Jovan Damjanovic is a Serbian football coach and former professional striker whose career spans over two decades, reflecting both international playing experience and a strong commitment to youth development. Known for his leadership qualities and tactical understanding, Damjanovic has held key roles within Serbian club football and the national team setup.
Early Life and Playing Career
Born on October 4, 1982 in Knin, former SFR Yugoslavia, Damjanovic began his football journey in the youth academy of Red Star Belgrade. Standing at 1.93 meters, he was a classic center forward with a strong aerial presence and physical style of play. His professional career took him across Europe and Asia, with stints at clubs such as Sutjeska Nikšić, Radnički Obrenovac, FK Rad, FK Železnik, and Borac Čačak. His goal-scoring form earned him moves abroad to clubs including SV Ried in Austria, SC Paderborn 07 and SV Wehen Wiesbaden in Germany, Dinamo Minsk and Dinamo Brest in Belarus, and Hunan Billows in China. He later returned to Serbia, playing for FK Novi Pazar and FK Voždovac before retiring in 2016. Over his career, he played 299 professional matches and scored 65 goals.
On the international stage, Damjanovic represented FR Yugoslavia at the U16 and U18 levels, featuring in the 2001 UEFA European Under-18 Championship where he scored three goals. He earned three senior caps for Serbia in 2011, making his debut against South Korea.
Coaching and Technical Leadership
After retiring, Damjanovic transitioned into coaching and technical leadership, starting at FK Voždovac where he served as academy manager, sporting director, and first-team head coach. He led the club’s efforts to professionalize its development pipeline and strengthen its competitive standing in the Serbian SuperLiga.
Between 2021 and 2024, he worked within the Serbian Football Association, coaching national youth teams at U17, U18, and U19 levels. His work focused on identifying and developing young talents, preparing them for international competition and professional careers. His teams were noted for their discipline, structure, and tactical identity.
In August 2024, he was appointed head coach of FK TSC Bačka Topola. Over the course of 28 matches, he recorded 10 wins, 3 draws, and 15 losses, with an average of 1.18 points per match. He favored a 4-1-4-1 tactical setup that emphasized balance between compact defending and dynamic transitions.
Philosophy and Personal Life
Damjanovic is known for his focus on structure, development, and long-term planning. He believes in building club cultures that prioritize education, tactical intelligence, and professionalism. His ability to connect with young players and his commitment to mentoring has made him a respected figure in Serbian football.
He is also a father and mentor at home. His son, Aleksa Damjanovic, is part of the Red Star Belgrade U17 team, continuing the family’s connection to Serbian football.
Jovan Damjanovic’s evolution from a prolific striker to a methodical and forward-thinking coach highlights his dedication to football and his influence on the next generation of players and leaders.
Our Exclusive Interview with Jovan Damjanovic
Who is Jovan Damjanovic outside of football, and how have your personal experiences influenced your coaching approach?
I would describe myself as a husband and a father to a 16-year-old boy, Aleksa, and a 6-year-old girl, Anja. My wife Sabina and I do our best to raise them in the right way and enjoy every moment of their upbringing as a family. Aleksa is a football player, a youth international, and a member of Red Star Belgrade, which further deepens the connection between my personal life and my professional coaching career. Football is a constant topic in our household. We either watch it or talk about it, and it serves as a continuous source of inspiration and motivation for my work. I am closely connected to young players professionally. At home, I have a teenager, which gives me insight into what the new generations are like: their habits, environments, and ambitions. This helps us understand how to shape and prepare them for the football of the future, not only as athletes but as individuals.
After a diverse playing career across Europe and Asia, what motivated your transition into coaching and management?
I have been fortunate to spend my entire life in football. My playing career brought me incredible life experiences, allowed me to discover different cultures, and left me with many beautiful memories, both on and off the pitch. But football also brings many difficult moments, especially for a young person still growing and developing. My initial motivation for becoming a coach was the desire to stay in the field I love and preserve the passion I feel for football. At the same time, I wanted to use my experience and education to help young people develop and achieve their dreams and full potential. It is not easy. There are many challenges, ups and downs, and doubts but I realized that the coach and the players’ environment are the most critical factors in their development. I ended my playing career nine years ago, even though I could have kept playing, because I saw the club I was at as the right environment to begin my coaching journey. That starting environment and the people around you is very important at the beginning.
How did your time at FK Voždovac shape your leadership style and understanding of club development?
My first club was a family-oriented organization with huge development potential and a clear goal to promote strong values throughout the entire structure. I started as the academy director and was very involved, often taking on multiple roles within the club. I was preparing for the role of head coach by learning from all angles and gaining the experience needed to build a proper system. I needed to understand how each layer of the club functions, from top to bottom, to create a productive working atmosphere and select the right people. After five years in several roles, I left proudly, knowing that the core values we established still define the club, which is now recognized as one of the best-organized in the region, especially when it comes to developing young players and coaches.
What were the key challenges and learnings during your tenure with Serbia’s youth national teams and how do you approach balancing tactical discipline with individual player development, especially in youth football?
Working with top talents is both a great privilege and a huge responsibility. The good thing is that they learn quickly and absorb information well, which is important because there is not much time to work with national team players. I believe football is evolving toward even shorter preparation periods, from six to seven days in the past to just two to three days between matches. Because of that, we had to elevate our preparation systems to the highest level, not just on the pitch but also off it, through individual, group, and team approaches. Analysis, tactics, and especially the psychological side play key roles. Working with the most talented players gave us access to international tournaments where we competed with the best football federations and the most promising young talents in the world. That experience helped us grow and refine our own ideas. We achieved strong results, but more importantly, we played modern and attractive football. I firmly believe that in order to develop players for the highest level, they must play demanding and structured football in all phases of the game. From our U17 national team, two players, Maksimović and Cvetković, have already made it to the senior team, which is the ultimate goal of youth development at the national level.
During your time at TSC Bačka Topola you achieved something historic in the club’s history, The qualification for the Conference League knockout stages. What do you think were the key factors behind that success despite being one of the smaller clubs in Serbia?
Our historic success came because the players believed in my vision and had the courage to play proactive and brave football, even in Europe. We stayed true to our style and principles, both in the domestic league and on the European stage, regardless of the opponent. Of course, each match is different, and European competition is demanding, so we prioritized it strategically over the domestic league and cup. That strategy paid off with a series of memorable European nights, including our historic first win in Europe, a 4–1 victory over Lugano, as well as becoming the first Serbian club, apart from Red Star and Partizan, to earn an away point in Europe (against St. Gallen), and a thrilling 4–3 home win over Noah. We secured seven points and qualified for the knockout phase, the only Serbian club this season to do so. Only Red Star and Partizan have managed that before us in Serbian football history. We played high-level football, which allowed our players to deliver the best seasons of their careers. Pantović became the second top scorer in the group stage with five goals, Ćirković was the top assist provider, and Stanić was the most successful dribbler. Several players significantly raised their market value. Ćirković and Đakovac were transferred for three million euros, and Pantović, Stanić, and Mboungou are expected to follow, which will bring both points and financial return from the Conference League. All of this was made possible by the belief of my staff and players in a bold, clear football identity.
What tactical principles and stylistic elements of your team’s play do you believe were most instrumental in achieving that success?
We aim to create a clearly structured system that remains flexible and predictable to us, but unpredictable to the opponent. When I say “protagonist style,” I mean high intensity and pressing all over the pitch. We always want to have the ball, so we must be aggressive in winning it back in every area. We want possession and control. The better we are without the ball, the more we will have it. With the ball, we are patient, without it, we are aggressive. We keep opponents away from our goal through intensity and possession. Our defensive line spends most of the time high up the pitch, so we know exactly where our weaknesses are and what we need to work on. That is why we emphasize extreme intensity and compactness, a key principle that must not be broken, whether we have the ball or not. This also requires the right player profiles, compatible pairs, and groups that bring team balance. We did not have much time, so from day one, our coaching staff set high demands and some players encountered this level of intensity for the first time. Thankfully, they embraced it and saw the benefits. We had to reach our playing style quickly, and, of course, win matches, which we managed to do. As I mentioned, we played every two to three days all season long, and this is where football is heading: short preparation windows, many details.
TSC Bačka Topola has built a reputation for developing young talents and providing them with a platform to move on to bigger European clubs. How did you prepare such a team, relatively inexperienced on the international stage, both mentally and tactically for the challenges of European competition?
From day one, I was clear about what I wanted and how we should play. I showed the players I believed in them. It was essential that they quickly saw the difference and began believing in the idea that this style of football would bring success. Luckily, I had previously coached some of the players in the national team and at Voždovac, and others were already familiar with me and my work. Our first European match in Kazakhstan brought us a lot, even though we lost 1-0. We had nearly 30 shots on Astana’s goal and hit the post four times, which made us realize that our plan controlled the game. We imposed our style on foreign soil and after that match, the players and staff saw the value of our approach, despite the defeat. It became only a matter of time before results would come with our style of play. Alongside player and staff education, we also had to educate club leadership, which is the most difficult part. They had never seen such an extreme approach, so it was foreign to them. That is why we needed to start winning as soon as possible.
In your view, what does Serbian football need to improve in order to better prepare young players for international careers?
We have a lot of talent in our people, coaches, and players, but there is very little systemic work. The environment around young players is unstable, and things often happen by chance rather than through planning. We also lack education to ensure that the great talent we do have, both in players and coaches, can remain relevant in the football of the future. Football is constantly evolving, and if we do not evolve with it, we all lose and take the harder path.
What core values define your identity as a head coach, and how do you implement them daily within your teams?
My values and football philosophy remain constant, everything else depends on the environment and context. The foundation is an extreme approach to everything we do, clear direction, and insistence on our playing identity and principles. I want to have a well-defined structure, but within it, I want players to fully express themselves, to improvise, create, and feel inspired. I also strongly advocate for an individual approach to players in every sense. Players are human beings first, and only then professionals. They are all different, and I want to give them not only knowledge and guidance but also attention, to make them feel valued within the team. At the same time, I demand a lot from them. I expect responsibility, but when a player underperforms, I take it upon myself. My staff and I need to be better to bring the player to his full potential
What are your future goals in coaching, and how do you see your role evolving in modern football?
I want to surround myself with quality people, those I can grow with, both professionally and personally. So far, I have always chosen my environments carefully, and I hope I will measure my next step just as well, so that it will be inspiring. We have sent strong messages and achieved results on an international level, and I want to continue testing myself and presenting my ideas at an even higher level. That kind of environment brings me joy. Competing with well-organized teams, exchanging ideas, because those experiences help me improve in every way.