Vladimir Stojković (, ; born 28 July 1983) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al-Fayha.
During his career he played for the two biggest clubs in his country, Red Star and Partizan, but also represented teams in eight other countries, notably with Sporting CP who loaned him several times for the duration of his contract.
A Serbia international on 84 occasions, Stojković was selected for three World Cups and the 2008 Olympics.
Early life
Born in Loznica, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Stojković was born into a sporting family. His father Vladeta (d. 2007) was a football goalkeeper while his mother (1949–2012) was a track and field athlete, competing primarily in the discus throw but also in javelin and hammer throw.
Following in his father's footsteps, adolescent Vladimir took up football goalkeeping, joining his local club FK Loznica's youth system. The youngster would soon switch to Red Star Belgrade's youth setup
Club career
Red Star Belgrade
Entering the Red Star Belgrade full squad under head coach Zoran Filipović, Stojković was initially overshadowed by Vladimir Dišljenković, appearing only in one league match during the 2001–02 Yugoslav league season and one more in the following campaign.
Due to Dišljenković's status as Red Star's first choice goalkeeper, further cemented by the return of head coach Slavoljub Muslin, the club loaned Stojković out in late June 2003 to the Bosnia-Herzegovina champions FK Leotar, who were reinforcing the squad ahead of the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. He appeared in each of their four qualifying matches under head coach Milan Jovin, being eliminated in the second round.
However, after only two months in Trebinje, Stojković left the club, reportedly over unpaid wages. Returning to Belgrade, he attempted to secure a spot on the Red Star roster, but manager Muslin sent him away. After his Red Star contract was terminated, Stojković started training privately with goalkeeping coach Tomo Savić, in order to stay in competitive shape while waiting for the January 2004 transfer window to open up.
Zemun
Stojković joined FK Zemun in the 2004 winter transfer window. Under head coach Dušan Mitošević, the 20-year-old was initially backup to Miloš Adamović. His first appearance incidentally came against his former side Red Star and, although his new team lost, he made a penalty shot save on Marko Pantelić, and went on to appear in five more league matches during the remainder of the campaign.
Going into his second season with Zemun, Stojković was undisputed starter, appearing in 28 league games as they finished in fifth position. During spring 2005, he made a string of saves during the league match against Red Star in a hard-fought 0–0 draw, a result that suited FK Partizan, who eventually won the national championship.
Return to Red Star
In the summer of 2005, six months after Dišljenković's transfer to Ukraine's FC Metalurh Donetsk, Stojković returned to Red Star where he initially was an understudy to the experienced Ivan Ranđelović. However, ahead of the UEFA Cup first round return leg trip to S.C. Braga, head coach Walter Zenga promoted him to first-choice, and the player seized the opportunity, immediately impressing in the new role as the team defeated the Portuguese on away goals to qualify for the group stages.
It would be at this stage of the competition that Stojković would get his most memorable moment of the season, saving a penalty from Antonio Cassano who attempted a Panenka-shot, as Red Star beat A.S. Roma 3–1 at home. A new fan favorite from then onwards, he cemented his place in goal as the club won the league and cup double.
Nantes
Stojković moved to FC Nantes in summer 2006 for a rumoured €3 million, in order to replace departing Mickaël Landreau. After a promising first few Ligue 1 matches, however, his form rapidly declined, and he lost the starting job to 20-year-old understudy Vincent Briant, shortly before the winter break. At the same time, a vicious rift emerged within the squad that led to a series of poor results and the dismissal of the manager; Stojković fell out of favour with new coach Michel Der Zakarian, and was encouraged to seek a transfer or a loan when French star keeper Fabien Barthez was persuaded to come out of retirement and sign for the rest of the campaign.
In January 2007, Stojković was shipped off to SBV Vitesse on a six-month loan. On 3 March he played his first Eredivisie game, a 2–3 home loss against SBV Excelsior.