[9][2] In the youth teams, he was coached by Vladimir Petrović,[7] playing alongside future professionals Nikola Lazetić and Nenad Lalatović.

[5] He scored his first goal against Budućnost Podgorica, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Red Star history as well as a first-team regular and a fan favourite.

[5][7] During the early 1990s, Red Star was under an international ban because of a United Nations sanction imposed on FR Yugoslavia, meaning that the team could not compete in any European competition.

[5][7][15] In those years, Lazio had an all-star squad with world class players at almost every position, but Stanković quickly secured a regular first-team place despite competition from Pavel Nedvěd, Juan Sebastián Verón and Roberto Mancini.

[5][7] He formed a formidable midfield combination with Argentinian Verón and Diego Simeone and were an integral part of the successful Lazio side at the turn of the decade.

[21][22] In early February 2004, Stanković played his debut for Inter under head coach Alberto Zaccheroni, a Serie A clash at home against Siena that ended 4–0.

[23] On 21 February 2004, he scored a spectacular goal directly from a corner kick to put Inter 1–0 up in the Derby della Madonnina versus fierce rivals Milan.

[30] Coming off the summer appearance at the 2006 World Cup,[31] he carried excellent form right from the start of the 2006–07 Serie A campaign, scoring some decisive goals.

His double against Catania[32] and his memorable goal against city rivals Milan[33] only further enhanced his central role in a team that will win the league in a record-breaking season.

[41] In the interviews after the match, Stanković talked of his joy to be fully back on form following the injury-prone previous season, also thanking Mourinho for giving him an opportunity, even after the two did not get off on the right foot during the summer pre-season.

[42] In December 2008, Stanković, by now an irreplaceable part of Mourinho's midfield,[7] gave another display of his rediscovered form versus Chievo at home: first with a through-pass to Maxwell for the game's opening goal, followed by a goal of his own for 2–0 with a first time shot from the edge of the penalty area, and finally an assist from the right wing to Zlatan Ibrahimović as Inter recorded a 4–2 win.

[47] In the Champions League, Inter limped into the second round, after losing their final two group stage matches against Panathinaikos and Werder Bremen.

[55][56] Nevertheless, he scored Inter's fourth goal and his second in consecutive Milan derbies in a 4–0 thrashing, a spectacular 30-yard strike after quickly collecting Sulley Muntari's pass.

[61][62] At the end of the season, Stanković won an historical treble with Inter, conquering the 2009–10 Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League.

[64] At the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi in mid-December, Stanković played an excellent semi-final against Seongnam, scoring the opening goal and performing well.

[66] Benítez was soon sacked despite winning the trophy, and a couple of weeks later, Stanković expressed his dismay at Spaniard's decision to leave him on the bench for the final.

[67] On the same occasion, despite publicly backing the beleaguered coach months earlier,[68] Stanković stated that Benítez simply "didn't work" at Inter.

[76] Stanković scored a spectacular volley from the halfway line against Schalke 04 in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on 5 April 2011, as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer ran out of the box to make a daring header clearance that made it up to the halfway line, leaving an open goal as a target for Stanković's firm first-time volley.

[77][78] On 19 April, in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg, Stanković scored the winning goal with another spectacular long-range effort, hitting a sweet outside foot volley past the despairing dive of the goalkeeper.

[83] Stanković made his international debut for the FR Yugoslavia team against South Korea on 22 April 1998, scoring two goals in a 6–1 victory.

[95][96] After captaining the team in a 1–0 loss in the final game of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying phase against Slovenia,[97] Stanković announced his retirement from international football after 13 years since his debut against South Korea in 1998.

[116] The club won the 2019–20 Serbian SuperLiga, Stankovic's first trophy as a manager, 14 points clear of city rivals Partizan.

[121] On 26 August 2022, Stanković resigned as Red Star manager after being eliminated by Maccabi Haifa in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League qualification playoff round.

[125][126] On 14 December 2023, Ferencváros drew with ACF Fiorentina at the Groupama Arena on the last match day of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.

[127] In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, it was a big achievement to draw twice with ACF Fiorentina and being the coach of Ferencváros teaches him to handle stress as a football manager.

[131][132] On 16 May 2024, Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow announced they signed a two-year contract with Stanković, beginning in the 2024–25 season, he would not be coaching the remaining 2023–24 games.