Why are Crvena Zvezda called Red Star Belgrade? Name of Serbian club explained for Champions League

The start of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League begins the long road to potential glory for sides from across the continent in Europe's premier club competition.

Manchester City are tasked with trying to retain their title after Pep Guardiola's side sealed their first ever Champions League trophy as part of their 2022/23 treble.

However, alongside the prestige of City, Real Madrid and others, the Champions League also shines a light on clubs lesser known to a global audience with fascinating stories from each corner of Europe.

City's group will include Serbian Super Liga champions Red Star Belgrade, and their return to the Champions League group stage may also trigger some confusion over their name, with Barak Bakhar's team also known as Crvena Zvezda.

The basis for the confusion over what the team are known as comes mainly from language translation from Serbian into English. 

Teams from across Europe have often switched between what their side is known as in their home language, and its translation into English, with Spanish side Sevilla/Seville and Italian giants Inter Milan/Internazionale two often-cited examples.

However, in the case of Red Star Belgrade, the translation means a major change. Crvena Zvezda is the club's official name and comes from the longer version of Fudbalski Klub Crvena Zvezda.

When translated into English, Fudbalski Klub Crvena Zvezda means Football Club Red Star, with the club also known as Red Star.

However, with other European sides also using the prefix of Red Star, Belgrade was added by English commentators to identify and differentiate the Serbian team.

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For fans looking to refer to the team via their official