Stanko Svitlica
Birth date17 May 1976 (age 50)
Birth placeKupres, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Height1.85 m
PositionForward
Youthclubs 1Bačka
Years 11995–1996
Clubs 1Partizan
Caps 11
Goals 10
Years 21996–1997
Clubs 2Čukarički
Caps 214
Goals 24
Years 31997
Clubs 3Le Mans
Caps 38
Goals 30
Years 41998
Clubs 4Proleter Zrenjanin
Caps 49
Goals 41
Years 51998–1999
Clubs 5Spartak Subotica
Caps 516
Goals 51
Years 61999–2000
Clubs 6Ethnikos Asteras
Caps 621
Goals 61
Years 72000–2001
Clubs 7Čukarički
Caps 728
Goals 713
Years 82001–2003
Clubs 8Legia Warsaw
Caps 860
Goals 840
Years 92004
Clubs 9Hannover 96
Caps 93
Goals 91
Years 102004–2006
Clubs 10LR Ahlen
Caps 1038
Goals 1011
Years 112006
Clubs 11Wisła Kraków
Caps 112
Goals 110
Years 122007
Clubs 12Čukarički
Caps 129
Goals 120
Years 132009
Clubs 13Srem
Caps 1315
Goals 137
Years 142009
Clubs 14Banat Zrenjanin
Caps 1412
Goals 142
Years 152010
Clubs 15Srem
Caps 151
Goals 150
Totalcaps237
Totalgoals81

Stanko Svitlica (Serbian Cyrillic: Станко Свитлица; born 17 May 1976) is a Serbian retired footballer who played as a forward. He is best remembered for his time at Legia Warsaw, becoming the Polish Ekstraklasa top scorer in the 2002–03 season with 24 goals.[1]

Career

A journeyman, Svitlica played for several clubs in FR Yugoslavia, as well as France and Greece, before Dragan Okuka brought him to Legia Warsaw in the summer of 2001. He scored ten goals from 28 appearances in all competitions during his debut season in Poland, helping the club win the national championship that year. In the following season, Svitlica netted 29 goals in 38 games (24 in 29 in the league), becoming the first foreigner ever to win the Golden Boot in the Polish Ekstraklasa. He continued his goalscoring form in late 2003, securing him a transfer to Hannover 96 in the 2004 winter transfer window.[2] Despite an impressive start (Svitlica scored against Bayern Munich beating Oliver Kahn on his debut after coming off the bench), his career in the Bundesliga never really took off and Hannover offloaded him after just half a year. He spent the following two seasons with LR Ahlen in the second tier of German football, before returning to Poland and joining Wisła Kraków. However, Svitlica struggled for fitness and after just two games left the club. He later returned to Serbia and his former club Čukarički, but failed to make an impact. In 2010, Svitlica retired from professional football.

Honours

Partizan

Legia Warsaw

Individual

References

  1. ^ Błoński, Robert (23 October 2024). "Stanko Svitlica: w Legii Warszawa spędziłem najlepsze lata swojej kariery" (in Polish). TVP Sport. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Xavier quits Liverpool for Hanover". cnn.com. 2 February 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2017.