One of the most notable players on the domestic scene retired from the game in order to start his coaching career.

The 38-year-old Goran Stankovski, who played as a trequartista, decided to hang up his boots. However, he will remain in the game since he was hired by Rabotnichki to become their youth coach. Rabotnichki is one of Goran’s former clubs.

Stankovski is a Tetovo native who started his career with the youth teams of local sides Teteks and Ljuboten. In Macedonia, he featured for the likes of Pobeda, Sloga Jugomagnat, Rabotnichki, Makedonija Gjorche Petrov, Drita and Skupi, while he also played for various clubs abroad His first foreign team was 2.Bundesliga side TeBe Berlin, but unfortunately he saw little playing time as he broke his collarbone on two occasions. He also played for Royal Antwerp (Belgium), Qadsia (Kuwait), Kitchee (Hong Kong), Sibir (Russia), Diyarbakırspor (Turkey) and Dacia (Moldova). With Dacia he won a league title, with Sibir he promotion to the Russian top league, while in Hong Kong with his 12 goals he was the best goalscorer in his club. That vast experience should benefit the youngsters of Rabotnichki. He has seen how things are done in numerous parts of the world.

In his final few years, Stankovski was under contract with Drita and Shkupi. He was a member of Drita’s team that reached the Macedonian top division for the first time in their history, an adventure that only lasted one season. The next three years saw him compete in the Second League, one with Drita after their relegation and the last two with Shkupi, a club that arose from the ashes of Sloga Jugomagnat (dissolved in 2009).

Goran had a good end to his playing career as Shkupi won promotion at the end of the 2014-15 season. He will now begin the next phase of his life which will include him becoming a coach.

Stankovski played 3 times for the senior national team of Macedonia, those appearances coming against Egypt, Malta and Turkey.