FK Crvena Zvezda

The story of the Red Star Belgrade football team began when it was founded by a group composed of Yugoslav Communists on 4 March 1945. Slobodan Penezic headed the committee that established Red Star, composed largely of communist veterans of World War II. This was different from Partizan that was established by top officers and members of the Yugoslav People's Army.

In February 1945 in the midst of World War II, a group of men in their teens active players as well as students, and people who were members of the Serbian United Antifascist Youth League formed an organization called the Youth Physical Culture Society, that would change into Red Star Belgrade on 4 March. Prior to that, in November 1944, the prewar Serbian clubs were dissolved, and on May 5, 1945, the secretary of communist Sports Mitra Mitrovic-Djilas ratified the decree that officially dissolved all pre-war clubs in the territory of Socialist Republic of Serbia. The clubs were dismissed because , during the German occupation the Serbian government attempted to create a league in which all the clubs were considered as collaborators by Josip the communist government of Broz Tito.

Red Star was the name that Red Star was assigned after lengthy discussion. Other suggestions that were shortlisted by members comprised "People's Star", "Blue Star", "Proleter", "Stalin", "Lenin", and so on. The first vice-presidents from the Sport Society - Zoran Zujovic and Slobodan Cosic were the first to assign the idea. Red Star was soon adopted as an emblem of Serbian nationalism in Yugoslavia and also a sports institution that remains the nation's most admired to this day. The day that Red Star was founded, Red Star played the first football game in the history of the club in The First Battalion of the Second Brigade of KNOJ (People's Defence Corps of Yugoslavia) and was able to win 3-1.

The Red Star's first success was little steps to be recognized. Within the first 15 years of its existence, Red Star won one Serbian championship as well as six Yugoslav championships as well as five Yugoslav Cups, one Danube Cup and advanced to the semi-finals of 1956-57 European Cup. Some of the most outstanding players in this time included Kosta Tomasevic Branko Stankovic Rajko Mitic, Vladimir Beara, Bora Kostic, Vladica Popovic, Vladimir Durkovic and Dragoslav Sekularac. They were the champions. Red Star were Yugoslavia's entry into the 1958-59 European Cup where they were famously defeated 5-4 on aggregate against English winners Manchester United in the quarter-finals. Manchester United, managed by Matt Busby defeated Red Star with a 2-1 win in the first match in England and then drew 3-3 with the team in Yugoslavia for the second leg on February 5, on the JNA Stadium. The second game is significant as the last game of players of the Busby Babes: on the return flight back to England the next day the plane was destroyed in Munich and resulted in the deaths of 23 persons which included the eight Manchester United players.

In the Miljan Miljanic period, Red Star won four Yugoslav championships and three Yugoslav cups and two Yugoslav supercups and two Yugoslav league cupand and one Mitropa Cup and reached the semi-finals of the 1970-71 European Cup. An entirely new group of athletes came to prominence under Miljanic's direction under the leadership of Dragan Dzajic, and Jovan Acimovic. Red Star eliminated Liverpool in the second round of the 1973-74 European Cup and Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of 1974-1975 European Cup Winners' Cup. Branko Stankovic's tenure as head coach would end in four years, earned Red Star three trophies and the first major European final. After defeating teams like Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Hertha BSC, Red Star played for the first time in an appearance in the UEFA Cup final. The final was played in the stadium of Borussia Monchengladbach. Red Star met Borussia Monchengladbach which was a team that participated in five European finals between 1973 and 1980. The Germans lost one goal by Milos Sestic, however Ivan Jurisic's goal gave Gladbach an advantage in psychological terms prior to the second match. The match was played in the Rheinstadion in Dusseldorf and there was a controversy over the Italian arbitrator Alberto Michelotti gave a questionable penalty to the Germans as well as it was the Danish forward Allan Simonsen sealed Red Star's fate. The Foals prevailed 2-1 in all-in.

Following the 1970s, historic match with Udo Lattek's Barcelona were played in the European Cup Winners' 1982-83 Cup. In both games, Barcelona were the better team and Red Star was eliminated. Incredibly, when Barcelona's Diego Maradona scored his second goal in front of around 100,000 people at the Marakana The Belgrade fans were so ecstatic over the goal that the faithful Belgrade supporters embraced Maradona's goal. Gojko Zec returned to the team in 1983, spotting only one player of the champions generation the team he was coaching to 1977. Milos Sestic. Zec also repeated the team's success during his previous tenure with the club's first championship following his return. Zec was later to leave the club after a controversial Sajber's case-like scandal, which resulted from irregularities during the 1985-86 season.

After Zec was dismissed the club in 1986, it saw major changes to the club. The club's management is led by Dragan Dzajic and Vladimir Cvetkovic, began to create a team capable of competing with the strongest European teams. The summer before, Velibor Vasovic became coach and the team was strengthened by the acquisition of a variety of young talents who, in particular, Dragan Stojkovic as well as Borislav Cvetkovic were the most notable. In the very first season, which was dominated by penalty points Red Star focused on the European Cup and achieving good results. The year 1987 saw the introduction of a five-year strategy was formulated by the club, with the primary goal of be the winner of the European Cup. The plan was realized. When the club's birthday was celebrated in 1987, the season began. Real Madrid were defeated at the Marakana. From that point until February 1992 Red Star enjoyed the most successful time of its history. Through these 5 seasons Red Star won four National Championships; in the final year of glory, the team was victorious in its first European Cup Final, played in Bari, Italy.

Red Star coach Ljupko Petrovic sent his team into Italy just a week before the final to calmly train the players ahead of their upcoming game against Marseille. At that point, Red Star had 18 goals in eight games, while the French champions had scored 20. Thus the 100th European final that was to be played to be an exciting display of offense. But the two teams, Petrovic along with Raymond Goethals opted for defence and the match slipped to a battle of attrition. After a 120-minute game with only a handful of chances for either side of the pitch, the game was decided by a penalty shootout. After several hours of intense penalties one Marseille player, Manuel Amoros, missed an opportunity to score a penalty. Darko Pancev scored his penalty to win an historic European Cup to Yugoslavia for the first time. Red Star won the shootout 5-3 on 29 May 1991 in front thousands of spectators as well as the millions who watched on television across the globe. Twenty thousand Red Star fans at the Stadio San Nicola, and millions of fans across Yugoslavia and all over the world celebrated the greatest moment in the history of Red Star. Red Star went unbeaten at the 1990-91 European Cup in Bari and the 1991 Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo.

The 1992 season saw the team was hit due to the departure of many players from the generation of champions (new players were also added like Dejan Petkovic as well as Anto Drobnjak). The team's performance in the previous season attracted the interest of European giants who rushed to make attractive offers to sign the best Red Star players. Furthermore, Red Star had to defend the continental trophy by playing its home matches within Szeged, Budapest and Sofia because of the war in the former Yugoslavia which reduced their chances of winning the title. UEFA changed the structure of the tournament in 1991 and the 1991-92 European Cup was the first to be played with two groups with four teams. Despite the drawbacks of playing home matches abroad, Red Star still did very well and came in second place in the group, just behind Sampdoria. In the domestic league, major opponents Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb were eliminated from the league, like others of Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia did. The final tournament in Yugoslavia which was reduced in size took place in the midst of observing of rules at the time of the start of Bosnian War. In May, at the end of the month it was announced that the United Nations had the country under sanctions and removed Yugoslav soccer off the world stage. It was the Breakup of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Wars, the inflation and the UN sanctions have struck Red Star hard. Between May 1992 until May 2000, just one championship win could be celebrated in the Marakana. They did manage to claim five cups and also a few spectacular European performances like the famous 1996 winner of the UEFA Cup Winners Showdown in the 'Cup against the Barcelona team that featured Ronaldo along with Hristo Stoichkov.

Following that the NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia was over, Red Star won the 17th time in the history of the cup by beating 4-2 Partizan. Two years after that, the club came back in the European spotlight when it made an appearance in the 2001-02 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds in which Red Star was eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen (0-0 and 0-3) that would later become a finalist in the Champions League that year. Slavoljub Muslin was dropped from the squad in September 2001, following the team's subsequent seasons were more unstable.

The 2006-07 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, Red Star was eliminated (3-1 in the aggregate) from the Milan team who eventually won the tournament that year. Additionally, the tournament within Group F for the 2007-08 UEFA Cup was a large disappointment, especially considering the fact that the first game played with Bayern Munich was a sensational late loss (by 3-3 and a draw in Belgrade). The Red Star's teams included players like Nikola Zigic, Bosko Jankovic, Milan Bisevac, Dusan Basta, Dejan Milovanovic, Segundo Castillo, Ibrahima Gueye, Nenad Milijas, and Ognjen Koroman. After a drought of six years, Red Star won their 26th league title in the 2013-14 season.

Despite the success of Red Star on the pitch during 2013, the fiscal condition for the team has become more dire in such a way that the club was banned from playing during the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League for which they were able to qualify by having won the Serbian SuperLiga. It was found that the UEFA Club Financial Control Body determined that the debts of Red Star's players, who weren't paid for at minimum six months, as well as staff and other clubs to be EUR1.86 million. The club's board was accused of concealing financial obligations and falsified documentation. This, in addition to an earlier UEFA discipline measure in 2011, indicated that Red Star did not meet the required Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play requirements and, in that sense, shouldn't be granted an UEFA licence from the Serbian FA. Rivals Partizan replaced Red Star during the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.

After 10 year of anticipation, Red Star qualified for the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League group stage. Red Star progressed through four qualifying rounds before reaching the knockout stage of the competition, becoming the only team within the history of competition to make it through the knockout stage following their debut with the qualifying round that they were in. Even though Red Star played in the group stage of the inaugural edition of the tournament in which the group format was introduced at 1991-92 European Cup, 1991-92 European Cup but the name "Champions League" was adopted only after a few seasons, and Yugoslav clubs had already been barred from competing in. Therefore the moment that Red Star eliminated Red Bull Salzburg in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League play-off round and was able to qualify for an appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage which was the first time the fact that Red Star competed for the first time after the new format was adopted. Red Star became the first Serbian team to win a game within the UEFA Champions League when they beat Liverpool.

On the 14th of May, 2019 on the 14th of May, 1946 People's Republic of Serbia League title was officially recognised from the Serbian FA this means that Red Star's victory at the end of the 2018-19 Serbian SuperLiga was their 30th national championship. Red Star reached the UEFA Champions League group stage for the second consecutive season following their elimination of Suduva, HJK Helsinki, Copenhagen and Young Boys. On November 5, 2019, the cable television channel Zvezda TV started airing.

The 2020-21 Serbian SuperLiga, Red Star broke the world record for points they scored in a single season by scoring an impressive 108 points.

The pattern of white and red in Red Star was inherited from the confiscated SK Jugoslavija that wore red socks and shirts, and white shorts. From 1945 to 1950 Red Star maintained this strip until it adopted the popular vertical stripes of white and red shirt, with alternate the red or white shorts, and socks by 1950. The white and red stripes have become part of Red Star's image, earning the well-known nickname of Crvenobeli, "the red and white's" in Serbian. The club wore the original pre-stripe kits for a long time, but has been progressively less popular in use. In in the 50s, 1960s the club also changed between blue trunks as well as a V-neck with a long white sleeve with a red shirt and a red shirt that had thin horizontal lines of white.

Red Star have usually worn an all-white away kit while also using mostly red or blue the third or away kits thus including their Serbian tricolour. The club's crest features five-pointed red star white-framed on an all-red background. The entire emblem is wrapped in gold. Three golden stars on top of the emblem which represent the 30 titles that were won.

Despite its overtly Communist logo and name, Red Star Football Club has become a symbol its own as a symbol in its own. Its "petokraka" of which the club's name is derived is now an emblem of the club and Serbian nationalists, moving away from its origins with the Partisans as well as that of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Because of the popularity of Red Star and its sporting success The club as well as its emblem have become associated with the larger Serbian nationalism and identity that transcends the sport's landscape.

Red Star's home stadium will be the Rajko Mitic Stadium (since 21 December 2014) previously called Red Star Stadium. With a capacity of 53,000, it is the biggest stadium in Serbia as well as in Serbia's former Yugoslavia. The stadium opened in 1963. In its development, and due to the fact that the it was once a capacity of 110,000, it received the name Marakana, which is not official. Marakana following the massive and well-known Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Belgrade's sold out Marakana earned the reputation as a difficult ground for teams visiting to play on. A number of the most important football matches have taken place in this stadium, including the European Cup final between Ajax and Juventus in 1973, the UEFA European Championship final between West Germany and Czechoslovakia in 1976, as well as the first part of the UEFA Cup final between Red Star and Borussia Monchengladbach in 1979. In the mid-1990s to ensure that the stadium was in line with UEFA requirements for comfort of spectators and security, standing areas at the stadium were eliminated and seats were put in the four stands. Over the years, the stadium's capacity gradually diminished, there were various stadium renovations.

The club in 2008 renovated the stadium's field, including under-soil grass heaters and better drainage systems were set up and a brand new turf was installed to replace the original surface. The training field, which is located close to the stadium, was also renovated, placing synthetic turf on it along with new equipment for lighting. The stadium also received a brand new advanced LED scoreboard. The stadium is now equipped with an central lodge called five Zvezdinih Zvezda (English Five Stars from Red Star), which comprise five segments that each with the name of the legendary Red Star player (Mitic, Sekularac, Dzajic Petrovic, Sekularac, Stojkovic), two other VIP lounges as well as a VIP gallery with more than 350 seats. There is also a contemporary press box that can hold a total of 344 seats. It also has seven seats that are extra comfortable as well as an additional media center and the Red Cafe as well as an eatery. The west stand of the stadium is the authentic Red Star shop along with the Delije shop. The size of the playing field is 110 x 73 metres and is lit by floodlights of 1,400 lux. According to the well-known German website "Stadionwelt" Belgrade's "Marakana" is among the top 50 soccer venues in Europe. As of 2012 American Bleacher Report ranked the Red Star Stadium, especially in the event that it is sold-out and is among the most terrifying stadiums around the globe.

As per detail below.

The most well-known Serbian players are Dragan Dzajic. He was named the all-time Serbian most outstanding player (the selection by the Football Association of Serbia on the 50th anniversary of UEFA and referred to by the name of Golden Player) He was third in the selection for European Footballer of the Year in 1968. Then Dragoslav Sekularac was the runner-up alongside Yugoslavia in the World Cup. Vladimir Petrovic - the fourth Star of Red Star, Vladimir Jugovic - two times the European Cup winner (with Red Star and Juventus) and in addition to Dejan Stankovic as well as Nemanja Vidic.

Further notable home-grown players include Vladica Popovic, Ratomir Dujkovic, Stanislav Karasi, Slobodan Jankovic, Ognjen Petrovic, Vladislav Bogicevic, Dusan Nikolic, Zoran Filipovic, Dusan Savic, Milan Jankovic, Bosko and Milko Gjurovski, Stevan Stojanovic, Vladan Lukic, Zvonko Milojevic, Zoran Jovicic, Ivan Adzic, Nebojsa Krupnikovic, Goran Drulic, Nenad Lalatovic, Marko Pantelic, Ognjen Koroman, Vladimir Disljenkovic, Marko Perovic, Dejan Milovanovic, Dragan Mrda, Bosko Jankovic, Dusan Basta, Vujadin Savic, Slavoljub Srnic, Filip Stojkovic, Marko Grujic, Luka Jovic and Strahinja Erakovic.

The former Red Star and Real Madrid legendary coach Miljan Miljanic was also student at Red Star's school for youth.

• U19s: Zoran Rendulić
• U17s: SlaÄ‘an Nikolić

Red Star is the most loved team in Serbia. There are fans and supporters across the entire nation, and also across the world and the regional Serbian diaspora. This makes Red Star a symbol of Serbdom. Fans groups are prevalent across Serbia and the former Yugoslav republics. Additionally, the Red Star has the largest fan base on social media of all ex- Yugoslav team football. In the past, Red Star has been represented as a club for the people, but despite always receiving supporters from all classes. Their fans are not affiliated with any specific social class. Red Star ultras Delije espouse the right-wing, nationalist, and patriotic beliefs.

The people who support the organized group of Red Star are known as Delije and are roughly translated in English as "Heroes", "Braves", "Hardman" or "Studs". The word comes from the plural singular version of "Delija" which is Serbian. Delije are supporters of all of the branches that make up the Red Star multi-sport society. They are among the most well-known supporter organizations in the world. They are recognized for their passion and fervor.

The hardcore fan base began to grow in the late 1980s, with an the official launch of the club in 1989. Before that, Red Star fans were scattered across several fan clubs on the North Terrace of Rajko Mitic Stadium. They were also called "Marakana". The way they support their team is heavily inspired by Italian as well as English football culture from the 1980s. This is evident in the large-scale choreography, flares banners, flags, and raucous cheering. It is said that the word Delije can be seen (in Cyrillic) on the seats of the north terrace at Rajko Mitic Stadium as a gesture of gratitude, and of fidelity between the team and the fans. Different subgroups from Delije have been found out of Belgrade as well as cities throughout Serbia as well as all the other ex-Yugoslav republics. In spite of Red Star's huge supporter base Delije are gaining an famous reputation for violent behavior amongst certain segments of its ultras, particularly when it comes to Belgrade derbies.

In the past, due to warm Serbo-Hellenic ties, Red Star's Delije ultras have formed an enduring relationship and friendship with Olympiacos ultras Gate 7. They are part of the "Orthodox Brothers" relationship is built on a shared Eastern Orthodox faith, a significant cultural marker for both the Serbs in addition to Greeks. Both clubs share the same colors and both hail from the capital cities of the nationals. They also are the most decorated teams from their respective nations. The group has expanded and now includes Spartak Moscow ultras Fratria, due to the strong Russophilia connection and a common Slavic tradition.

Red Star's longest-running and fierce urban rival city rival FK Partizan, football section of another large multi-sports club that is popular in Serbia. The rivalry began immediately following the formation of both teams in the year 1945. Red Star was founded with close connections to Partizan as well as the State Security Administration and Partizan as the soccer section within the Yugoslav People's Army. Since the time both teams have played well in domestic football. The match is renowned because of the passion of Red Star's fans, known as Delije and Partizan's supporter who are known as called the Grobari (English: "Gravediggers" or "Undertakers"). Stands of the two teams have fireworks, confetti of different colors flags, flags, papers torches, smoke, drums, huge posters and choreographies. These are that are used to create visual splendour and exert psychological pressure on teams playing in the other which is why the team's slogan is "Welcome in Hellgrade". There are also fans who utilize trumpets, just like those from South America. This gives the Balkan region an authentic and distinct Balkan Brass Band atmosphere. The two groups of fans are awed by the songs they sing against each other while the venues are famous for their bounce due to the simultaneous jumping of fans. The derby is considered to be one of the best football rivalries around the globe and the games between these rivals are called"the Eternal derby. Because of its wide-ranging impact throughout the city, it's considered to be one of, alongside the Old Firm as well as the Rome derby, and the Istanbul derby the most fierce competitions in European football. The largest attendance for an Red Star - Partizan match was 108,000 on the Rajko Mitic Stadium.

Red Star has won 4 international and 64 domestic trophies making Red Star the most successful football club of Serbia and in the former Yugoslavia.

National Championships – 33 (record)

• People's Republic of Serbia League (record)
  • Winners : 1945–46

Yugoslav First League (record)

• Winners (19): 1951, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92

First League of Serbia and Montenegro

• Winners : 1994–95, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06

Serbian SuperLiga (shared record)

• Winners : 2006–07, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22

National Cups – 26 (record)

• Yugoslav Cup (record)
  • Winners : 1948, 1949, 1950, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1989–90
• Serbia and Montenegro Cup (record)
  • Winners : 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06

Serbian Cup

• Winners : 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2020–21, 2021–22

National Super Cups – 2 (record)

• Yugoslav Super Cup
  • Winners : 1969, 1971

National League Cup – 1 (shared record)

• Yugoslav League Cup
  • Winners : 1972–73

National Champions League – 2 (record)

• Yugoslav Summer Champions League
  • Winners : 1971, 1973

Red Star is the most successful club in Serbia (and the former Yugoslavia) throughout all European competitions. It is the only team from Eastern Europe that has won both the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. On the 27th of October, 2017, FIFA officially acknowledged all the winners from the Intercontinental Cup as club world champions, which is equal in relation to FIFA Club World Cup. The club played in the 59 European seasons. Some of the most notable outcomes are:

European Cup / UEFA Champions League

• Winners : 1990–91

Intercontinental Cup

• Winners : 1991

UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League

• Runners-up : 1978–79

UEFA Super Cup

• Runners-up : 1991

Mitropa Cup

• Winners : 1958, 1967–68

• Torneo Internacional de Chile : 1962
• Tournoi de Paris : 1962
• Trofeo Ibérico : 1971
• Teresa Herrera Trophy : 1971
• Trofeo Costa del Sol : 1973
• Orange Trophy : 1973
• Danube Tournament : 1976
• World of Soccer Cup : 1977
• Lunar New Year Cup : 1980
• Belgrade Tournament : 1980, 1981
• Trofeo Costa Verde : 1982
• YU Tournament : 1984
• Mostar Tournament : 1991
• Torneo di Verona : 1991
• Tournoi de Corse : 1995
• Freiburg Tournament : 1997
• IFiZ Leipzig : 2004
• Chicago Sister Cities International Cup : 2010

As per detail below.

Yugoslav First League top scorers

Season	Name	Goals
1951	Kosta Tomašević	16
1953	Todor Živanović	17
1959	Bora Kostić	25
1960	Bora Kostić	19
1969	Vojin Lazarević	22
1973	Vojin Lazarević	25
1975	Dušan Savić	20
1977	Zoran Filipović	21
1979	Dušan Savić	24
1990	Darko Pančev	25
1991	Darko Pančev	34
1992	Darko Pančev	25

First League of Serbia and Montenegro top scorers

Season	Name	Goals
1993	Anto Drobnjak	22
1997	Zoran Jovičić	21
1998	Saša Marković	27
2004	Nikola Žigić	19
2005	Marko Pantelić	21

Serbian SuperLiga top scorers

Season	Name	Goals
2008	Nenad Jestrović	13
2011	Andrija Kaluđerović	13
2014	Dragan Mrđa	19
2016	Aleksandar Katai	21
2018	Aleksandar Pešić	25

Yugoslav Footballer of the Year

Sportsperson of the Year in Yugoslavia

Serbian SuperLiga Footballer of the Year

Serbian Coach of the Year

Ballon d'Or

• 2nd:  Darko Pančev (1991)
• 2nd:  Dejan Savićević (1991)
• 3rd:  Dragan Džajić (1968)

European Golden Shoe

•  Darko Pančev (1991)

European Cup top scorer

•  Borislav Cvetković (1987)

European Coach of the Season

•  Ljupko Petrović (1991)

Bravo Award

•  Robert Prosinečki (1991)

UEFA Jubilee Golden Player

•  Dragan Džajić (2003)
•  Darko Pančev (2003)

UEFA Euro Golden Boot

•  Dragan Džajić (1968)

UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament

•  Vladimir Durković (1960)
•  Dragoslav Šekularac (1960)
•  Bora Kostić (1960)
•  Dragan Džajić (1968)

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team

•  Dragan Stojković (1990)

FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award

•  Robert Prosinečki (1990)

FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Ball

•  Robert Prosinečki (1987)

FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Glove

•  Predrag Rajković (2015)

Dragan Dzajic is Red Star's record player with 389 games. The goal scoring record holder is Bora Kostic, who scored the most goals with 230. Many Red Star players were in the Yugoslavian national team. Branko Stankovic Rajko Mitic, Vladimir Beara, Bora Kostic, Vladimir Durkovic, Dragoslav Sekularac, Miroslav Pavlovic, Jovan Acimovic, Dragan Dzajic, Vladimir Petrovic, Dragan Stojkovic and Dejan Savicevic are among them. Dragan Dzajic played in 85 games in the Yugoslavian national team of football and set a national record.

Red Star holds records such that it is two foreign teams was able to defeat Liverpool in the English Premier League at Anfield (after Ferencvaros's win from 1967 to 1968 in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup), that was also the sole loss for Liverpool on home turf in European Cup history in the entirety of the twenty-first century (during the 1973-74 European Cup). Red Star was also the first team to defeat Bayern Munich on the Olympiastadion during the long UEFA history of competition (during in the 90-91 European Cup).

They are the sole Serbian (and ex-Yugoslavian) club and two teams of Eastern Europe, to have won the European Cup, having done this in 1991. It marked an anniversary UEFA Final of the competition. Red Star is among the nine clubs who have been crowned the European Cup unbeaten. Red Star is also the only group from Balkans along with Southeast Europe to have won the Intercontinental Cup, also in 1991. The Romanian footballer Miodrag Belodedici was the first ever Red Star player to have won the European Cup with two different teams: Steaua Bucuresti, and Red Star; curiously, both the names of the team are a reference to "Star". The next time, the double winners included Dejan Savicevic (Red Star and Milan) and Vladimir Jugovic (Red Star and Juventus).

As of 16 September 2022

•   Zoran Popović
•   Mirko Ivanić
•   Guélor Kanga
•   Aleksandar Dragović
•   Nemanja Motika
•    El Fardou Ben
•   Stefan Mitrović
•   Milan Borjan

11 Dragan Dzajic, winger (1963-1975, 1977-1978)

• On September 2, 2022, Red Star Belgrade announced that the number 11 of their squad will be retired for the 2023-24 season.

12 - Delije (the 12th Man)

26 Serbia Goran Gogic, midfielder (2013-2014) - posthumous honour.

• From 2014 onwards, Red Star Belgrade have not given the team #26 to play in the Serbian SuperLiga. It was retired to honor the tribute to Goran Gogic who passed away on the 3rd of July, 2015 at the age of 29 years old. Gogic was also credited with the jersey number 25 during the 2014-15 season that he was wearing in Jagodina earlier. Since then , certain players like Marko Marinkovic as well as Milan Jevtovic used to be registered for UEFA competitions. Jevtovic was also the first player to make his debut with the club in the 26th jersey in summer 2018 however, he later picked number 33 for the national competition.

As per detail below.

This is a listing of every footballer who have been part of Red Star Belgrade since its formation in 1945.

Red Star has almost a 50-year tradition of awarding the title of Star of [Red] Star or the Star's star (Serbian: Zvezdina zvezda / Zvezdina zvezda) to the players who have had a significant impact on the club's past and helped make the club's name well-known throughout the world. As of now five players and all of the 1991 squad have been officially awarded the name. The players are:

• The 1st Star of Red Star: Rajko Mitić
• The 2nd Star of Red Star: Dragoslav Šekularac
• The 3rd Star of Red Star: Dragan Džajić
• The 4th Star of Red Star: Vladimir Petrović "Pižon"
• The 5th Star of Red Star: Dragan Stojković "Piksi"
• The 6th Star of Red Star: The 1991 European Cup Winner Generation

Generation 1991, which included 21 players was introduced in the ceremony by the president Svetozar Mijailovic.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  YUG Stevan Stojanović — GK  YUG Željko KaluÄ‘erović — GK  YUG Milić Jovanović — DF  YUG Duško Radinović — DF  YUG Slobodan Marović — DF  YUG Refik Šabanadžović — DF  ROU Miodrag Belodedici — DF  YUG Ilija Najdoski — DF  YUG Goran Vasilijević — DF  YUG Goran Jurić — DF  YUG Rade Tošić — MF  YUG Vladimir Jugović — MF  YUG Robert Prosinečki — MF  YUG Dejan Savićević — MF  YUG Siniša Mihajlović — MF  YUG Vlada Stošić — MF  YUG Ivica Momčilović — MF  YUG Darko Pančev — MF  YUG Dragiša Binić — MF  YUG Vladan Lukić — MF  YUG Ljubiša Milojević

The primary patron of Serbia's most well-known football club has, from 2010 been Gazprom Neft, which is the largest shareholder in the top Serbian firm Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) and the biggest foreign investor in Serbia. The club has been awarded seven Serbian championships and 3 Serbian Cups in that time in addition to regularly participating at European championships. This collaboration in addition to supporting Gazprom Neft's brands includes collaborating on youth football with FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, where the two clubs exchange youth players as well as holding friendly youth games.

This club's name written as written in Serbian can also be the name of the Italian book Crvena Zvezda written by Enrico Varrecchione. The novel is written in the alternate history genre, using elements from uchronia, the tale is founded on notion of what would have happened if the 9th November 1988's return leg of the European Cup second round clash between Red Star and AC Milan had not been to be abandoned in the 66th minute by German official Dieter Pauly at the end of 65 minutes because of dense fog the night before in Belgrade. Red Star were leading 1-0 after a goal from Dejan Savicevic. They were also one man ahead because of Milan forward Pietro Paolo Virdis receiving a red card. Following the abandonment, UEFA cancelled the match and requested replays on the same day. It ended up being 1-1 and was played in penalties (the first match in Milan was also a draw) in which Milan took the lead and progressed to the quarterfinals before taking home the European Cup -- thus receiving the prize after a period of twenty years. It was the club's first under its newly arrived owner, the ambitious commercialist Silvio Berlusconi. In the fictional world, Red Star won 9 November 1988 at Belgrade as well as eliminated AC Milan, which thus didn't win the 1989 European Cup, meaning that Berlusconi's entrance into Italian politics was a less favourable background, which could have impacted his performance in his elections of the 1994 Italian elections. It also follows the life of the fictional Red Star striker, loosely based off Savicevic, Jovan Eldzic who scored the famous goal in the fog. He later transferred into AC Milan where he achieved numerous awards before gaining Italian citizenship. He remained in Italy when he decided to retire from football, before entering the political arena and running to be the position of mayor of a town that is small located in the Piedmont region's Alessandria province.

Billy Bragg's UK top 30 hit song "Sexuality" includes the lyrics "I have an uncle, who was once playing in the club Red Star Belgrade." In a subsequent interview, Bragg had to be asked if the lyric was indeed true and he responded that his uncle played for Fulham however, this did not make sense with the rhyme.

Two bands that are not related One of them hails located in Great Yarmouth, Great Britain while the other that hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, shared the same name Red Star Belgrade.

A soccer club in Ecuador is located situated in Cuenca founded in 1961, was inspired by Red Star Belgrade. The club's name is CDS Estrella Roja. Estrella Roja is the translation and also the way Red Star is known in Spanish speaking countries. The club's crest even identical to the one that Red Star had between 1995 between 1995 and the year 2011.

A junior football team dubbed "Lenadoon Red Star" was based within West Belfast, North of Ireland between 1972 and 1975 during the height of the Troubles. They wrote Red Star Belgrade in the beginning of the 1970s asking if they could give any kits to the team However, Red Star Belgrade wrote back that they could not afford to provide the kits.