Marko Stankovic: Former Hyderabad FC midfielder calls time on career

The former Austria international represented a host of clubs from his home country Austria during his career.

Former Hyderabad FC midfielder Marko Stankovic has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 33.

Stankovic started his footballing journey for Austrian Bundesliga side DSV Leoben in the year 2003. Since then, he went on to represent several clubs across Austria and Italy in various divisions, before making a switch to FC Pune City in the year 2018. The midfielder went on to ply his trade for Hyderabad FC in the last season of the Indian Super League. He also appeared for the Austria U-21 side 20 times between 2004 and 2008 and notched up six goals and also for the senior team of Austria on one occasion in 2008.

Stankovic plied his trade in India for two and half seasons, scoring four goals and registering five assists during the same time. However, in his last two campaigns in India, his teams failed to make any impression, as both FC Pune City and Hyderabad FC finished in the bottom half of the table.

Marko Stankovic announced his retirement via an Instagram post, where he thanked everyone who helped him in the journey. “I’m officially retiring from professional football. Hard decision, but well-prepared. Thank you to everyone who supported me, first of all to my family, my friends, my teammates and my supporters.”

He also added that he’ll contribute to football in different ways, while revealing that he’ll be a part of Sky Sports Austria as a pundit.

His best moment came in the year 2013, when he represented FK Austria Wien in the UEFA Champions League, where he provided an assist against Russian football giants Zenit St. Petersburg. His football career spanned over 17 years and has more than 350 appearances with 50 goals to his name.