By: Nemanja Lazarevic
Special to Soccer City FC via Soccer Pie
Serbian players have always attracted interest from the European clubs and a big number of them leave Serbia every year. During the 90’s, due to the political problems, Serbian players did not have a chance to compete in Europe and only the best talents had a chance to earn a transfer to the big clubs. In a last couple of year, especially after excellent results Serbian U21 team achieved at last three consecutive Euro tournaments (Serbia reached at least semifinals) interest of big clubs is much stronger. After latest transfer of Zoran Tosic to Manchester United, a lot of people abroad are starting to ask questions about other Serbian talents. I will try to put together a list of players who have already left Serbia, and are regarded as hot prospects for the future. Similar list of Serbian prospects that are still in Serbian Meridian league has been published at SoccerLens.
Number 8. Nenad Krsticic (Sampdoria, 1990)
Nenad Krsticic started his career at OFK Beograd when he was 16 and played 26 games for the club. Sampdoria bought the young midfielder this summer but due to FIFA’s regulations he will be eligible to play in January 2009. Krstičić is a left sided midfielder although he can also play in more central role. His greatest quality is the left foot, although it is too early to talk about his potential, having played just 26 senior games, but even that at the age of 17 can tell us something.
Number 7. Marko Milinkovic (Kosice, 1988)
Milinkovic currently plays for Slovakian side Kosice, where he transferred from Borac Cacak, without playing a senior game for the club from his homeland. Good performances in Slovakian league made Serbian Under 21 coach call him to the national team for the play-off match against Denmark in October 2008 and he scored his first goal for the national team in the return leg. Milinkovic plays on the right side of midfield.
Number 6. Nemanja Matic (Kosice, 1988)
Nemanja Matic has a very similar career to those of Milinković but he played some senior football in Serbia before joining Kosice. Central midfielder played 64 senior games for Jedinstvo Ub and Kolubara before joining the Slovakian side and after just two years at the new club it seems that he has done enough to deserve a contract at Middlesbrough. He is currently on trial at the Premier League outfit and the odds are that he will be bought by Gareth Southgate in January. Matić is also the member of Serbian Under 21 side and he looks set to be handed debut for the senior team.
Number 5. Slobodan Rajkovic (Chelsea, on loan at Twente, 1989)
Slobodan Rajkovic was one of the biggest prospects in the World when he was signed by Chelsea in 2005. English club paid OFK Beograd €5.2m for the 16 year-old centre-back, which was the highest paid fee for the player under 18 years at the time. He is yet to play his first match for Chelsea, having been loaned to PSV and Twente. Rajkovic was recently banned from all football for a year after the alleged spat at the referee in the Under 21 match. His ban was reduced, allowing him to play club football. Rajkovic is a very talented defender but he is yet to prove his full potential. However, he is just 19 years old and his time will come.
Number 4. Miralem Sulejmani (Ajax, 1988)
Miralem Sulejmani is one of the hottest prospects in Europe and is currently playing for Ajax. His transfer to Heerenveen caused a lot of controversy and he was even suspended by the Football Association of Serbia. However, he impressed in the first season in Dutch Eredivisie, scoring 15 goals. He received the Talent of the Year prize in Holland and was spotted by the scouts of big Ajax. The following summer he transferred to Ajax for the staggering 16 million euros, signing a five-year contract. He can play as a striker or a winger and he has already played three games for the Serbian national team. Sulejmani is a very quick and skilful player and he is already regular in Van Basten’s team.
Number 3. Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund, 1988)
Neven Subotić was born in Banja Luka, in former Yugoslavia. This is now part of Bosnia, where the majority of population is of Serbian origin and it seems that Subotić will play for the Serbian national team. He had the option to choose between Serbia, Bosnia and United States, where he spent some part of his career, but now appears set for Serbia. He started playing professional football for Mainz and after just one season transferred to Borussia Dortmund. He is now the integral part of the Bundesliga team playing in the centre of defense. Subotić managed to score five league goals this season and that is another big quality.
Number 2. Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Fiorentina, 1987)
Zdravko Kuzmanović was born in Bern, Switzerland to Serbian parents and he decided to play for the Serbian national team. He started the professional career at Basel but after just two years he was bought by Fiorentina. The central midfielder has already become the integral part of Cesare Prandelli’s team and he has attracted interest from the big European clubs. Kuzmanović is regular in the national team, having already played 15 games. He is a very complete midfield player and very confident on the ball.
Number 1. Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin, 1987)
Gojko Kacar is certainly the biggest prospect of Serbian football at the moment and probably the most complete player on this list. He transferred to Hertha from Vojvodina and has already become one of the key players in the team. He can play at centre-back, centre midfield, attacking midfielder or even in attack and he is great in every aspect of the game. He is an excellent defender, very assured on the ball and has a great eye for the goal. Before he transferred to Hertha, he was the top scorer of the Serbian league, even though he had played in midfield. The latest achievement that put him under the spotlight was against Hungary in U21 play-off game when he scored 5 goals. Kacar is also great in the air and he has scored a lot of goals with his head. He is now regular in the national team and I see him as the future star of European football. It is interesting that his uncle Tadija Kacar was a silver-medalist in the light middleweight division at the 1976 Olympics.
Here are a couple more players worth mentioning: Milan Smiljanic (1988, Espanyol), Nikola Gulan (1989, Fiorentina), Ivan Radovanović (1988, Atalanta/Pisa), Aleksandar Prijović (1990, Derby County), Ivan Fatic (1988, Inter/Vicenza), Milan Milanovic (1991, Lokomotiva), Predrag Stevanovic (1991, Schalke)
No comments:
Post a Comment