Živko Živković

Živko Živković (Serbian Cyrillic: Живко Живковић; born 14 April 1989) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Greek Super League club PAOK.

Internationally, Živković represented his country at every level from under-17 to under-21.

Club career

Partizan

After starting out with his hometown club Sloboda Užice, Živković joined the youth system of Partizan in 2005. He was subsequently promoted to their first team in the spring of 2007, before signing his first professional contract with the club on 1 June 2007, on a five-year deal. Živković initially played for Teleoptik, before returning to Partizan. He made his competitive debut for the club in a 5–1 home league win over OFK Beograd, on 8 December 2007, coming on as a substitute for the injured Darko Božović.

In the summer of 2008, in order to gain more playing time and experience, Živković was sent on loan to Metalac Gornji Milanovac. He immediately became the first-choice goalkeeper in his first season at the club, as they got promoted to the Serbian SuperLiga. In the following season, the club's first in the top flight, Živković missed only one out of 30 games, helping his team avoid relegation.

In the summer of 2010, Živković returned to Partizan, being projected as a backup goalkeeper to Radiša Ilić. He dropped out of the 18-man squad after Vladimir Stojković joined the club in late August 2010. Eventually, Živković made one league and one cup appearance in the 2010–11 season. He was again loaned to Metalac Gornji Milanovac in the summer of 2011, making 13 league appearances in the 2011–12 season.

After leaving Gornji Milanovac for the second time, Živković started the 2012–13 campaign at Teleoptik, before being promoted back to Partizan in October 2012, as a replacement for the injured Vladimir Stojković. He recorded one league appearance until the end of the season, as the club won its sixth consecutive championship title. In the following season, Živković made his debut in UEFA competitions, coming on as a substitute for the injured Milan Lukač in the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round versus Ludogorets Razgrad on 6 August 2013. He managed to make four league appearances in the 2013–14 season.

In the fall of 2014, Živković was still the second-choice goalkeeper to Milan Lukač. He only appeared in the Serbian Cup first round, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 away win over Bežanija on 24 September 2014. However, Živković earned himself a place in the first eleven at the start of the spring season, quickly becoming an irreplaceable member of the team. He continued to play regularly in the fall of 2015, but was removed from the squad after the arrival of new manager Ivan Tomić.

Xanthi

On 10 June 2016, it was announced that Živković officially signed with Greek club Xanthi. He played the full 90 minutes in all of his team's 30 appearances in the 2016–17 Superleague Greece, conceding only 25 goals in the process. In the following 2017–18 campaign, Živković remained Xanthi's first-choice goalkeeper, conceding 29 goals in 29 games.

On 21 April 2019, the Serbian goalkeeper announced via his facebook account his decision to leave the club, upon the expiration of his contract.

PAOK

On 26 June 2019 , Zivkovic’s contract with Xanthi is expiring, and PAOK pounced to sign him as a free agent. The reliable 30-year-old will form the back-up for Alexandros Paschalakis after Rodrigo Rey was shifted out on loan to Pachuca. He signed a three years' contract for an €300,000 annual fee.

International career

Živković represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 UEFA Under-17 Championship, together with his club teammates Stevan Jovetić and Nikola Gulan, among others. He then represented Serbia at the 2007 UEFA Under-19 Championship. In the meantime, Živković made his debut for the Serbia national under-21 team in a 6–2 home friendly victory over Cyprus U21 on 15 May 2007. He was also a member of the team that took part at the 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championship. Previously, Živković represented the under-20 team at an international friendly tournament in Qatar.

On 30 May 2015, following his consistent performances at club level, Živković received his first call-up for the Serbia national team. He was an unused substitute in a friendly against Azerbaijan on 7 June, as well as in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark on 13 June.

Career statistics

Honours

Partizan
* Serbian SuperLiga: 2007–08, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15
* Serbian Cup: 2007–08, 2010–11

PAOK
*Greek Cup: 2020–21

Notes

References

External links

*
*
at slgr.gr

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zivkovic, Zivko
Association football goalkeepers
Expatriate footballers in Greece
FK Metalac Gornji Milanovac players
FK Partizan players
FK Teleoptik players
Serbia and Montenegro footballers
Serbia under-21 international footballers
Serbia youth international footballers
Serbian expatriate footballers
Serbian expatriates in Greece
Serbian First League players
Serbian footballers
Serbian SuperLiga players
Xanthi F.C. players
PAOK FC players
Sportspeople from Užice
Super League Greece players
1989 births
Living people