Veljko Paunović

Veljko Paunović (Serbian Cyrillic: Вељко Пауновић, pronounced [ʋěːʎko paǔ:noʋitɕ]; born 21 August 1977) is a Serbian football manager and former player.

Veljko Paunović

Paunović managing Chicago Fire in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Veljko Paunović^[1]
Date of birth	(1977-08-21) 21 August 1977 (age 46)^[1]
Place of birth	Strumica, SFR Yugoslavia^[1]
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)^[1]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, striker
Youth career
1983–1994	Partizan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–1995	Partizan	13	(1)
1995–2002	Atlético Madrid	52	(9)
1995–1996	→ Marbella (loan)	20	(2)
1996–1998	Atlético Madrid B	22	(11)
1998–1999	→ Mallorca (loan)	24	(5)
2001	→ Oviedo (loan)	22	(4)
2001–2002	→ Mallorca (loan)	33	(3)
2002–2003	Tenerife	38	(18)
2003–2005	Atlético Madrid	35	(6)
2005	Hannover 96	6	(0)
2005–2007	Getafe	44	(10)
2007	Rubin Kazan	16	(1)
2008	Almería	7	(2)
2008	Partizan	9	(1)
2011	Philadelphia Union	17	(3)
Total		358	(76)
International career
2002–2004	Serbia and Montenegro	2	(1)
Managerial career
2012–2014	Serbia U18
2013–2014	Serbia U19
2014–2015	Serbia U20
2015–2019	Chicago Fire
2020–2022	Reading
2023	Guadalajara
Medal record Men's football Representing  Serbia (as manager) FIFA U-20 World Cup Winner 2015
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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,^[2] 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 and Reading.

Playing career

Club

Born in Strumica, Socialist Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Paunović made his professional debut at 17 with FK Partizan. The following summer he moved to Spain, where he would stay for most of the following decade playing for a host of clubs,^[3] starting in the 1995–96 season with modest CA Marbella and reaching the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final with RCD Mallorca (with whom he scored five league goals in that campaign, to help the Balearic Islands team finish third),^[4][5] as well as having three separate stints with Atlético Madrid.^[6]

Paunović had his best year in 2002–03 with CD Tenerife in Segunda División, netting 18 times in 38 appearances although the insular side could only rank eighth.^[7] After a return to Atlético and a brief stay in Germany with Hannover 96, he joined Getafe CF for 2005–06's top flight,^[8] enjoying his finest season in La Liga by scoring ten goals in 30 league matches to help the Madrid outskirts club to the ninth place. Due to the years spent in the country, he received a Spanish passport in 2006.^[9]

Paunović was signed by Russian Premier League's FC Rubin Kazan in March 2007, after falling out of favour with Getafe coach Bernd Schuster. The following year, he agreed a two and a half-year deal with UD Almería in January.^[9] His debut was a sour one, playing 20 minutes off the bench against Racing de Santander in a 1–0 away defeat, while also receiving two yellow cards in one minute (with the consequent dismissal).^[10] He would score on two occasions towards the season's end, in a 4–2 away loss to former team Getafe^[11] and in the last matchday, a 3–1 victory at RCD Espanyol.^[12]

On 12 July 2008, Paunović signed a two-year deal with his former club Partizan.^[13] On 13 August, he scored in a 2–2 draw with Turkey's Fenerbahçe SK in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.^[14] Before the end of the year, however, he announced his decision to retire from the game.^[15]

On 29 June 2009, Paunović went on trial with the New York Red Bulls, but eventually turned down the one-year contract offer.^[16] In June 2011, after nearly three years out of football, the 33-year-old signed a deal with another American club, Philadelphia Union, after a trial stint.^[17] He scored his first goal with his new team late in the month, in a 3–2 win over Chivas USA.^[18]

Paunović officially announced his retirement for the second time on 19 January 2012.^[19]

International

Paunović made his debut for Serbia and Montenegro in a 2–1 friendly win with Mexico, on 13 February 2002. His only other cap came two years later against Northern Ireland, another exhibition match, and he scored in the 1–1 draw in Belfast.^[20]

Coaching career

Serbia NT

Paunović earned a UEFA PRO coaching licence and a sporting director degree from the Royal Spanish Football Federation. For nine months, he was a UEFA Champions League analyst for RTVE in Spain.^[21]

Paunović began working as a manager with the Serbia national team, being of charge of their under-18, under-19 and under-20 sides. While with the latter, he won the 2015 FIFA World Cup.^[22]

Chicago Fire

 

Paunović at a U.S. Open Cup match away to Cincinnati in 2017

On 24 November 2015, Paunović was appointed head coach of Chicago Fire FC in Major League Soccer.^[23] He led the team to the playoffs in 2017, which happened for the first time in five years.^[21] In the same year, he coached in the All-Star Game against Real Madrid.^[24]

Paunović also reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Open Cup in 2016 and 2018.^[25][26] He and the Fire parted ways on 13 November 2019.^[27]

Reading

Paunović replaced Mark Bowen as manager of Reading on 29 August 2020.^[28] On his EFL Championship debut on 12 September, the team won 2–0 at Derby County;^[29] he ended September as the division's Manager of the Month for winning all three games.^[30] They missed out on a playoff place with two games remaining, after a 2–2 draw against Swansea City at the Madejski Stadium.^[31]

In November 2021, during Paunović's second season, the team received a six-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules across the previous three seasons.^[32][33] The following January, the Royals were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by National League North side Kidderminster Harriers.^[34]

Following a 3–2 away victory over Preston North End on 19 February 2022, Reading announced that Paunović had left his role by mutual consent.^[35]

Guadalajara

On 31 October 2022, Paunović became the manager of Liga MX club Guadalajara.^[36] He made his debut the following 7 January in a 1–0 win at Monterrey.^[37] On 15 December 2023, Paunović and Guadalajara parted ways by mutual agreement.^[38] During his tenure in Guadalajara, Veljko was able to take his squad to the final in his first year as head coach. He unfortunately fell short to win although he was up 2–0 with 20 minutes left on the clock. The following season he lost several key matches 4–0 vs rival America, 4–0 vs Tigres, and was eliminated in the quarter final after losing 3–0 vs Pumas UNAM.

Personal life

Paunović experienced hardships while training for football, such as walking for hours to practice and sometimes going without food. His father, Blagoje, was also a footballer. A defender who inspired him, he too played for Partizan and represented Yugoslavia at UEFA Euro 1968, later embarking in a managerial career.^[39]

Paunović is married and has four children.^[40] He is fluent in six languages: English, Spanish, Serbian, Macedonian, Russian and German.^[21]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^{[41][42][43][1][44]}

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Partizan	1994–95	First League	13	1	5	0	0	0	18	1
Marbella (loan)	1995–96	Segunda División	20	2	0	0	0	0	20	2
Atlético Madrid B	1996–97	Segunda División	7	3	0	0	0	0	7	3
	1997–98	Segunda División	15	8	0	0	0	0	15	8
	Total		22	11	0	0	0	0	22	11
Atlético Madrid	1996–97	La Liga	16	1	2	0	1	0	19	1
	1997–98	La Liga	14	6	2	0	3	0	19	6
	1999–00	La Liga	30	7	4	0	4	0	38	7
	2000–01	Segunda División	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	Total		52	9	4	0	7	1	63	10
Mallorca (loan)	1998–99	La Liga	24	5	0	0	6	1	30	6
Oviedo (loan)	2000–01	La Liga	22	4	0	0	0	0	22	4
Mallorca (loan)	2001–02	La Liga	33	3	0	0	8	0	41	3
Tenerife	2002–03	Segunda División	38	18	0	0	0	0	38	18
Atlético Madrid	2003–04	La Liga	25	6	2	1	0	0	27	7
	2004–05	La Liga	10	0	2	0	3	2	15	2
	Total		35	6	4	1	3	2	42	9
Hannover	2004–05	Bundesliga	6	0	1	0	0	0	7	0
Getafe	2005–06	La Liga	30	10	1	3	0	0	31	13
	2006–07	La Liga	14	0	3	1	0	0	17	1
	Total		44	10	4	4	0	0	48	14
Rubin Kazan	2007	Russian Premier League	16	1	2	1	0	0	18	2
Almería	2007–08	La Liga	7	2	0	0	0	0	7	2
Partizan	2008–09	Serbian SuperLiga	9	1	1	0	8	1	18	2
Philadelphia Union	2011	Major League Soccer	17	3	0	0	0	0	17	3
Career total			358	76	21	6	32	5	411	87

International goals

Scores and results list Serbia and Montenegro's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Paunović goal.

List of international goals scored by Veljko Paunović

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	28 April 2004	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–1	Friendly^[20]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 3 December 2023^[45][46]

Coaching record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record
			P	W	D	L	Win %
Serbia U20/U19/U18	1 October 2012	30 June 2015	16	10	3	3	062.50
Chicago Fire	24 November 2015	13 November 2019	148	46	39	63	031.08
Reading	29 August 2020	19 February 2022	83	29	18	36	034.94
Guadalajara	31 October 2022	15 December 2023	50	27	8	15	054.00
Total			297	112	68	117	037.71

Honours

Manager

Serbia

• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2015^[22]

Individual

• EFL Championship Manager of the Month: September 2020^[30]

References

1. "Veljko PAUNOVIC". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2009.
2. Vujcic, Djuradj (29 March 2012). "Inside the MLS: Veljko Paunovic". Red Nation Online. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
3. "Paunovic poised for Getafe switch". UEFA. 10 May 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
4. Segurola, Santiago (20 May 1999). "El Mallorca pierde con orgullo" [Mallorca lose proudly]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
5. Mazarrasa, Gonzalo (6 August 2009). "Paunovic: "Cumplí varios sueños en el Mallorca, y estaré agradecido eternamente"" [Paunovic: "I fulfilled several dreams with Mallorca, and I'll thank them forever"] (in Spanish). RCDM. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
6. "Atlético and Paunovic part company". UEFA. 24 January 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
7. "Jesús Perera, Pichichi 2003 en Segunda" [Jesús Perera, 2003 Pichichi in Segunda]. Marca (in Spanish). 29 June 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
8. "El Getafe de Schuster es reforça amb el davanter serbi Veljko Paunovic" [Schuster's Getafe bolster with Serbian forward Veljko Paunovic] (in Catalan). Televisió de Catalunya. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
9. "Paunovic ficha por el Almería" [Paunovic signs for Almería]. El Día (in Spanish). 19 January 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
10. Gutiérrez, José Gabriel (25 February 2008). [Paunovic: "It's outrageous this can happen in Spanish football"]. Ideal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
11. "Getafe 4–2 Almeria". ESPN Soccernet. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
12. "Espanyol 1–3 Almeria". ESPN Soccernet. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
13. Mirón, Guillermo (14 July 2008). "Paunovic ficha por el Partizán" [Paunovic signs for Partizan]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 April 2022.
14. "Fenerbahçe fightback foils Partizan". UEFA. 13 August 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
15. Loaiza, Alfonso (15 December 2010). "Entrevista Paunovic: "Quiero la mentalidad ganadora de Mourinho, y la lucidez de Guardiola"" [Paunovic interview: "I want Mourinho's winner mindset, and Guardiola's lucidity"] (in Spanish). Goal. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
16. Lewis, Michael (22 July 2009). "Red Bulls eyeing Serbian forward Veljko Paunovic". New York Daily News. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
17. "Union sign Serbian forward Veljko Paunović". Philadelphia Union. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
18. "Philadelphia Union 3–2 Chivas USA: Philly extend home unbeaten run with spirited comeback". Goal. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
19. "Union's Paunović announces decision to retire". Philadelphia Union. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
20. "NI 1–1 Serbia & Montenegro". BBC Sport. 28 April 2004. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
21. "Chicago Fire Soccer Club signs head coach Veljko Paunović to multi-year contract extension". Chicago Fire. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
22. Ibrulj, Sasa (20 June 2015). "Veljko Paunovic: The man behind Serbia's under-20 World Cup glory". ESPN. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
23. "Chicago Fire Soccer Club hires Veljko Paunovic as head coach". Chicago Fire. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
24. Corrigan, Dermot (1 August 2017). "Veljko Paunovic already making most of opportunity in MLS". ESPN. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
25. Edwards, Andy (9 August 2016). "NE Revs top Chicago Fire, book place in 2016 US Open Cup final". NBC Sports. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
26. Rodriguez, Alicia (8 August 2018). "Philadelphia Union 3, Chicago Fire 0 | 2018 US Open Cup Match Recap". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
27. "Chicago Fire part ways with head coach Veljko Paunovic". Chicago Fire. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
28. "Veljko Paunovic: Reading appoint Serbian as manager, replacing Mark Bowen". BBC Sport. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
29. Preston, Andy (12 September 2020). "Derby County 0–2 Reading: Goals from Joao and Ejaria give Paunović's Royals the perfect start". Wokingham Today. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
30. Joy, Matt (8 October 2020). "Reading FC boss nomimated for Manager of the Month award". The Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
31. Vincent, Gareth (25 April 2021). "Reading 2–2 Swansea City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
32. Fisher, Ben (17 November 2021). "Reading agree six-point deduction with EFL for breaching financial rules". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
33. Warlow, Robert (19 November 2021). "Veljko Paunovic sends defiant message to Reading FC fans after confirmation of points deduction". Get Reading. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
34. Nurick, Benjy (8 January 2022). ""I will turn this around." Reading FC manager insists he is right man for the job". The Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
35. "Club statement | Royals part company with Veljko Paunovic by mutual consent". Reading F.C. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
36. "Veljko Paunovic: Chivas' new head coach". C.D. Guadalajara. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
37. "Paunovic en Chivas comenzó con el pie derecho ante Monterrey" [Paunović starts off on the right foot at Chivas against Monterrey]. El Diario de Coahuila (in Spanish). 7 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
38. "Press release". C.D. Guadalajara. 15 December 2023.
39. "Son of Serbia". The Coaches' Voice. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
40. [Paunović poker (PHOTO)] (in Serbian). Mozzart Sport. 30 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
41. Veljko Paunović at BDFutbol
42. "Veljko Paunovic". Worldfootball. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
43. "Veljko Paunovic". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
44. "Veljko Paunović" (in Serbian). Partizanopedia. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
45. "Veljko Paunovic | Managers". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
46. "V. Paunovic". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 November 2019.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Veljko Paunović.

• Veljko Paunović at BDFutbol
• Veljko Paunović at Major League Soccer
• Veljko Paunović at Reprezentacija.rs (in Serbian)
• Veljko Paunović at National-Football-Teams.com