Dobrivoj Rusov

Dobrivoj Rusov
Rusov in his retirement match
Personal information
Date of birth (1993-01-13) 13 January 1993 (age 33)
Place of birth Trnava, Slovakia
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Youth career
2000–2006 Lokomotíva Trnava
2006–2011 Spartak Trnava
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Spartak Trnava 50 (0)
2015–2017 Piast Gliwice 19 (0)
2018–2025 Spartak Trnava 64 (0)
International career
2012–2014 Slovakia U21 12 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 May 2025

Dobrivoj Rusov (born 13 January 1993) is a Slovak former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is a former Slovakia U21 youth representative.[1]

Rusov began his career at Spartak Trnava, where he gradually established himself as the first choice goalkeeper. In 2015, he moved to the Polish club Piast Gliwice, where he played until 2018. After returning to Trnava, he became the team captain and significantly contributed to winning the Slovak Cup in the 2018/2019 season, saving two penalties in the shoot-out.

Club career

Spartak Trnava

Rusov was born on January 13, 1993 in Trnava. He began his football career at FK Lokomotíva Trnava, from where he moved to FC Spartak Trnava in 2006.[2] He was promoted to Spartak Trnava first team in July 2011 from youth teams.[3]

In the 2012/13 season, Rusov fought with Spartak for survival in the top flight, which was successful. He made his league debut against Žilina on 20 October 2012.[4] In early September 2013, he broke a bone in his hand, which required a break of about a month.[5] He appeared with Trnava in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League. In the first match of the second qualifying round against the Georgian club FC Zestafoni, he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. He also kept a clean sheet in the second match, and a 3–0 home win ensured Trnava's progression to the 3rd qualifying round against the Scottish club St. Johnstone FC.[6] On 8 July 2014, he signed a new contract with the team until the summer of 2017.[7] He played a total of 50 league matches for the team.

Piast Gliwice

In January 2015, he joined Piast Gliwice. He stayed in Gliwice for three years, but did not establish himself as the first choice goalkeeper and mostly served as second choice behind Jakub Szmatuła.[2]

Return to Spartak Trnava

In the summer of 2018, Rusov returned to Trnava.[8] He played in the 2019 Slovak Cup final against MŠK Žilina. After the match finished 3–3, Rusov would be substituted on in the 119th minute ahead of the penalty shoot out. He saved 3 penalties, including the winning one, to help his team win the cup.[9]

Rusov's time at Spartak concluded with his retirement announcement on 14 May 2025, at the age of 32, ahead of his final professional match against FK Železiarne Podbrezová on 17 May 2025. The decision was influenced by recurring knee injuries, including a severe cruciate ligament tear in March 2021 against MŠK Žilina that sidelined him for over a year, compounded by multiple surgeries, a further knee injury in 2024, and rehabilitation efforts.[10][11] As the goalkeeping leader and later the captain, he significantly contributed to domestic successes, helping Spartak win the Slovak Cup in the 2018/19, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons.[2]

Style of play

During his professional career, Rusov was most known for his reflexes.[2] He was also considered a penalty specialist.[1]

International career

Youth

Rusov made his international debut in a 2012 friendly against Russia U21, which Slovakia lost 2–1. He captained the U21 team in a 1–0 loss against Czech Republic U21 in 2013.[12]

Honours

Spartak Trnava

Individual

  • Andel roka (Player of the Year of Spartak Trnava): 2019, 2020[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Dobrivoj Rusov: V Trnave by som rád ukončil kariéru. Niektoré veci majú väčšiu hodnotu ako peniaze. – Hlas západnej tribúny" (in Slovak). 25 August 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Bol jedným z pilierov Trnavy, fanúšikovia si ho obľúbili. Jeho kariéru poznačili ťažké momenty". Denník Šport (in Slovak). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  3. ^ SITA. "Spartak Trnava chce ísť v Corgoň lige vyššie". www.profutbal.sk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  4. ^ Trnava nestačila v šlágri kola na Žilinu Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine 20.10.2012, profutbal.sk
  5. ^ "Rusov má prasknutú kostičku, mesiac si nezachytá". www.profutbal.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Trnavčania zdolali Zestafoni a budú hrať so St. Johnstone (video)". www.profutbal.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  7. ^ SCR Interactive, s.r.o. | www.scr-interactive.sk. "Rusov podpísal s trnavským Spartakom trojročnú zmluvu | www.fortunaliga.sk". www.fortunaliga.sk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  8. ^ a.s, Petit Press. "Spartak vyriešil brankársky post, do Trnavy sa vracia odchovanec klubu". MY Trnava (in Slovak). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  9. ^ Zeman, Peter (1 May 2019). "SLOVNAFT CUP – Dráma, zmŕtvychvstanie Žiliny a veľký triumf Trnavy po penaltách". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  10. ^ Popovec, Pavol (14 May 2025). "Dobo Rusov v sobotu ukončí profesionálnu kariéru". FC Spartak Trnava (in Slovak). Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  11. ^ Šport.sk (14 May 2025). "Kariéru mu poznačili vážne zranenia. Brankár Trnavy urobil ťažké rozhodnutie". Šport.sk. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  12. ^ redakcia@trnavskyhlas.sk. "Brankár Spartaka Rusov nastúpil za reprezentáciu v úlohe kapitána". Trnavský Hlas. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  13. ^ Trnava, FC Spartak. "Andelom roka je opäť Dobo Rusov". FC Spartak Trnava (in Slovak). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobrivoj_Rusov