Crvena zvezda managed to win their 23rd National Champion Title, immaculately, but with many problems, mainly because of injuries of the key players and misfortunes in important games. Crvena zvezda won the title in the very season ending, in a game away against Sutjeska from Nikšić, and the new title was pompously celebrated at Marakana in a match withVojvodina. The Cup was awarded to the Crvena zvezda’s captain Nemanja Vidić by the President of the Football Association Dragan Stojković.
The season 2003/2004 was marked by the best scorer of the Championship – Nikola Žigić, who scored 18 goals. Crvena zvezda won its eighth Cup Double under the leadership of coach Slavoljub Muslin. The Championship was won with 74 points, the second-placed team, Partizan had 11 points less, Železnik had 16 less and the fourth OFK Beograd 23 points less.
Both main club’s aims were met: creating a high quality team and winning the title. The first thing assured was the no surprises way of playing in the defense area and the maneuvering area, and the results came naturally. The leader of the team was the captain Nemanja Vidić, an excellent stopper even back in those days, who would later go on to become the captain of the famous English club Manchester United and with this team he would win all possible trophies including the most important one – Champions League. Even when he was injured, he crucially motivated his red and white team mates.
-They were surprised on the island when I told them that my dream had come true when I started playing for Crvena zvezda. Everything else is just business – stated Vidić.
Two-metre tall titan Nikola Žigić was a big revelation and soon became the audience’s pet. He was particularly impressive in his debut game, the Autumn derby, when he scored two goals at Marakana against Partizan (who was also playing the Champions League at that moment). Famous German footballer, at the time coaching Partizan, fairly admitted that Žigić was unstoppable, adding, jokingly, that the only person who might’ve been able to guard him was the basketball legend Vlade Divac. The epilogue: Crvena zvezda – Partizan 3:0, and Žigić the hero of the “eternal derby”.
A lot of merit for winning another “Cup Double” goes to the President of the Club Dragan Džajić and the victorious coach Slavoljub Muslin
- Two generations I coached won five out of six trophies. Crvena zvezda has maintained victorious habits, and also the unique, truly European cheering atmosphere, which might even have been risen to a higher level - declared Muslin.
Roster:
Dušan Basta 1, Nikola Beljić 1, Dragan Bogavac 10, Jadranko Bogičević 2, Branko Bošković 2-1, Nemanja Vidić 20-5, Milivoje Vitakić 18, Vladimir Dišljenković 24-9 received goals, Ivan Dudić 10-1, Milan Dudić 23-3, Bojan Đorđić 18, Slavoljub Đorđević 23, Nikola Žigić 28-18, Dejan Ilić 12, Boško Janković 4, Nenad Kovačević 7, Radovan Krivokapić 27-5, Marjan Marković 18-1, Bojan Miladinović 11, Dejan Milovanović 21, Dragan Mladenović 24-3, Dragan Mrđa 5-3, Marko Muslin 2, Sanibal Orahovac 8-2, Marko Pantelić 12-5, Marko Perović 25-3, Ivan Ranđelović 6-3 received goals, Stojanović Nenad 18-7, Šarac Dragan 9-1.
Coach:
Slavoljub Muslin