Rode Ster Belgrado

Rode Ster Belgrado

Red Star Belgrade — known in Serbian as Fudbalski Klub Crvena Zvezda, or simply Zvezda — is the most successful football club in Serbian history and one of Eastern Europe's most celebrated institutions. The club was born from extraordinary circumstances: in February 1945, with World War II still raging, a group of young men in Belgrade formed a Youth Physical Culture Society, which was officially constituted as Red Star Belgrade on March 4, 1945, from the remnants of the pre-war club SK Jugoslavija, inheriting their stadium, facilities, players, and characteristic red and white colours. Within two years of their formation, Red Star had won the double — both the Yugoslav Championship and the Yugoslav Cup in 1947 — announcing themselves as a force in the new post-war Yugoslavian footballing landscape. The club grew in stature throughout the following decades, winning their first Yugoslav championship title and establishing the rivalry with city rivals Partizan that defines Belgrade football. Their home ground, officially named the Rajko Mitić Stadium since 2014 — previously known simply as the Red Star Stadium — was opened in 1963 and holds 51,755 spectators, making it the largest stadium in Serbia. Fans affectionately call it the 'Marakana' after Brazil's iconic Maracanã, a testament to the noise and intensity generated by Red Star's passionate support. The crowning achievement in Red Star's history came in May 1991, when the club was crowned champions of Europe. In the 1990-91 European Cup final held in Bari, Italy, Red Star Belgrade defeated Olympique de Marseille 5-3 on penalties after a goalless draw — becoming the first Yugoslav club, and one of very few Eastern European clubs, to conquer the continent. That same year, the club won the Intercontinental Cup, defeating Chilean side Colo-Colo to be crowned world club champions. The squad that achieved this extraordinary double was built around a generation of exceptional Yugoslav talent. Key figures included goalkeeper Stevan Stojanović, the orchestrating midfielder Robert Prosinecki — a brilliant playmaker of Croatian heritage — and the devastating striking partnership of Darko Pančev, who won the Golden Boot as Europe's top scorer that season, and the explosive Dejan Savićević. Across their entire history, Red Star has won 37 Yugoslav/Serbian league championships, 26 Yugoslav/Serbian cups, and their two major international trophies. The club has also produced some of the greatest names in world football: Dragan Džajić, regarded as the greatest Serbian player of all time, wore the red and white for his entire career; Dragoslav Šekularac was a midfield genius of the 1950s and 1960s; while later eras produced Dejan Stanković, who went on to a decorated career at Inter Milan, and Nemanja Vidić, who became a cornerstone of Manchester United's defence. The rivalry with city neighbours Partizan — known as the 'Eternal Derby' — is one of the fiercest derbies in all of European football, regularly drawing enormous attention and occasionally contested in front of one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the Balkans. Red Star officially honours its greatest players with the title 'Star of Red Star', a distinction bestowed on legends including Rajko Mitić, after whom the stadium is named, and Dragan Stojković 'Piksi', who won the UEFA Champions League with Partizan's rivals before embarking on a successful managerial career. In the contemporary era, Red Star has consistently dominated Serbian domestic football, winning multiple consecutive Super Liga titles, and has regularly featured in the UEFA Champions League group stage — including a famous group-stage campaign in 2018/19 in which they played alongside Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, and Napoli. Under head coach Vladan Milojević, the club continues to punch well above Serbia's weight on the European stage, developing young talent and competing in continental competition year after year.