Milan Jovanovic (footballer born 1981)
Encyclopedia
Milan Jovanović is a Serbian footballer who plays for Anderlecht
and the Serbia national team
.
, Novi Sad
, and Belgrade
in pursuit of a football career.
during the 1999–2000 season. He spent most of his early career at Shakhtar Donetsk
and Lokomotiv Moscow
, before arriving at Standard Liège in 2006.
At Standard Liège, Jovanović quickly became a fan favorite, scoring 14 goals in his first season and earning the nickname "the snake" for his fast movement. Another two highly successful seasons in Belgium followed, with Jovanović turning down a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid
in 2009 because he was worried he would not play regularly. Jovanović was hugely successful in Belgium and on 13 January 2010, was named as the Jupiler League's Player of the Year. However, the year after, Standard Liege ended the season at the 8th position, with Jovanović managing to score 10 goals in his last season in Belgium.
on 8 July 2010 on a free transfer. There had been speculation he would renege on the pre-contract agreement that he had signed after Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez
resigned in June 2010. Benítez was reported to be anxious to bring the player to his new club Internazionale, but Jovanović confirmed his intention to honour his contract, and was given squad number 14. On 29 July 2010, Jovanović made his competitive debut for Liverpool, starting in a 2–0 away win against FK Rabotnički
in the Europa League and made his home debut in the second leg.
He went on to make his Premier League debut on 15 August 2010, against Arsenal
in a 1–1 draw at Anfield
.
He scored his first goal for Liverpool in the League Cup
tie against League Two
side Northampton Town at Anfield. After Kenny Dalglish
took over as Liverpool manager, in early 2011, Jovanović was rarely called upon, occasionally not even being named to the bench.
club R.S.C. Anderlecht
, signing a two-year contract.
Neighbours
, where he was described as "one of the greatest football players in the world." Several commentators in the football community expressed surprise at this statement, as it is generally accepted that Jovanović's achievements are not enough to afford him this status.
against Finland
on 2 June 2007. Serbia won the match 2–0, with Jovanović scoring Serbia's second goal. Jovanović was Serbia's top scorer on the 2010 World Cup Qualifier. On 21 May 2010, he was included by coach Radomir Antić
in Serbia's initial 23 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. On 18 June 2010, Jovanović scored his first goal in the FIFA World Cup, against Germany
in a Group D match, which Serbia won 1–0.
Lokomotiv Moscow
Standard Liège
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
and the Serbia national team
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
.
Early life
Born the son of Stamenko and Gordana, Jovanović grew up in Bajina Bašta before moving to ValjevoValjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
, Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, and Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
in pursuit of a football career.
Club career
Jovanović made his debut with FK VojvodinaFK Vojvodina
FK Vojvodina is a football club from Novi Sad, Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. FK Vojvodina is the third oldest football club in Serbia's SuperLiga, after OFK Beograd which was founded in 1911 and FK Javor which was founded in 1912.-History:FK Vojvodina was founded...
during the 1999–2000 season. He spent most of his early career at Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. Shakhtar has appeared in several European competitions and currently is often a participant of the UEFA Champions League. The club became the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup in 2009, the last year...
and Lokomotiv Moscow
FC Lokomotiv Moscow
The following years were rather successful as Lokomotiv were consistent in the national championships. However, performances after World War II suffered and actually in the space of five year Lokomotiv were relegated to the Soviet First League twice. In 1951, Lokomotiv came second and eventually...
, before arriving at Standard Liège in 2006.
At Standard Liège, Jovanović quickly became a fan favorite, scoring 14 goals in his first season and earning the nickname "the snake" for his fast movement. Another two highly successful seasons in Belgium followed, with Jovanović turning down a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in 2009 because he was worried he would not play regularly. Jovanović was hugely successful in Belgium and on 13 January 2010, was named as the Jupiler League's Player of the Year. However, the year after, Standard Liege ended the season at the 8th position, with Jovanović managing to score 10 goals in his last season in Belgium.
Liverpool
Jovanović joined English Premier League club Liverpool F.C.Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 8 July 2010 on a free transfer. There had been speculation he would renege on the pre-contract agreement that he had signed after Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
resigned in June 2010. Benítez was reported to be anxious to bring the player to his new club Internazionale, but Jovanović confirmed his intention to honour his contract, and was given squad number 14. On 29 July 2010, Jovanović made his competitive debut for Liverpool, starting in a 2–0 away win against FK Rabotnički
FK Rabotnicki
FK Rabotnički is a football club that plays at the Philip II Arena in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. They currently compete in the Macedonian First League.-History:...
in the Europa League and made his home debut in the second leg.
He went on to make his Premier League debut on 15 August 2010, against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in a 1–1 draw at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
.
He scored his first goal for Liverpool in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
tie against League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Northampton Town at Anfield. After Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
took over as Liverpool manager, in early 2011, Jovanović was rarely called upon, occasionally not even being named to the bench.
Anderlecht
In August 2011, Jovanović moved to BelgianBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
club R.S.C. Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
, signing a two-year contract.
In popular culture
In October 2011 Jovanović was mentioned in the Australian soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, where he was described as "one of the greatest football players in the world." Several commentators in the football community expressed surprise at this statement, as it is generally accepted that Jovanović's achievements are not enough to afford him this status.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||||||
| Shakhtar Donetsk FC Shakhtar Donetsk FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. Shakhtar has appeared in several European competitions and currently is often a participant of the UEFA Champions League. The club became the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup in 2009, the last year... |
2002–03 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||||||
| 2003–04 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
| Total | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Lokomotiv Moscow FC Lokomotiv Moscow The following years were rather successful as Lokomotiv were consistent in the national championships. However, performances after World War II suffered and actually in the space of five year Lokomotiv were relegated to the Soviet First League twice. In 1951, Lokomotiv came second and eventually... | 2004 Russian Premier League 2004 Lokomotiv won their second Premier League title, while Krylya Sovetov finished in the top three for the first time, winning bronze. Kuban were relegated after just one season in the Premier League. They were joined by Rotor who played at the top level since the beginning of the Russian league.- Top... |
3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2005 Russian Premier League 2005 - Final standings :- Top goalscorers :-Season statistics:*Goals: 539 **From penalties: 58 **Saved/Missed penalties: 17 **Goals scored home: 324 **Goals scored away: 215... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Standard Liège Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège.... | 2006–07 | 29 | 14 | 6 | 9 | – | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 24 | |
| 2007–08 | 31 | 16 | 4 | 2 | – | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 18 | |||||||
| 2008–09 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 14 | |||||||
| 2009–10 2009–10 Belgian First Division The 2009–10 season of the Belgian Pro League was the 107th season of top-tier football in Belgium. The season began on 31 July 2009 with the first matches of the regular season, and ended in May 2010 with the last matches of the playoff round... |
26 | 10 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 13 | |||||||
| Total | 116 | 52 | 10 | 11 | Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... | 2010–11 2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011... |
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | ||||||
| Anderlecht R.S.C. Anderlecht Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the... |
2011–12 2011–12 Belgian Pro League -Personnel and sponsoring:-During summer break:-During regular season:-League table:-Positions by round:Note: The classification was made after the weekend of each matchday, so postponed matches were only processed at the time they were played to represent the real evolution in standings.-Results:... |
11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 | ||||||
| Total | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Career total | 146 | 57 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 201 | 80 | |
International career
He made his debut for the Serbian national teamSerbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
against Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
on 2 June 2007. Serbia won the match 2–0, with Jovanović scoring Serbia's second goal. Jovanović was Serbia's top scorer on the 2010 World Cup Qualifier. On 21 May 2010, he was included by coach Radomir Antić
Radomir Antic
Radomir Antić is a Serbian former football defender and former football manager for the Serbian national team.Following a 17-year playing career he found his true calling in coaching....
in Serbia's initial 23 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. On 18 June 2010, Jovanović scored his first goal in the FIFA World Cup, against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in a Group D match, which Serbia won 1–0.
International goals
| Jovanović – goals for Serbia | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
Club
Shakhtar Donetsk- Ukrainian CupUkrainian CupThe Ukrainian Cup is a national knockout cup competition in Ukrainian football, run by the Football Federation of Ukraine. The winner of the competition is awarded a qualification to the UEFA Cup , under special circumstances the finalist also may enter...
: 2004
Lokomotiv Moscow
- Russian Premier LeagueRussian Premier LeagueThe Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
: 2004Russian Premier League 2004Lokomotiv won their second Premier League title, while Krylya Sovetov finished in the top three for the first time, winning bronze. Kuban were relegated after just one season in the Premier League. They were joined by Rotor who played at the top level since the beginning of the Russian league.- Top...
Standard Liège
- Belgian League (2): 2008, 2009
- Belgian SupercupBelgian SupercupThe Belgian Supercup is a Belgian club competition played on a single match at the league champion venue since 2004 and formerly at the Stade Roi Baudouin, between the winner of the last Belgian Pro League and that of the last Belgian Cup. If both teams are the same, the opponent is declared to...
(2): 20082008 Belgian Super CupThe 2008 Belgian Super Cup is a football match that was played on 9 August 2008, between league winners Standard Liège and cup winners R.S.C. Anderlecht. Standard won convincingly with 3-1.-Match details:...
, 20092009 Belgian Super CupThe 2009 Belgian Super Cup is a football match that was played on 25 July 2009, between league winners Standard Liège and cup winners K.R.C. Genk. It was won easily by Standard Liège.-Match details:...
Individual
- Belgian Footballer of the YearBelgian professional football awardsThe Belgian professional football awards is a collection of awards given at the end of each season since 1983. The first year, the only award was the Manager of the Year. There are now 5 awards: Footballer, Young Footballer, Goalkeeper, Manager and Referee. The voters are all the players from...
: 2007–08 - Belgian Golden ShoeBelgian Golden ShoeIn association football, the Belgian Golden Shoe is an award given in Belgium at the beginning of each civil year to the best footballer of the Belgian First Division for the past year. The trophy is sponsored by the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws....
: 2009