1977) is a Serbian football manager and former player.
- A versatile attacking unit, he could operate as an attacking midfielder or a striker, and spent most of his professional career in Spain where he represented eight clubs, amassing La Liga totals of 212 matches and 38 goals over 11 seasons and having several spells with Atlético Madrid.
- Paunović began working as a manager in 2012, starting with Serbia's youth teams and later being in charge of Chicago Fire, Reading, Guadalajara, Tigres UANL and Oviedo.
- Club career Born in Strumica, Socialist Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Paunović made his professional debut at 17 with Partizan.
Veljko Paunović (Serbian Cyrillic: Вељко Пауновић, pronounced [ʋěːʎko paǔ:noʋitɕ]; born 21 August 1977) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He is the head coach of the Serbia national team.
A versatile attacking unit, he could operate as an attacking midfielder or a striker, and spent most of his professional career in Spain where he represented eight clubs, amassing La Liga totals of 212 matches and 38 goals over 11 seasons and having several spells with Atlético Madrid. Other than in his own country, he also played in Germany, Russia and the United States.
Paunović began working as a manager in 2012, starting with Serbia's youth teams and later being in charge of Chicago Fire, Reading, Guadalajara, Tigres UANL and Oviedo. In October 2025, he was appointed at the Serbia senior side.
Club career
Born in Strumica, Socialist Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Paunović made his professional debut at 17 with Partizan. The following summer he moved to Spain, where he would stay for most of the following decade playing for a host of clubs, starting in the 1995–96 season with modest Marbella and reaching the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final with Mallorca (with whom he scored five league goals in that campaign, to help the Balearic Islands team finish third), as well as having three separate stints with Atlético Madrid.
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