Uroš Račić ( sr-cyr, Урош Рачић; born 17 March 1998) 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

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for Portuguese

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

club

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

on loan from club

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...

. He also plays for the Serbia national team.

Club career

Early years

Born in

Kraljevo Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of ...

, Račić started playing football in local football academies Bambi and Knjaz along with his twin brother Bogdan. After three years paying with Altina football school in

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

, the twins returned to hometown and joined Sloga Kraljevo. They also played with Sloboda Čačak before joined

OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English language, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club''), also known in English as OFK Belgrade and currently referred to as OFK ...

. After spending two years with the youth team, Račić was promoted to the first team for the 2015–16 season. Upon scoring a goal in 4–1 victory against

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 ...

, he moved in opponent team with his twin brother and signed a three-year professional contract with

Red Star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. ...

on 13 March 2016.

Red Star Belgrade

Račić made his debut with

on 8 May 2016 in a friendly match against

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, ...

. On 14 May 2016, he made his SuperLiga debut in away match against Radnik Surdulica, coming on as a substitute for Aleksandar Katai. During the 2017 summer pre-season, Račić was presented as one of the club's top 10 youth prospects. On 6 July, Račić made his first continental appearance for the club, in the second leg of the first qualifying round for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, in a 3–3 draw against

Floriana Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...

. Račić scored his first senior goal for

in a 3−1 victory against

OFK Bačka OFK Bačka (Serbian Cyrillic: ОФК Бачка) is a football club based in Bačka Palanka, Serbia, that competes in the Serbian League Vojvodina. In 2016, the club achieved promotion to the Serbian SuperLiga. It is known as one of the most su ...

on 13 August. On the last day of the 2017 summer transfer window, Račić extended his contract with Red Star to 30 June 2021. He also scored in a 2–1 victory against Mladost Lučani in the 14th fixture of the Serbian SuperLiga campaign. His goal was proclaimed goal of the week in the domestic football competition, after which he won a wrist

watch A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...

as a reward. On 5 May 2018, Račić was fouled for a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

, which was scored by Dejan Joveljić in 4–0 home victory over Spartak Subotica. He scored and assisted teammate Nemanja Radonjić in the last season match against

Voždovac Voždovac ( sr-Cyrl, Вождовац, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 174,864 inhabitants. The municipality is located in the south ...

on 19 May 2018.

Valencia

Račić joined Valencia in summer 2018 for

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

2.2 million from Red Star Belgrade. On 13 June 2018, he signed a four-year contract, but was assigned to the B-team in

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

. A fixed-rate clause of €100 million was inserted in his contract. The same year on 4 December, Račić made his debut for Valencia in a 1–0 victory against

CD Ebro Club Deportivo Ebro is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club in Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon. Founded in 1942, it plays in , holding home games at ''Campo Municipal de Fútbol La Almozara'', which has a capaci ...

in the

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

. On 14 January 2019, Račić joined

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

club

CD Tenerife Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Founded in 1922, the club plays in the Segunda División, holding home matches at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez L� ...

on loan until the end of the season. He was then loaned to Portuguese team

FC Famalicão FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Paki ...

in August 2019.

Sassuolo

On 16 August 2023, Račić moved to

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

side

. On 22 August 2024, Račić completed a move to

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

side

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

on a season long loan. On 1 February 2025, Račić returned to

on loan with a €2.5 million option to buy.

International career

As a member of Serbia national under-18 football team, Račić played several matches in 2016 and scored one goal against

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

on 15 March 2016. In August 2016, Račić was called up to the Serbia U19 squad for Stevan Vilotić Memorial Tournament, where he debuted in opening match against

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In a friendly match against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

on 8 October 2016, Račić scored his first goal for U19 national team from a

. On 9 March 2017, Račić scored against

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

in the elite qualification round for the

2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-19 Euro 2017) was the 16th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship (66th edition if the Under-18 and Junior eras are included), the annual international youth footba ...

. Račić got his first call-up to the Serbian under-21 team by coach

Goran Đorović Goran Đorović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Ђopoвић; born 11 November 1971) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played mainly a central defender but also as a left-back. In his country, he played for Priština and Red Star. He spent ...

in December 2017. He made his debut for the team in an away friendly against

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

on 17 December 2017. On 24 March 2021, Račić debuted for the Serbian senior squad in a

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the FIFA World Cup qualification, qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar national football team, Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Par ...

against the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

. In November 2022, he was selected in Serbia's squad for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

in Qatar,

Style of play

Standing at 6-foot-4-inches (1.93 m), Račić is a right-footed footballer. He joined Red Star Belgrade as a successor to

Marko Grujić Marko Grujić ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Грујић, ; born 13 April 1996) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Porto and the Serbia national team. A native of Belgrade, Grujić started his career w ...

and player who usually plays on

central midfield In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

position, being capable of playing both attacking and defensive role equally. Račić also played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

in a friendly during the

Miodrag Božović Miodrag "Grof" Božović (, ; born 22 June 1968) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career Club A tall central defender, Božović played alongside Yugoslav and Montenegrin legends Predrag Mijatović and Dejan Saviće ...

era. In August 2017, Račić was linked with

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

, when he was also compared with Sergej Milinković-Savić. Račić emphasized

Paul Pogba Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who is a free agent. He primarily plays as a central midfielder. Born in Lagny-sur-Marne, Pogba joined the youth team of Ligue 2 side Le Havre in 2007. He joined Ma ...

as his idol. When Račić's transfer to

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

was announced, former footballer of the club

Predrag Mijatović Predrag Mijatović ( sr-cyrl, Предраг Мијатовић; born 19 January 1969) is a Montenegrin Association football, football administrator and former player who played as a Striker (association football), striker. At club level, Mijato ...

described Račić in Spanish media. Mijatović said he watched him against his former club, Partizan and mentioned Račić's physical characteristics. He also described his mode of play, but emphasized a difference in quality between the

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 ...

and

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 ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Red Star Belgrade *

: 2015–16, 2017–18 Valencia *

: 2018–19

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Racic, Uros 1998 births Living people Footballers from Kraljevo Serbian men's footballers Serbia men's international footballers Serbia men's under-21 international footballers Serbia men's youth international footballers Men's association football midfielders OFK Beograd players Red Star Belgrade footballers Valencia CF Mestalla footballers Valencia CF players CD Tenerife players F.C. Famalicão players S.C. Braga players US Sassuolo Calcio players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Serbian SuperLiga players La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Primeira Liga players English Football League players Serbian expatriate men's footballers Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Serbian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England 2022 FIFA World Cup players