Rukavina started out at his local club
Bežanija, making his senior debuts in the 2002–03 season, as they won promotion to the
Second League of Serbia and Montenegro. He also helped them win the
2005–06 Serbian First League, thus earning promotion to the
Serbian SuperLiga. In December 2006, it was announced that
Partizan and Bežanija have agreed terms for the transfer of Rukavina and
Žarko Lazetić. Both players signed four-year deals in January 2007. Under newly appointed manager
Miroslav Đukić, Rukavina immediately established himself as a first team regular, scoring three league goals from 15 appearances in the second half of the
2006–07 season. He was subsequently named the team's captain ahead of the
2007–08 campaign. In January 2008, Rukavina was transferred to German club
Borussia Dortmund, penning a long-term contract. He made his
Bundesliga debut in February of the same year, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–3 away draw at
MSV Duisburg. In February 2009, Rukavina moved on loan to
2. Bundesliga side
1860 Munich until the end of
the season. He was permanently transferred to 1860 Munich in June 2009, with
Sven Bender making the opposite move in lieu of a transfer fee. In July 2012, Rukavina moved to Spain and signed with
Valladolid, on a three-year deal, thus joining his countryman and former manager Miroslav Đukić. He made his
La Liga debut in a 1–0 away win against
Zaragoza that August, playing the whole match. In his two seasons at
José Zorrilla, Rukavina collected 71 appearances and scored twice in the top flight of Spanish football. On 8 July 2014, Rukavina signed a two-year contract for
Villarreal. He collected 32 appearances in all competitions throughout his
debut season with
El Submarino Amarillo. In the next
2015–16 campaign, Rukavina appeared in 31 games, including 10 appearances in the
UEFA Europa League. In July 2018, Rukavina signed with Kazakh champions
Astana on a free transfer. He helped them defend the
league title in his
first season. In August 2019, Rukavina extended his contract with the club until 2021. On 11 November 2021, Rukavina announced his retirement from football. ==International career==