Saša Papac

Football player infobox
playername = Saša Papac


fullname = Saša Papac
height = height|m=1.85
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1980|2|7
cityofbirth = Mostar
countryofbirth = [Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia] | currentclub = Rangers
clubnumber = 5
position = Left back
years = 2000–2001
2001–2004
2004–2006
2006–
clubs = NK Široki Brijeg
FC Kärnten
Austria Vienna
Rangers
caps(goals) = 14 (1)
95 (3)
58 (2)
48 (0)
nationalyears = 2002–
nationalteam = Bosnia & Herzegovina
nationalcaps(goals) = 25 (0)
pcupdate = 14 September, 2008
ntupdate = 14 September, 2008

Saša Papac (born February 7 1980 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then SFR Yugoslavia) is a Bosnian [football (soccer)|football player] Papac plays for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League and also the Bosnian national side. He has played as a centre back during his career but is seen as a left back.

Club career

NK Široki Brijeg

Papac started his career with NK Široki Brijeg in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2000. He made fourteen appearances and scored a single goal for the club.

FC Kärnten

He moved to Austria with FC Kärnten a year later. Papac spent three years with Kärnten, making 100 appearances and scoring on three ocassions.

Austria Vienna

When Kärnten were relegated from the Austrian Bundesliga in 2004 he joined to Austria Vienna. Whilst in Vienna he would make 76 appearances (with three goals) and win the league in 2006. He was also part of the side which won successive Austrian Cup's in 2005 and 2006.

Rangers

He signed for Rangers on August 31 2006 for £450,000.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/5301178.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Rangers complete signing of Papac|date=31 August 2006] He became Rangers' third signing from Austria Vienna in the 2006 summer transfer window, after Libor Sionko and Filip Šebo. Papac made his debut for Rangers on September 17 2006, coming on as a half time substitute for Stevie Smith in an Scottish Premier League game against Hibernian. The side went on to lose the match 2-1.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/5345670.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Hibernian 2-1 Rangers |date=17 September 2006]

With the arrival of Walter Smith in January 2007, Papac lost his place in the first team. He struggled to get into the side, making only one appearance in over two months, but returned towards the end of the season on the left side of defence. He was linked with a move to Saint-Etienne in the summer but rejected it in order to claim a first-team spot.cite news|url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11788_2492582,00.html|publisher=Sky Sports|title=Papac staying at Ibrox|date=22 July 2007]

In the 2007-08 season Papac was a regular at left back and played in the Scottish Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup finals. He made 46 appearances and produced consistently reliable performances. He is currently in talks with Rangers to sign a new three-year deal, which will tie him to the club until 2011.

International career

Papac made his debut on 7 September 2002 (against Romania) but quit in March 2007, citing problems with the staff at the Bosnian FA.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6479427.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Rangers star Papac quits Bosnia |date=22 March 2007] In January 2008, he decided to return to the international set under new boss Meho Kodro. Shortly after Kodro's dismissal, he was called up by new coach Miroslav Blazevic but refused to come and claimed his desire to retire from international football to give space to new young players.

He doesn't play anymore for Bosnia.

Honours

With Austria Vienna

With Rangers

References

External links

*soccerbase|id=24238|name=Saša Papac
* [http://www.weltfussball.de/spieler_profil.php?id=7831 Saša Papac] at Weltfussball Languageicon|German