Richairo Juliano Živković (/Rišairo Žulijano Živković; born 5 September 1996) is a 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 striker for

Thai League 1 The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

club

Bangkok United True Bangkok United Football Club () is a professional football club based in Pathum Thani province, Thailand. Known as Bangkok University Football Club until 2009, the club was relegated from the 2010 Thai Premier League only four years afte ...

. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Curaçao national team.

Club career

FC Groningen

Born in

Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...

, Živković began playing football at FVV from

Foxhol Foxhol is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is part of the municipality of Midden-Groningen. In 1842, the potato starch factory Eureka was founded in Foxhol by Willem Albert Scholten. Foxhol became an industrial area with factories a ...

. He was noticed early on due to his agility and speed, and at the age of 11 he left for the youth academy of

FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, Groningen (province), Groningen province. Founded in 1971 as the successor of GVAV-Rapiditas, GVAV, Groningen compete in the Eredivisie, the first t ...

where he progressed. He brought more attention to himself due to his performance for the reserves team, and by the end of 2012 he signed a three-year contract with the club. On 2 December 2012, Živković came on as an 84th-minute substitute in the first team's 2–0 win over

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to t ...

, making him the youngest debutant in the history of the club. On 3 August 2013, the first match day of the

2013–14 Eredivisie The 2013–14 Eredivisie was the 58th season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. It began on 2 August 2013 with the first match of the season and ended on 18 May 2014 with the returns of the finals of the European competition and rele ...

season, he scored his first regular season goal for the club, thereby relieving

Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger. Known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, and long-range s ...

as the youngest to have ever scored for Groningen. His talent did not go unnoticed, with 11 top football clubs enquiring about him by November 2013, including the likes of

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

and

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

Ajax

On 17 March 2014, Živković agreed to sign for

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

, taking a three-year contract starting 1 July 2014. FC Groningen also received Ajax forward

Danny Hoesen Daniel "Danny" Hoesen (born 15 January 1991) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward. Club career Fortuna Sittard After short stints at local amateur clubs Hoesen enrolled in the Fortuna Sittard youth academy. He was ...

, as well as a percentage of Živković's transfer fee should Ajax sell the player before the expiration of his contract, hereby following in the footsteps of

Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, Inter Miami. Known for his go ...

who had transferred from Groningen to Ajax before him. On 5 June 2014, Živković made his debut for Ajax in a friendly match against

Wacker Innsbruck FC Wacker Innsbruck was an Austrian association football club from Innsbruck, Tyrol. History The ''Fußball-Club Wacker'' ("Valiant") ''Innsbruck'' was established in 1915 by Jakob Hanspeter, Benedikt Hosp, Josef Leitner, Josef Albrecht and o ...

concluding the club's pre-season training camp in Austria. He scored the final goal in the 46th minute of the 5–1 victory. He made his competitive debut for the reserves team

Jong Ajax Jong Ajax (; ), also referred to as Ajax II or Ajax 2, is a Dutch association football team. It is based in Amsterdam and competes in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. Jong Ajax is the only reserve team to have won a title in Dutch professional foot ...

in the

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...

season opener, a

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

match which resulted in a 3–0 win at home against

SC Telstar Sportclub Telstar () is a Dutch professional football club based in the town of Velsen-Zuid, North Holland. The team competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of the Dutch football league system, following promotion from the Eerste Divisie in t ...

. He scored his first goal for the reserves in his second appearance from a penalty kick in the 55th minute against

Fortuna Sittard Fortuna Sittard (; ) is a professional football club from the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was establi ...

, which resulted in a 2–0 win. He made his third appearance for the reserves team in another North Holland derby match against neighbouring

FC Volendam Football Club Volendam () is a professional association football, football club based in Volendam, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of the Dutch football league system, following promotion from the Eerste Divisie in the 2024 ...

. The game ended in a 5–0 loss at home. Živković was sent off receiving a red card in the 59th minute following the ejection of Ajax goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh in the 35th minute of the match. On 28 October 2014, Živković made his

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

debut in the first team, playing in the third round

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...

away match against

SV Urk SV Urk is a football club from Urk, Netherlands. Urk plays in the Derde Divisie. History The club became champions in the Hoofdklasse The Vierde Divisie (; "Fourth Division"), formerly known as Hoofdklasse () is the second-highest league of am ...

. Coming on as 46th-minute substitute for

Arkadiusz Milik Arkadiusz Krystian Milik (; born 28 February 1994) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus and the Poland national team. Milik began his career as a footballer in the Rozwój Katowice youth squad. ...

, he scored the final goal in the 89th minute of the 4–0 victory. Scoring on his debut for the first team, Živković became the 50th Ajax player to do so since the introduction of professional football in the Netherlands.

Willem II (loan)

On 22 June 2015, Živković was sent on

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

at Willem II, together with Lesly de Sa and

Ruben Ligeon Ruben Ewald Ligeon (born 24 May 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who last played as a right back for Derde Divisie club Ajax Amateurs. Before moving to Slovakia where he featured for Slovan Bratislava and AS Trenčín, he played for Aj ...

. On 1 July 2015, he scored the first four goals in a friendly game against Jong Brabant which ended 0–12. Lesley de Sa also added a goal in that game. However, he already returned to Ajax in February 2016, as his loan at Willem II did not turn out to be a success.

FC Utrecht (loan)

Živković started the 2016–17 season with

for which he scored three times in two matches. Especially after the arrival of

Bertrand Traoré Bertrand Isidore Traoré (born 6 September 1995) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward or a right winger for Eredivisie club Ajax and captains the Burkina Faso national team. After beginning his career at Auxerre, Tra ...

at Ajax, his prospects for playing time with the first team of Ajax decreased. On 16 August 2016, he was sent on loan to

FC Utrecht Football Club Utrecht () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Utrecht. The club competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, and plays its home matches at the Stadion ...

until the end of the season.

KV Oostende

On 16 June 2017, Živković signed for Belgian Pro League club

KV Oostende Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende, also called KV Oostende () or KVO, was a Belgian professional football club based in Ostend, West Flanders. The team was founded in 1904 as ''VG Oostende'' and had ''matricule'' number 31. The club was declare ...

on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was not announced, however FC Groningen would receive 10% of the amount received by Ajax in the transfer.

Changchun Yatai

On 18 February 2019, Živković moved to second tier Chinese club

Changchun Yatai Changchun Yatai Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Changchun, Jilin, that competes in . Changchun Yatai plays its home matches at the Changchun Stadium, located within Nanguan District. The club's founder and main ...

for the

2019 China League One The 2019 China League One ( zh, 58同城 2019中国足球协会甲级联赛) was the 16th season of the China League One, the second tier of the Chinese football league pyramid, since its establishment in 2004. The league's title sponsor was the ...

season. On 4 May 2019, he bagged his first senior hat-trick in a league match against Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard in a 3–4 away win.

Sheffield United (loan)

On 31 January 2020, Živković signed for

English Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club,

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

on a six-month loan until the end of the

2019–20 Premier League The 2019–20 Premier League was the 28th season of the Premier League, the top English professional association football, football league, since its establishment in 1992, and the 121st season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...

season, with the deal including an option to buy.

Emmen

On 25 July 2022, Živković joined Emmen for one year with an option for a second.

Lion City Sailors

On 11 July 2023, Živković joined

Singapore Premier League The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as the SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), wh ...

outfit,

Lion City Sailors Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as the Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional association football, football club based in Bishan, Singapore, Bishan. It competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Si ...

on a one-year contract. He donned the no.34 jersey in tribute to his former Ajax teammate,

Abdelhak Nouri Abdelhak "Appie" Nouri (born 2 April 1997) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He operated primarily as an attacking midfielder, but could also be deployed as a winger. A youth product of Eredivisie club Ajax ...

who still suffered from a cardiac arrhythmia back in 2017 and in still recovering in the process. On 16 July 2023, Živković scored his first goal for the club in a match against

Albirex Niigata (S) , simply known as Albirex Niigata (S), is a football (soccer), football club based in Jurong East, Singapore, which plays in the Singapore Premier League. The club is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of J2 League, Japan. Mostly the team is mad ...

. On 25 September 2023, he scored first club hat-trick and providing two assist in the

2023 Singapore Cup The 2023 Singapore Cup will be the 24th edition of the Singapore Cup, Singapore's annual premier club football knock-out tournament organised by the Football Association of Singapore. Hougang United is the defending champions, having won the tou ...

fixtures against

Balestier Khalsa Balestier Khalsa Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Toa Payoh, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League. Founded in 1898, the club is considered as the oldest Football in Singapore, foot ...

in a 7–0 home win. On 4 October 2023, Živković scored his first

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

goal in a 2–1 away win against Hong Kong side,

Kitchee Kitchee Sports Club (; ; ) is a Hong Kong professional Association football, football club based in Kowloon. It was founded in 1931 and currently competes in the Hong Kong Premier League. The club has won 12 List of Hong Kong football champion ...

. On 8 November 2023, Živković scored a brace against Korean giant,

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Jeonbuk have won the K League a record nine times, including ...

helping the club to another historic win. On 9 December 2023, he scored a penalty from the spot which ended up as a 3–-1 win against

Hougang United Hougang United Football Club is a professional football club based in Hougang, Singapore. The club competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singaporean football. Founded in 1998 as Marine Castle United, the club changed its ...

which saw him lifting the

with the club. Živković left the club on 30 May 2024.

Bangkok United

On 9 July 2024, Živković moved to

club

International career

Through his parents' respective origins, Živković is eligible to represent

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 ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

or the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Following his first

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

goal earlier in the month, Živković was called up to the Netherlands under-19 team on 22 August 2013. He has also represented the Netherlands at under-20 and under-21 level. In March 2023, Živković received his first call-up to the Curaçao senior national team for the CONCACAF Nations League A fixtures in which he make his debut against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. On 29 March 2023, He make his second appearances in a friendly against

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

at the

Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades The Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades is a association football, football stadium located in the city of Santiago del Estero in the Santiago del Estero Province, homonymous province of Argentina. The stadium was inaugurated on 4 March 2021, before ...

Personal life

Živković carries the last name of his mother Mira, who is originally from

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 ...

; his father, who left the family when Živković was little, was from

.Telegraf (Serbian): TAMNOPUTI SRBIN S ANTILA: Mladi fudbaler zaludeo Holanđane!
21 December 2012 In addition to Dutch, he speaks Serbian.

Career statistics

Honours

Red Star Belgrade *

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 ...

: 2021–22 *

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. ...

: 2021–22 Lion City Sailors *

Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

References

External links

*
Richairo Živković
at Voetbal International {{DEFAULTSORT:Zivkovic, Richairo 1996 births Living people Sportspeople from Assen Footballers from Drenthe Curaçao men's footballers Curaçao men's international footballers Dutch men's footballers Netherlands men's youth international footballers Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers Curaçao people of Serbian descent Dutch people of Curaçao descent Dutch people of Serbian descent Men's association football forwards FC Groningen players AFC Ajax players Jong Ajax players Willem II Tilburg players FC Utrecht players K.V. Oostende players Changchun Yatai F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Guangzhou City F.C. players Red Star Belgrade footballers FC Emmen players Lion City Sailors FC players

Richairo Živković Richairo Juliano Živković (/Rišairo Žulijano Živković; born 5 September 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Thai League 1 club Bangkok United F.C., Bangkok United. Born in t ...

Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players Belgian Pro League players China League One players Chinese Super League players Serbian SuperLiga players Singapore Premier League players

Dutch expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in China Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Singapore Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Dutch expatriate sportspeople in China Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Singapore Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Curaçao expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Premier League players 21st-century Dutch sportsmen