Stefan Mugoša

Stefan Mugoša
Mugoša with Montenegro in 2019
Personal information
Full name Stefan Mugoša
Date of birth (1992-02-26) 26 February 1992
Place of birth Titograd, SR Montenegro, Yugoslavia
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Striker
Team information
Current team
 Incheon United
Number 9
Youth career
Budućnost
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2013 Budućnost 74 (16)
2013–2014 Mladost 29 (15)
2014–2015 1. FC Kaiserslautern 2 (0)
2015 → Erzgebirge Aue (loan) 15 (4)
2015–2017 1860 Munich 30 (0)
2017 → Karlsruher SC (loan) 12 (2)
2017 Sheriff Tiraspol 13 (7)
2018–2022 Incheon United 129 (68)
2022–2023 Vissel Kobe 6 (0)
2023– Incheon United 99 (46)
International career‡
2009–2011 Montenegro U19 7 (3)
2012–2014 Montenegro U21 9 (5)
2015– Montenegro 65 (16)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 November 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 March 2036

Stefan Mugoša (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Стефан Мугоша; born 26 February 1992) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a striker for K League 1 club Incheon United and for the Montenegro national team.

Club career

Early career

At 22 years of age, Mugoša was the top goalscorer at the 2013–14 Montenegrin First League, scoring 15 goals in 29 league appearances. As a result of his performance, foreign clubs started to show interest in him.

On 3 July 2014, Mugoša joined German 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Kaiserslautern signing a three-year contract.[1] On 27 January 2015, after only two games (one each at the league and cup), he was loaned to Erzgebirge Aue for the rest of the season. Aue were not granted a purchase option.[2] He scored four goals at Aue, but the club was relegated to 3. Liga at the end of the season.

On 15 August 2015, Mugoša signed a three-year contract with 2. Bundesliga competitor 1860 Munich.[3] On 27 November, he scored his first goal for 1860 Munich in a 2–1 win against Mainz 05 at the 2015–16 DFB-Pokal.[4] On 31 January 2017, after playing for 1860 Munich for one and a half years, he was loaned to Karlsruher SC until the end of the 2016–17 season.[5] He scored 6 goals in 59 appearances including 28 starts for three 2. Bundesliga seasons.[6]

On 28 June 2017, Mugoša joined Moldovan club Sheriff Tiraspol.[7] He helped Sheriff win the 2017 Moldovan National Division, and participated at the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage.[8]

Incheon United

After leaving Europe, Mugoša joined K League 1 side Incheon United on 8 February 2018.[9] He quickly made an impression in South Korea, being compared to Dejan Damjanović, his compatriot and one of the greatest K League players of all time, in his first season at Incheon.[10] He extended his contract with Incheon to 2021 after the season.[11]

On 1 September 2019, Mugoša scored his first hat-trick for Incheon in a 3–3 draw with Ulsan Hyundai.[12] He was selected as Montenegrin Footballer of the Year for 2019 by captains and managers of Montenegrin First League clubs after scoring double-digit goals for the second consecutive season at the K League 1 as well as showing effort at the national team.[13]

On 6 September 2020, Mugoša scored his second K League 1 hat-trick in a 3–2 win over Gangwon FC.[14] On 24 December, he agreed a contract extension to 2023.[15]

On 23 July 2021, Mugoša simultaneously reached 100 appearances and 50 goals at the K League 1 by scoring two goals in a 2–1 win over Suwon Samsung Bluewings.[16] In 2022, Mugoša scored in six consecutive K League 1 matches between the fifth and tenth matchdays.[17]

Vissel Kobe

In June 2022, Mugoša had been offered an annual salary of $2 million, more than double the $0.9 million at Incheon, by J1 League club Vissel Kobe,[18] and signed for them on 30 June.[19] However, Kobe manager Miguel Ángel Lotina, who wanted him, was sacked just after his transfer, and new manager Takayuki Yoshida did not prefer him. He made twelve appearances including five starts without a goal for one year at Kobe.[20]

Return to Incheon United

On 10 July 2023, Mugoša returned to Incheon United one year after his farewell. Mugoša renounced his residual salary at Kobe to leave them, and looked forward to returning to Incheon by refusing other Asian clubs' offers.[21]

On 24 November 2024, Mugoša changed his role to a goalkeeper in the middle of the last league match against Daegu FC. Incheon goalkeeper Lee Bum-soo suffered a fracture and the club already put all five substitutes into the field at the time. Mugoša became the second foreign player to play as a goalkeeper at the K League and the first foreign player to do so at the K League 1 after the K League started to prohibit clubs from recruiting foreign goalkeepers in 1999. He conceded one goal, but succeed to defend Incheon's lead, which ended in a 3–1 win. After the match, he became the top goalscorer at the 2024 K League 1, but the club was relegated to the K League 2 despite his contribution.[22]

On 25 May 2025, Mugoša scored two penalty goals in a 2–0 win over Jeonnam Dragons, reaching 100 goals at Incheon.[23] He also scored the most goals at the K League 2, promoting Incheon to the K League 1 just a year after their relegation.[24]

International career

In August 2012, Mugoša participated in the Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament, where his team lost in the final to Slovakia on penalties and took silver medals.[25]

On 8 June 2015, Mugoša made his senior debut for Montenegro in a friendly against Denmark.[26] On 26 March 2017, he scored his first senior international goal in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Poland, which ended in a 2–1 loss.[27]

On 14 July 2022, Mugoša scored a hat-trick in a UEFA Nations League B match against Romania, leading Montenegro's 3–0 win.[27]

Personal life

Mugoša is one of the most popular footballers for South Korean drivers due to his name similar to Korean word "Musago" (무사고), which means "no accident". His name is frequently used in word play. South Koreans say "pray for Mugosa" (무고사 기원) whenever they buy a new car.[28]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 2 November 2025[29][30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Budućnost 2009–10 1. CFL 7000—70
2010–11 1. CFL 197101[b]0217
2011–12 1. CFL 192001[b]0202
2012–13 1. CFL 297401[c]0347
Total 741650308216
Mladost 2013–14 1. CFL 291541—3316
1. FC Kaiserslautern 2014–15 2. Bundesliga 1010—20
2015–16 2. Bundesliga 1000—10
Total 2010—30
Erzgebirge Aue (loan) 2014–15 2. Bundesliga 154——154
1860 Munich 2015–16 2. Bundesliga 20021—221
2016–17 2. Bundesliga 10010—110
Total 30031—331
Karlsruher SC (loan) 2016–17 2. Bundesliga 122——122
Sheriff Tiraspol 2017 Divizia Națională 137—8[d]0217
Incheon United 2018 K League 1 351900—3519
2019 K League 1 321400—3214
2020 K League 1 241200—2412
2021 K League 1 20900—209
2022 K League 1 181400—1814
Total 1296800—12968
Vissel Kobe 2022 J1 League 50201[e]080
2023 J1 League 1030—40
Total 605010120
Incheon United 2023 K League 1 93105[e]2155
2024 K League 1 381510—3915
2025 K League 2 342000—3420
Total 813820528840
Career total 391150202172428154
  1. ↑ Includes Montenegrin Cup, DFB-Pokal, Korea Cup, Emperor's Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearance in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. 1 2 Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League

International

Scores and results list Montenegro's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mugoša goal.[31]
List of international goals scored by Stefan Mugoša
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
126 March 2017Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro Poland1–11–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
28 October 2017National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland1–22–4
327 March 2018Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro Turkey2–22–2Friendly
414 October 2018LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania Lithuania1–04–12018–19 UEFA Nations League C
53–0
617 November 2018Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia Serbia1–21–2
722 March 2019Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria1–01–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
87 June 2019Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro Kosovo1–11–1
95 September 2019 Hungary2–12–1Friendly
1019 November 2019 Belarus1–02–0
1117 November 2020 Cyprus4–04–02020–21 UEFA Nations League C
124 June 2022 Romania1–02–02022–23 UEFA Nations League B
13 14 June 2022Stadionul Rapid-Giulești, Bucharest, Romania
1–0
3–0
14
2–0
15
3–0
1627 March 2026Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro Andorra1–02–0Friendly

Honours

Budućnost

Sheriff Tiraspol

Incheon United

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Stefan Mugoša wird ein Roter Teufel" [Stefan Mugoša becomes a Red Devil] (in German). 1. FC Kaiserslautern. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Stefan Mugosa auf Leihbasis zu Erzgebirge Aue" [Stefan Mugosa on loan to Erzgebirge Aue] (in German). 1. FC Kaiserslautern. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Vom Betze zu den Löwen: Stefan Mugosa" [From the Betze to the lions: Stefan Mugosa] (in German). TSV 1860 Munich. 15 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "Mainz vs. TSV 1860 Munich - Football Match Summary - October 27, 2015". ESPN.
  5. ↑ "Stefan Mugosa wechselt in den Wildpark" (in German). Karlsruher SC. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Stefan Mugoša » Club matches » 2. Bundesliga". WorldFootball. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Welcome, Stefan". FC Sheriff Tiraspol. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Stefan Mugoša 2017-2018 Europa League Match Logs". FBref. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  9. ↑ [인천] 인천UTD, 몬테네그로 국가대표 공격수 무고사 영입 (in Korean). K League. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  10. ↑ 무고사 vs 데얀…‘新-舊 몬테네그로 특급’ 맞대결 (in Korean). Kyungdo Sinmoon. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  11. ↑ Janičić, Svetozar (16 January 2019). "Mugoša produžio ugovor sa Inčonom" (in Serbian). Sportklub. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  12. ↑ "Het-trik Stefana Mugoše za 24 minuta!". Vijesti (in Montenegrin). 1 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  13. ↑ "izbor najboljih i najuspješnijih u 2019. godini" (PDF) (in Montenegrin). Football Association of Montenegro. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  14. ↑ 강원전 해트트릭 인천 무고사, K리그1 19R MVP 선정 (in Korean). Kyeonggi Ilbo. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  15. ↑ 인천, 무고사와 2023년까지 재계약...팀 내 최고 대우 [공식발표]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Osen. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  16. ↑ "[현장 리액션] '100경기 50호골' 무고사, "인천은 강팀, 상대 팀 긴장하길". Nate (in Korean). InterFootball. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  17. ↑ [K리그1 프리뷰] '7G 연속골 조준' 무고사, 상대전적 '10G 무승' 전북에 도전!. Nate (in Korean). InterFootball. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  18. ↑ 득점 1위 무고사, 단돈 100만달러에 J리그행 (in Korean). The Dong-A Ilbo. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  19. ↑ "FWステファン ムゴシャ選手 仁川ユナイテッドFCより完全移籍加入のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Vissel Kobe. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  20. ↑ '日 생활' 지우고 싶은 무고사 "이니에스타+보얀도 못 뛰던 고베, 빨리 떠나고 싶었다" [현장인터뷰] (in Korean). Xportsnews. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  21. ↑ [서호정] 극적 협상부터 극비 입국까지… 영화 같았던 무고사 복귀 풀스토리 (in Korean). Footballist. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  22. ↑ '외국인 골키퍼 금지' 인천 무고사가 골문 지킬 수 있었던 이유는? (in Korean). Sports-G. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  23. ↑ '구단 최초 통산 100골' 무고사, 인천유나이티드의 '별' (in Korean). Incheon Today. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  24. 1 2 3 4 [K리그 시상식] 베스트 11 6명, 영플레이어상-감독상-MVP까지! 인천이 K리그2 휩쓸었다(종합). Naver (in Korean). InterFootball. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  25. ↑ "Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament 2012". Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  26. ↑ "Starting Lineups - Denmark vs Montenegro | 08.06.2015". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  27. 1 2 "Stefan Mugoša, international footballer". eu-football.info. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  28. ↑ '인천 승격 작전' 이끈 골 폭격기들. Nate (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 8 November 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  29. ↑ Stefan Mugoša at Soccerway
  30. ↑ "S. Mugoša's career". BeSoccer. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  31. ↑ "Mugoša, Stefan". National Football Teams. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  32. ↑ "Summary - First League - Montenegro - Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  33. ↑ "Summary - Cup - Montenegro - Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  34. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel (29 November 2018). "Moldova 2017". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  35. ↑ "Summary - First League - Montenegro - Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  36. ↑ "Mugoša, Ćetković i Rakojević obilježili 2019. godinu" (in Montenegrin). Football Association of Montenegro. 26 December 2019.
  37. ↑ 무고사(인천), EA코리아가 후원하는 9월 "이달의 선수상" 수상 (in Korean). K League. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  38. ↑ 인천 무고사, 'K리그 최초' 2회 연속 EA 이달의 선수상 수상. Nate (in Korean). Xportsnews. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  39. ↑ 조현우가 울먹였다! 16년만 골키퍼 MVP…감독상·영플은 ‘강원 동화 주역’ 윤정환·양민혁 품으로 [K리그 대상 종합]. Naver (in Korean). Sports Seoul. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  40. ↑ "K-League XI 1-3 Man City: Who impressed for Enzo Maresca's side?". BBC Sport. 5 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
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