[1] Born in Ivanjica, Kovačević moved to Belgrade in 1955 and joined the youth system of Partizan.

[2] He was promoted to the first team in 1958, making his official debut in a 2–1 home league win over Rijeka.

[3] Two years earlier, Kovačević was the competition's joint top scorer with seven goals, along with Sandro Mazzola and Ferenc Puskás.

He subsequently returned to Yugoslavia to perform his compulsory military service and rejoined Partizan.

[6] He was a member of the team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, as Yugoslavia lost to Chile in the third-place match.