Serbian professional football manager Dejan “Deki” Stanković is a former player who is the manager of Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade. Stankovic rose to prominence at just fourteen years old when he began playing for the latter club’s youth squad.

During the 1994–95 season, Stanković’s gained his first opportunity for first team action, under head coach Petrović against OFK Beograd, fighting for a spot on the team led by, Petković, Kovačević, and Krupniković. At just 16, Stanković made seven league appearances that season, helping the team win the league title. His first goal was scored against Budućnost Podgorica and he quickly became a favourite amongst fans and a first team regular. In the 1995–96 season, Stanković played a crucial part in the legendary two-leg victory over 1. FC Kaiserslautern during the Winners’ Cup.

Before the 1997–98 season commenced, Stanković became the squad captain at just 19, the youngest ever in the history of the club. Despite missing out on a league win, he led his squad to two domestic cup victories. He joined Lazio in 1998 and spent more than five years with them before transferring to Inter Milan, where he remained until his retirement in 2013.

Stanković also captained the Serbia national team from 2007 until he announced his retirement from international football in 2011. He is notable for being the only footballer to represent three different nations at FIFA World Cups: Serbia, Montenegro and Yugoslavia.