Milan Stepanov

Milan Stepanov

Personal information
Date of birth	April 2, 1983 (1983-04-02) (age 28)
Place of birth	Novi Sad, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Bursaspor
Number	5
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2006	Vojvodina	105	(6)
2006–2007	Trabzonspor	37	(1)
2007–2010	Porto	10	(0)
2009–2010	→ Málaga (loan)	12	(0)
2010–	Bursaspor	15	(1)
National team‡
2006–	Serbia	6	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:01, 6 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:28, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Milan Stepanov (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Степанов; born 2 April 1983) is a Serbian footballer who plays for Bursaspor in Turkey, as a central defender.

Club career

Born in Novi Sad, SAP Vojvodina, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, Stepanov came up through FK Vojvodina's ranks, making his first team debut during the 2000–01 season, and becoming team captain five years later. In the 2006 January transfer window, he transferred to Turkish side Trabzonspor.

In July 2007, Stepanov moved to Portugal's giants F.C. Porto for a reported €3.5 million.^[1] Initially on the subs bench, he gradually made room for himself in the starting eleven. On November 28, in a UEFA Champions League match at Liverpool, Porto lost 4–1, with Stepanov having a subpar performance, and subsequently losing the starting place to veteran Pedro Emanuel, a situation which was aggravated in his second year, with the signing of Rolando (he would only play in the penultimate match in the league).

On 25 July 2009, Stepanov moved on loan to Spain's Málaga CF, with the Andalusians having a buying option at the season's end.^[2] He only made four La Liga appearances in the first half of the season, and was left out of the squad for almost three months, playing again (from the start) in a 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña, on February 7, 2010.

In late July 2010, Stepanov returned to Turkey, signing for Süper Lig champions Bursaspor, for an undisclosed fee.^[3]

International career

Stepanov was part of the Serbian and Montenegrin team that was knocked out in the first round of the 2004 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth in Group C behind gold-medal winners Argentina, Australia and Tunisia.

In November 2005, he played in a two-match qualification playoff for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal, between Serbia and Croatia. He scored an important second leg goal, helping to win the tie.

In late May and early June 2006, Stepanov was an integral part of the U-21 side that reached the semifinals in the final stages. Most pundits agreed he was the team's most consistent performer with a string of confident defensive displays throughout the tournament.

Stepanov made his senior team debut in a friendly match against Czech Republic on August 16, 2006, in which he was sent off. In March 2007, during the nation's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, he started in the 1–2 loss to Kazakhstan and was on the bench against Portugal.

Honours

• Porto:
  • Primeira Liga: 2007–08, 2008–09
  • Taça de Portugal: 2008–09

References

1. ^ Porto sign Serbia defender Stepanov; UEFA.com, 27 July 2007
2. ^ Malaga leiht Stepanov aus (Málaga borrows Stepanov) (German)
3. ^ Stepanov agrees on terms with Bursaspor; SuperLigNews, 29 July 2010

External links

• National team data (Serbian)
• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• BDFutbol profile
• Milan Stepanov at National-Football-Teams.com
• FootballDatabase profile and stats

Persondata
Name	Stepanov, Milan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	2 April 1983
Place of birth	Kisač, Yugoslavia
Date of death
Place of death