Dario Knežević

Dario Knežević (born 20 April 1982) is a former Croatian footballer who played as a defender.

Dario Knežević
Personal information
Full name Dario Knežević
Date of birth (1982-04-20) 20 April 1982
Place of birth Rijeka, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s) Defender
Youth career
NK Omladinac Vrata
1995–2000 Orijent
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 Orijent 32 (0)
2002–2006 Rijeka 89 (0)
2006–2012 Livorno 130 (3)
2008–2009 → Juventus (loan) 3 (0)
2012–2015 Rijeka 59 (0)
2014–2015 → Rijeka II 8 (0)
Total 221 (3)
National team‡
2006–2009 Croatia 13 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 May 2015
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 April 2014

Club career

Born in Rijeka, Knežević started his professional career with the city's First League side NK Rijeka in 2002 and subsequently made 115 appearances in the league before moving to Livorno on a three-year deal in late August 2006. He made his Serie A debut on 25 October 2006 in Livorno's 4–1 defeat to Internazionale and scored his first goal in the league against Cagliari on 18 April 2007 to secure his team a 2–1 victory.

On 30 June 2008, Juventus has swooped to sign Knežević on a season-long loan deal worth €750,000, with the option to acquire half of the contractual rights at €1.6 million following Livorno's relegation to Serie B.[1] On 5 October, Knežević made his first league appearance for the team. It was a 2–1 home loss to Palermo. He made just four appearances all season, three in the league and one in the UEFA Champions League in a 2–2 draw with FC BATE Borisov in Belarus.

On 15 June 2009, Knežević made his return to Livorno. He immediately became a mainstay in the side, but the team was relegated from the 2009-10 Serie A. The following season, Knežević made 31 appearances as Livorno finished ninth in the 2010–11 Serie B. In the 2011-12 Serie B season, Knežević again made 31 appearances in all competitions as the side narrowly avoided relegation. Knežević then decided to leave Livorno. He made 140 appearances for the Italian side in his two spells with the club.

Knežević return to his first professional club Rijeka in June 2012. He assumed the captaincy and led the club to a third-place finish in 2012–13, missing just two games all season.[2] The following season, Knežević led Rijeka to the group stages of the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League, where they managed four points with four draws in the group stage but were still eliminated. He made 38 appearances in all competitions, a career high. In the 2014–15 season, Knežević made just two appearances, both towards the end of the season. Seeing he had little left to contribute at Rijeka, Knežević left the club in September 2015, terminating his contract by mutual consent.[3] Knežević said he would rest until the winter and then make a decision about his future.[4] He eventually retired from professional football.

International career

Knežević has won twelve caps and scored one goal for the Croatian national team, making his debut as well as scoring his first international goal in a friendly match against Hong Kong on 1 February 2006. He was not called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was a regular part of Croatian team in qualifying matches for 2008 European Championship. Knežević came on as a substitute in two tournament matches, but in the third match which he started, he played 25 minutes before he had to be replaced because of an injury.

Career statistics

Club
Season Club League League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
2000–01 Orijent Rijeka 2. HNL 6010–70
2001–02 2. HNL (South) 241––241
2002–03 Rijeka 1. HNL 70––70
2003–04 22060–280
2004–05 2608210352
2005–06 29071203911
2006–07 50–20810
2006–07 Livorno Serie A 11120–131
2007–08 35310–363
2008–09 Juventus 30–1040
2009–10 Livorno 27020–290
2010–11 Serie B 28030–310
2011–12 29020–310
2012–13 Rijeka 1. HNL 31010–320
2013–14 2604080380
2014–15 20––20
Career total 31153731403648
Last Update: 17 May 2015.
1 Includes appearances in 2005 Croatian Supercup and 2006 Croatian Supercup.

International
Croatia national team[5]
YearAppsGoals
200621
200720
200880
200910
Total131

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.1 February 2006Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China Hong Kong1–04–0Friendly match

Honours
Rijeka
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References
  1. "Half-yearly financial report at 31 December 2008" (PDF). Juventus F.C. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  2. https://sportnet.rtl.hr/statistika/245/ljestvice//
  3. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/489478/nogomet-maxtv-prva-liga/dario-knezevic-raskinuo-ugovor-s-rijekom-odmor-do-zime-a-onda-odluka-o-nastavku-karijere/
  4. http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/489478/nogomet-maxtv-prva-liga/dario-knezevic-raskinuo-ugovor-s-rijekom-odmor-do-zime-a-onda-odluka-o-nastavku-karijere/
  5. "Dario Knežević national team statistics". hrnogomet.com. Retrieved 7 November 2018.

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