Nikola Stanković

Nikola Stanković's route back to Crvena zvezda ran through the lower tiers of Serbian football. He came through the Belgrade club's own youth academy before being sent out on loan to build up first-team experience, first at RFK Grafičar Beograd and later at FK Napredak Kruševac. Rather than being handed a path into the senior squad at home, he had to earn his way back to it.

That route continued in 2023, when instead of returning to Crvena zvezda he joined FK Čukarički on a permanent deal. He spent two seasons there, helping the club establish itself in the Serbian SuperLiga. In July 2025, Crvena zvezda paid roughly €500,000 to bring him back and signed him to a four-year contract.

A right-back by trade, Stanković plays with his right foot and has built his career on the defensive side of the pitch rather than through individual recognition — he has no personal awards to his name. His representative football has so far stayed at youth level: caps for Serbia's under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 sides, including a run with the under-19s at the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. A senior call-up has not yet followed.

His move back to Crvena zvezda closed a loop that began in the club's academy years earlier, with two loan spells and a permanent transfer elsewhere standing between his departure and his return.