Aleksandar Katai ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Катаи; born 6 February 1991) is a Serbian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
winger for Serbian club
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
.
Club career
Vojvodina
Katai started playing football for his hometown club
FK Vojvodina
Fudbalski klub Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Војводина), commonly known as Vojvodina and colloquially as Voša ( sr-Cyrl, Воша), is a Serbian professional football club based in Novi Sad, Serbia, the second large ...
youth squad. After a six- month loan to lower league team
FK Palić at the start of 2009–10 season, he was promoted to Vojvodina's first team.
His debut in Serbian SuperLiga was on 14 March 2010, when he came in as substitute against
FK Čukarički
Fudbalski klub Čukarički () is a Serbian professional football club from Belgrade, more precisely from the Čukarica municipality, that currently plays in the Serbian SuperLiga, the top tier of Serbian football.
Founded in 1926, the club spe ...
, and he scored his first goal just seven days later in a match against
Mladi Radnik. On 28 June 2011, he left FK Vojvodina and went to
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
to join
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
.
Olympiacos
On 24 June 2011, Olympiacos agreed to sign Katai on a four-year contract. At his first trainings with the club, coach
Ernesto Valverde
Ernesto Valverde Tejedor (born 9 February 1964) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a forward. He is the current manager of La Liga club Athletic Bilbao.
Over ten seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 264 games and 68 ...
told Katai that he did not defend enough and that he needed to improve as a player.
Katai did not play a single match for Olympiacos, but was instead sent on loan four times.
He was first loaned to
OFI, with whom he made his debut on 5 November 2011, against
Panionios
Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan-Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis''), ...
. The loan spell to Crete was unsuccessful, and so Olympiacos loaned him back to his hometown club FK Vojvodina. While on loan at Vojvodina, in 2012 after one game with
Spartak Subotica, he fell very ill and was admitted to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with
thrombocytopenia
In hematology, thrombocytopenia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of platelets (also known as thrombocytes) in the blood. Low levels of platelets in turn may lead to prolonged or excessive bleeding. It is the most common coag ...
.
He had to have some blood removed, and stayed in the hospital for two weeks before he was allowed to finish his recovery from home.
During his recovery, he gained over 20 pounds, and he did not return to play football until the end of the year.
He remained a loaned player for Vojvodina until the club president
Ratko Butorović died unexpectedly on 8 June 2013, which led to a period of instability in the club during which Katai left. He subsequently was loaned to
Platanias
Platanias (Greek: Πλατανιάς) is a village and municipality on the Greek island of Crete. It is located about west from the city of Chania and east of Kissamos, on Chania Bay. The seat of the municipality is the village Gerani. Platani ...
, for whom he scored a total of eight goals and six assists,
until his loan there expired in the summer of 2014.
Red Star Belgrade
2014–15 season
On 31 August 2014, in a last-minute deal before the transfer window closed, Katai devoted to a one-year loan to
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
. Throughout autumn 2014, Katai was reported to be out of shape, and Red Star's coach
Nenad Lalatović
Nenad Lalatović (, ; born 22 December 1977) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player.
Club career
Lalatović came through the youth system of hometown club Red Star Belgrade. He also spent a few seasons on loan at OFK Beogr ...
was said to have claimed that Katai "had a problem in his head".
2015–16 season
On 18 June 2015, it was announced that Katai terminated his contract with Olympiacos and forgave a debt of €300,000 which was owed to him by Red Star from the loan contract, and subsequently signed a two-year contract with Red Star Belgrade. For the 2015–16 season,
Miodrag "Grof" Božović was hired as the new coach, and Katai played a good game against
Kairat in the
first qualifying round
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
for the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
, although Red Star failed to qualify. By the end of October 2015, Katai had scored 10 goals and made 6 assists in 15 league matches, ranking him one of the most effective midfielders in all of Europe at the time surveyed.
Katai ended the season with the title of the best scorer of the
Superliga
Superliga (''super league'') may refer to:
Sports
Superliga can refer to different sports leagues:
Association football
*Albanian Superliga, the Albanian top-flight men's division
* Argentine Superliga, the Argentine top-flight men's division
*D ...
, scoring his 21st in the last round against
Radnički for the 27th title celebration.
2016–17 season
In the first competitive match of the 2016–17 season, Katai scored an equalizer and assist for win against
Valletta FC in the first match of the
second qualifying round
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
for the
Champions League in
Valletta
Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...
and winner in rematch, in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. In the first game of the third round of qualification for the Champions League against Bulgarian
Ludogorets Razgrad
Professional Football Club Ludogorets 1945 (), commonly known as Ludogorets Razgrad or simply Ludogorets, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Razgrad, which currently competes in the First Professional Football League ...
, Katai continued his goal-scoring series with a 12th consecutive goal, when he dribbled past three players and scored. Red Star were ultimately eliminated.
Alavés
On 31 August 2016, Katai signed a three-year contract with
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
side
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D. (; ''Sporting Alavés''), usually known as Alavés, is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Basque ...
, for an undisclosed fee.
Chicago Fire
On 6 February 2018, Katai was loaned by Alavés to
Chicago Fire of
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
. The loan was for the 2018 MLS season and included a purchase option at season's end.
On 11 July 2018, the Chicago Fire acquired Katai on a permanent basis from Alavés for an unknown amount. The deal had Katai signed through the 2019 season, with a club option for 2020. It also had him remaining a
TAM player for the 2018 season, but would change to a
DP in 2019.
LA Galaxy
On 31 December 2019, after leaving the Chicago Fire, Katai joined the
LA Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
through the use of Targeted Allocation Money. Katai was expected to be an important part of the Galaxy’s attack in 2020.
Katai was released by LA Galaxy on 5 June 2020, following controversial Instagram posts by Katai's wife, Tea, in the wake of the
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
and
looting across the United States. Katai's wife, writing in
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular
**Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans
** Serbian language
** Serbian culture
**Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...
, had compared protestors to "disgusting cattle", called for violent action against them in a caption under a photo of
New York Police Department
The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
officers driving an SUV into a crowd of protesters ("shoot those shits"), and captioned an image of what appears to be a looter running off with boxes of
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
sneakers with "Black Nikes Matter".
The LA Galaxy requested the removal of his wife’s posts and issued a statement condemning "racism of any kind".
Tea then took down the posts.
In an Instagram post, Katai condemned his wife's posts as "unacceptable", rebuked her insensitivity, issued a personal apology, and indicated his support for the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
movement.
Two days after the team became aware of the wife's posts, which also was two days after his post condemning her statements, and following a day of protests against Katai, the LA Galaxy released him.
Return to Red Star Belgrade
On 9 July 2020, Katai signed a two-year contract with Red Star Belgrade.
International career
Katai played two games for
Serbia U21 national team. He made his debut for
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
in a 4–1 friendly loss to the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
on 13 November 2015. He earned a total of 10 caps (no goals) and his final international was a November 2020
European Championship qualification match against
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Personal life
Born in
Srbobran
Srbobran (, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town is located on the north bank of the Danube-Tisa-Danube canal. The town has a population of 10,496, and the m ...
, a village in northern Serbia, his paternal grandfather was of
Ukrainian origin and his grandmother was
Hungarian. His surname is
Hungarian, adopted from his grandmother.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Red Star
*
Serbian SuperLiga
The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...
:
2015–16,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
,
2021–22,
2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
,
2023–24,
2024–25
*
Serbian Cup
The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије / Kup Srbije), also known as Mozzart Serbian Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. ...
:
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
,
2021–22,
2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
,
2023–24
Individual
*
Serbian SuperLiga
The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...
top goalscorer:
2015–16
*
Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season The Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season is an annual award given to a set of 11 footballers in the top tier of Football in Serbia, Serbian football, the Serbian SuperLiga, SuperLiga, who are seen to be the best 11 players of the calendar season.
S ...
:
2015–16,
2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
*
Serbian SuperLiga
The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...
Player of the Week:
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
(Round 6),
2021–22 (Round 8, Round 17, Round 26, Round 29, Round 34),
2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
(Round 19, Round 28, Round 29),
2023–24 (Round 29)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katai, Aleksandar
1991 births
Living people
People from Srbobran
Footballers from South Bačka District
Serbian people of Hungarian descent
Serbian people of Ukrainian descent
Men's association football wingers
Serbian men's footballers
Serbia men's under-21 international footballers
Serbia men's international footballers
FK Palić players
FK Vojvodina players
Olympiacos F.C. players
OFI Crete F.C. players
Platanias F.C. players
Red Star Belgrade footballers
Deportivo Alavés players
Chicago Fire FC players
LA Galaxy players
Serbian League players
Serbian SuperLiga players
Super League Greece players
La Liga players
Major League Soccer players
Designated Players (MLS)
Serbian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Serbian expatriate sportspeople in the United States