Darko Zorić (; born 12 September 1993) is a
Montenegrin 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 an attacking
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
for Kazakhstani club
Kyzylzhar.
Club career
Early career
Zorić made his professional debut with
Sutjeska Nikšić in 2010 at the age of 17. After just playing seven games with Sutjeska, he transferred to city rivals
Čelik Nikšić, with whom Zorić would reach two
Montenegrin Cup
The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Kup Crne Gore'') is the national football cup played in Montenegro, established in 2006. The winner of the cup is awarded a spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League ...
finals. Throughout the winter of 2013–2014, negotiations took place between Zorić and
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
and
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 ...
.
AEK Athens
On 11 February 2014, it was announced that Zorić signed a contract with
AEK Athens
A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens.
Establishe ...
, but would play the rest of the 2013–14 season with Čelik before moving to AEK in July 2014.
It was reported that
Dušan Bajević
Dušan "Duško" Bajević ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Бајевић, ; , ''Doúsan Báyevits''; born 10 December 1948) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football manager ...
tipped off the Greek club into recruiting Zorić.
After almost three years with the club, he agreed to terminate his contract with AEK on 4 January 2017.
Loan to Borac Čačak
On 31 August 2015, Zorić joined Serbian side
Borac Čačak
Borac may refer to:
* FK Borac Banja Luka, a football club from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
** RK Borac Banja Luka, an affiliated team handball club
** OK Borac, an affiliated volleyball club
* FK Borac Čačak, a football club from Čač ...
on loan, coached by
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 ...
at the time.
On December 2, 2015, Zorić scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
and made two assists in a 1-5
upset which eliminated heavily favored
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 ...
in the
second round of the 2015-16 Serbian Cup.
Čukarički
In early January 2017, Zorić signed a 2.5-year contract with Serbian team Čukarički, managed by his same coach from Borac Čačak,
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 ...
.
He made his debut for Čukarički on January 21, 2017, in a friendly match with
BSK Borča which Čukarički won 9–0.
On February 1, 2019, Čukarički agreed with Zorić to terminate his contract.
Okzhetpes
On 4 February 2019, Zorić signed a one-year contract with Kazakh club FC Okzhetpes, with an option for a one-year extension.
International career
Zorić debuted at the age of 20 for the
Montenegro national football team
The Montenegro national football team ( cnr-Latn, Fudbalska reprezentacija Crne Gore) has represented Montenegro in men's international football since 2007. It is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for foot ...
on May 23, 2014, in a 2–0 loss against
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
under coach
Branko Brnović
Branko Brnović (Cyrillic: Бранко Брновић; born 8 August 1967) is a Montenegrin manager and retired professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
After making his professional debuts with local club Budu ...
. He has, as of 20 October 2020, earned a total of 4 caps, scoring 1 goal.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Montenegro's goal tally first.''
Honours
;Čelik
*
Montenegrin Cup
The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Kup Crne Gore'') is the national football cup played in Montenegro, established in 2006. The winner of the cup is awarded a spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League ...
:
2011–12
;AEK Athens
*
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
:
2014-2015(South Group)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoric, Darko
1993 births
Living people
Footballers from Nikšić
Men's association football midfielders
Montenegrin men's footballers
Montenegro men's under-21 international footballers
Montenegro men's international footballers
FK Sutjeska Nikšić players
FK Čelik Nikšić players
AEK Athens F.C. players
FK Borac Čačak players
FK Čukarički players
FC Okzhetpes players
FC Kyzylzhar players
Montenegrin First League players
Montenegrin Second League players
Football League (Greece) players
Serbian SuperLiga players
Kazakhstan Premier League players
Montenegrin expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in Serbia
Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Serbia
Expatriate men's footballers in Kazakhstan
Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Kazakhstan