Veljko Paunovićhshsjs

Club career Born in Strumica, Socialist Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Paunović made his professional debut at 17 with Partizan. The following summer he moved to Spain, where he would stay for most of the following decade playing for a host of clubs, starting in the 1995–96 season with modest Marbella and reaching the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final with Mallorca (with whom he scored five league goals in that campaign, to help the Balearic Islands team finish third), as well as having three separate stints with Atlético Madrid.

Paunović had his best year in 2002–03 with Tenerife in the Segunda División, netting 18 times from 38 appearances although the insular side could only rank eighth. After a return to Atlético and a brief stay in Germany with Hannover 96, he joined Getafe for 2005–06's top flight, enjoying his finest season in La Liga by scoring ten goals in 30 league matches to help the Madrid outskirts club to the ninth place. Due to the years spent in the country, he received a Spanish passport in 2006.

Paunović was signed by Russian Premier League's Rubin Kazan in March 2007, after falling out of favour with Getafe coach Bernd Schuster. The following year, he agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Almería in January. He would score on two occasions towards the season's end, in a 4–2 away loss to former team Getafe and in the last matchday, a 3–1 victory at Espanyol.

On 12 July 2008, Paunović signed a two-year deal with his former club Partizan. On 13 August, he scored in a 2–2 draw with Turkey's Fenerbahçe in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Before the end of the year, however, he announced his decision to retire from the game.

On 29 June 2009, Paunović went on trial with the New York Red Bulls, but eventually turned down the one-year contract offer. In June 2011, after nearly three years out of football, the 33-year-old signed a deal with another American club, Philadelphia Union, after a trial stint. He scored his first goal with his new team late in the month, in a 3–2 win over Chivas USA.

Paunović officially announced his retirement for the second time on 19 January 2012.

International career Paunović made his debut for Serbia and Montenegro in a 2–1 friendly win over Mexico, on 13 February 2002. His only other cap came two years later against Northern Ireland, another exhibition match, and he scored in the 1–1 draw in Belfast.

Coaching career Serbia youths Paunović earned a UEFA Pro coaching licence and a sporting director degree from the Royal Spanish Football Federation. For nine months, he was a UEFA Champions League analyst for RTVE in Spain.

Paunović began working as a manager with the Serbia national team, being in charge of their under-18, under-19 and under-20 sides. While with the latter, he won the 2015 FIFA World Cup.

Chicago Fire Paunović at a U.S. Open Cup match away to Cincinnati in 2017 On 24 November 2015, Paunović was appointed head coach of Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. He led the team to the playoffs in 2017, which happened for the first time in five years.

Paunović also reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Open Cup in 2016 and 2018. He and the Fire parted ways on 13 November 2019.

Reading Paunović replaced Mark Bowen as manager of Reading on 29 August 2020. On his EFL Championship debut on 12 September, the team won 2–0 at Derby County; he ended September as the division's Manager of the Month for winning all three games. They missed out on a playoff place with two games remaining, after a 2–2 draw against Swansea City at the Madejski Stadium.

In November 2021, during Paunović's second season, the team received a six-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules across the previous three seasons. The following January, the Royals were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by National League North side Kidderminster Harriers.

Following a 3–2 away victory over Preston North End on 19 February 2022, Reading announced that Paunović had left his role by mutual consent.

Guadalajara On 31 October 2022, Paunović was named manager at Liga MX club Guadalajara. He made his debut the following 7 January in a 1–0 win at Monterrey.

Paunović left in December 2023 by mutual agreement.

Tigres UANL On 9 June 2024, Paunović became head coach of Tigres UANL in the same country and league. On 2 March 2025, he was dismissed.

Oviedo Paunović returned to Spain on 26 March 2025, being appointed at second-tier Real Oviedo. On his debut four days later, he oversaw a 2–1 home victory over Málaga thanks to an own goal in injury time. He ultimately guided the Asturians to a third-place finish, and secured top-flight promotion for the first time in 24 years with a 3–1 extra-time defeat of Mirandés in the second leg of the promotion play-off final.

On 9 October 2025, even though his team was placed outside the relegation zone, Paunović was sacked; he was the first manager to be shown the door that season.

Serbia senior On 30 October 2025, Paunović replaced the dismissed Dragan Stojković at the helm of the Serbia national side, who stood third in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification group with two games remaining. On his debut on 13 November, a 2–0 loss against England at Wembley Stadium ended all hopes of reaching the finals.

Personal life Paunović experienced hardships while training for football, such as walking for hours to practice and sometimes going without food. His father, Blagoje, was also a footballer; a defender who inspired him, he also played for Partizan and represented Yugoslavia at UEFA Euro 1968, before beginning a managerial career. He is fluent in six languages: English, Spanish, Serbian, Macedonian, Russian and German.

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals Partizan 1994–95 First League

Marbella (loan) 1995–96 Segunda División

1996–97 Segunda División

1997–98 Segunda División

22!!11!!0!!0!!0!!0!!22!!11

1996–97 La Liga

1997–98 La Liga

1999–00 La Liga

2000–01 Segunda División

52!!9!!4!!0!!7!!1!!63!!10 Mallorca (loan) 1998–99 La Liga

Oviedo (loan) 2000–01 La Liga

Mallorca (loan) 2001–02 La Liga

Tenerife 2002–03 Segunda División

2003–04 La Liga

2004–05 La Liga

35!!6!!4!!1!!3!!2!!42!!9 Hannover 2004–05 Bundesliga

2005–06 La Liga

2006–07 La Liga

44!!10!!4!!4!!0!!0!!48!!14 Rubin Kazan 2007 Russian Premier League

Almería 2007–08 La Liga

Partizan 2008–09 Serbian SuperLiga

Philadelphia Union 2011 Major League Soccer

358!!76!!21!!6!!32!!5!!411!!87

International Scores and results list Serbia and Montenegro's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Paunović goal. + List of international goals scored by Veljko Paunović

Honours Manager Serbia FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2015

Individual EFL Championship Manager of the Month: September 2020