Dragiša Gudelj, also known as Dragi, is a Serbian retired professional footballer born on 8 November 1997 in Breda, Netherlands.
He holds dual Serbian and Dutch citizenship.
The son of former professional footballer Nebojša Gudelj, he grew up in a sporting family and developed through the youth ranks in the Netherlands before pursuing a senior career across several European countries.
Gudelj represented Serbia at youth international levels, including the under-17, under-18 and under-19 teams.
He retired from professional football in July 2024 at the age of 26 due to serious heart-related health issues that had previously caused him to collapse on the pitch.
Siblings
Dragiša has two siblings. His older brother is Nemanja Gudelj, a professional footballer who has played at a high level for clubs including Ajax, Sevilla and Getafe, and has represented the Serbia national team.
Nemanja, born in 1991 in Belgrade, has been a prominent figure in Serbian and European football.
His younger sister is Vanja Gudelj, a tennis player who developed her game in the Netherlands and trained at the academy associated with former player Kim Clijsters.
Vanja has pursued a competitive tennis career and has been described as sharing the family’s strong sporting orientation.
Career
Gudelj began his youth career at hometown club NAC Breda before signing his first professional contract with Jong Ajax in 2015, moving to Amsterdam alongside his brother Nemanja, who joined the Ajax first team, while their father took on a scouting role at the club.
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He did not make senior appearances for Ajax. In July 2017 he moved to Swiss side FC Wohlen, where he gained first-team experience.
The following year he joined Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães but featured mainly for the B team.
In August 2020 he signed a two-year deal with Cádiz CF in Spain and was assigned to the reserves in the third tier.
In January 2022 he transferred to Córdoba CF on a short-term contract that was later extended.
At Córdoba he became a regular and served as captain at times, competing in the Spanish lower divisions.
His career was interrupted by serious cardiac episodes, including a collapse during a match in March 2023 and a subsequent incident, which ultimately led to his medical retirement in July 2024.
After retiring he has remained involved in football, preparing for roles such as sports director and working in player representation.
Accolades
Gudelj’s senior career was spent largely outside the top divisions, limiting major trophies.
His most notable team honour came with Córdoba CF, with whom he won the Copa RFEF in the 2021–22 season.
He also earned caps for Serbia’s youth national teams at under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels.
While he did not collect major senior international or top-flight league titles, his career included regular appearances in competitive lower-league football in Switzerland, Portugal and Spain.
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