Predrag Mijatovic
Encyclopedia
Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović (Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Мијатовић Пеђа) (born 19 January 1969) is a Montenegrin football
player and former sports director of Real Madrid
. He is considered one of Yugoslavia's best players of the 1990s. He was acclaimed as the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1997
. During his career his position on the pitch was striker but was very often deployed, especially later in his career, as a midfield creator.
On the club level, Mijatović played for 6 different clubs: Budućnost Podgorica
, FK Partizan
, Valencia
, Real Madrid
, Fiorentina
, and Levante
. Internationally, Mijatović has been capped 73 times, scoring 28 goals (the appearances are split between the SFR Yugoslavia
and the FR Yugoslavia national teams). He played in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
A very technically gifted player known for his outstanding skill and vision, as well as his prolific goalscoring ability, Mijatović is well remembered for
scoring impressive 28 goals in the 1995/1996 Primera División
season for Valencia
, which in turn led him to controversially move to Real Madrid
, where he scored a goal for Real Madrid in the 1998 UEFA Champions League Final
that brought the biggest European title back to Madrid after 32 years. He also had many memorable moments on the big stage, at both club and international levels.
.
It was in the following 1987-88 season that he became a team regular under the newly-arrived head coach Špaco Poklepović
. In October 1987, as part of the Yugoslav youth squad that competed in and won the World Youth Championship
in Chile
, Mijatović had a notable tournament. Playing in Chile meant that he was away from the club for the entire month of October. Coming back to the club as a hero, young Mijatović's spot on the squad was now cemented alongside Dejan Savićević
, Dragoljub Brnović
, and fellow 'Chilean' Branko Brnović
. The youngster made 31 league appearances and contributed 4 goals as Budućnost finished the season in 9th spot.
During the winter 1989-90 transfer window, the talented 20-year-old was close to signing with Hajduk Split after negotiating with Hajduk's sporting director Jurica Jerković
with even a DM
50,000 pre-contract payment given to the player, before Partizan
's president Mirko Marjanović
stepped in and convinced him to come to Belgrade. Partizan ended up paying a DM1 million transfer fee to Budućnost for Mijatović in December 1989. In later interviews Mijatović said that deteriorating political and security situation in Yugoslavia was a factor in his decision not to go to the Croatian club.
was mostly spent settling into the new surroundings as he failed to add to his scoring tally in the following 14 league appearances until the end of the 1989-90 league season
. Partizan was off the pace for the league title, finishing the season in 4th spot as Golac got replaced by returning head coach Nenad Bjeković
.
The next league campaign (Mijatović's first full season at Partizan) provided a bit of breakthrough as he became a prominent team member with 14 goals in 33 league appearances under new head coach Miloš Milutinović
. However, their failure to win any silverware combined with Red Star Belgrade
's rampage through Yugoslav League and Europe meant that the entire Partizan team was in constant shadow of their crosstown rivals.
For his part, Mijatović continued improving, becoming the squad's undisputed leader during 1991/92 season
under head coach Ivica Osim
, and leading Partizan to the 1992 Yugoslav Cup title over reigning European Cup
champions Red Star. He also picked up the Yugoslav Footballer of the Year award along the way.
Before the start of the 1992/93 season SFR Yugoslavia disintegrated meaning that the new Yugoslav League consisted of teams from Serbia
and Montenegro
only. Mijatović put in another impressive season, helping Partizan finally overcome their Red Star jinx, and leading them to the Yugoslav title.
Ever since he established himself at Partizan, Mijatović had been linked with various top European sides - Real Madrid
, Atlético Madrid and Juventus, among others. However, none of them expressed sufficient interest and he eventually ended up at Valencia CF
in the summer of 1993. Then Real president Ramón Mendoza
later admitted that Robert Prosinečki
's failure to live up to expectations in Madrid made his club wary of young Yugoslavs
.
debut on 5 September 1993 against Real Oviedo
and immediately became an integral part of coach Guus Hiddink
's squad. He would go on to make 35 league appearances and score 16 goals in his debut season.
After steady progression he got the Spanish Footballer of the Year honours in the 1995/96 season in which he led Valencia to second place in La Liga with 28 goals in 40 league matches - a truly impressive tally considering he was often deployed as a midfield creator.
The glowing performance didn't go unnoticed by Spanish giants Real Madrid who, now under new club president Lorenzo Sanz
, started courting Mijatović again after failing to commit to him three years earlier.
(another fresh arrival from Sevilla
) and Raúl
to form a formidable trio upfront. Despite being known for his extremely defensive tactics while with AC Milan, head coach Fabio Capello
played a three-man attack: Šuker and Mijatović both featured in 38 league matches during title-winning 1996/97 season
, with Šuker scoring 24, and Mijatović 14 goals while also laying on many others. Nineteen-year-old Raúl played in each one of 42 league matches, scoring 21 goals.
Though the following, 1997/98 season
at Real wasn't quite as successful for Mijatović from a personal standpoint, it still provided many memorable moments. Despite injuries and somewhat inconsistent form, he still managed 10 goals in 24 league games, linking up well with emerging 21-year-old forward Fernando Morientes
who arrived from Real Zaragoza
at the beginning of the season and all but squeezed Šuker out of the squad by the end of it. And even though FC Barcelona
led by, among others, Sonny Anderson
, Luís Figo
, and Luís Enrique
beat them to the league title, the season was still deemed a success since the elusive European trophy
was finally back at the Bernabéu
after a 32-year wait. Real beat Juventus
in May 1998 in Amsterdam
's ArenA
with Mijatović scoring the only goal - incidentally his first of that season's Champions League.
However, after being on top of the world in May, Mijatović came back to Real Madrid in August with lukewarm feelings due to his poor showing at the 1998 World Cup
. The following 1998/99 season turned out to be his last with the royal club. Despite winning the Champions League trophy, coach Jupp Heynckes
' contract was not extended. The new coaching set-up employed by first José Antonio Camacho
and subsequently Guus Hiddink
often used Mijatović out of position on the wing, while Raúl
and Morientes
were the preferred attacking duo most of the time. Though at moments he displayed his old brilliance, Mijatović's performance was much too streaky and inconsistent for a club of Real's stature. Even when Hiddink got fired mid-season, it still didn't spell the start of better days for Mijatović, as he openly feuded with new coach John Toshack
. After going out in Champions League quarterfinals
to a Shevchenko
-led Dynamo Kyiv (incidentally, 2 matches where Mijatović played some excellent football) and failing to win the league
for the second season in a row, changes were clearly in order especially knowing the triggerhappy nature of the Real brass. They were getting ready to clear the space upfront for the promising 20-year-old Nicolas Anelka
from Arsenal
to be brought in. The management decided that the best days of now 30-year-old Mijatović were behind him and sold him to Fiorentina at the end of the season.
, came to Florence from AC Parma. Their arrivals were part of an effort by club president Vittorio Cecchi Gori
to make the squad more competitive for the title run as well as to keep club legend Gabriel Batistuta
happy, since the famous striker who recently turned 30 started considering his option to leave in search of the Scudetto that eluded him for years.
In Florence
Mijatović initially played under experienced head coach Giovanni Trapattoni
, with Batistuta and Chiesa providing competition for places upfront. Fortunately for all three, Trapattoni favoured an attacking formation that season, allowing each forward his share of playing time. This also meant Mijatović dropped further into midfield which was a role he adapted to quickly. In total, he made 16 league appearances throughout the season, scoring 2 goals while also having to deal with injury problems that caused him to miss a lot of matches. From team standpoint, the season was deemed a disappointement as Fiorentia fell out of the league contention following a good spell of results at the beginning while in Champions League they got to the second group stage.
Trapattoni left at the end of the 1999-00 season and was replaced by Fatih Terim
who was coming off winning the UEFA Cup with Galatasaray. Also, the talismanic striker Batistuta was sold to Roma, which signaled the end of an era for the club in many ways. Using some of the huge sum of money Roma paid for Batistuta, Cecchi Gori brought in young striker Nuno Gomes
from Benfica for €17 million. The season started great with wins over Juventus and a draw with Milan, but the form didn't last. Mijatović's injury problems returned, forcing him to the sidelines. Terim left mid-season over disagreements with president over the future signings, and Roberto Mancini
was brought in as his replacement. The team finished in ninth league spot while improbably winning the Coppa Italia
trophy. Mijatović made only 13 league appearances (some of them as substitute), scoring 1 goal.
The summer 2001 offseason saw further big name sales as Fiorentina began to experience serious financial trouble - goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and attacking midfielder Manuel Rui Costa were sold to Inter and AC Milan, respectively. Mijatović, now 32 years of age, stayed, but it was clear his form and physical fitness were in rapid decline. The team had a disastrous season, getting relegated and going into bankruptcy administration.
. He was included in the squad for the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
with Croatian Davor Šuker
and fellow Montenegrin Branko Brnović
. "Peda" scored 2 goals as Yugoslavia won the title.
Simultaneously with Mijatović's transfer from Valencia CF
to Real Madrid
, Yugoslavia returned to playing competitive matches after a 4 year ban due to the UN embargo. Naturally, Mijatović, by this time a bona fide European football star, played a prominent role for Yugoslavia as well. Playing in the pure attacking role for his country, he was seemingly scoring at will. In late 1997, during the 2-game World Cup playoff qualifiers against Hungary
, he notched 7 goals (hat-trick in the first leg in Budapest
and 4 goals in the return home leg at the Marakana
). Yugoslavia demolished their opposition 12-1 on aggregate and qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France.
were undoubtedly substantial. In many circles Yugoslavia was considered to be the tournament's dark horse as a team full of players with prominent roles in top European clubs. Now 29 years of age, Mijatović was in the prime of his career and also heading into the tournament on a high from his Champions League final success. Furthermore, with 14 qualifying campaign goals to his name, he was expected to provide most of the scoring punch. He himself beamed with confidence, even cautiously suggesting Yugoslavia will go far in the tournament.
However, he performed well below expectations, managing to score only one goal in 4 matches - a fluky effort during a group phase match against Germany
that was awarded to him only after further video examination because at first it seemed like Dejan Stanković
provided the final touch to put the ball in the net. To compound his subpar performance, Mijatović slammed a crucial penalty against the crossbar in the round-of-16 elimination game against the Netherlands
that Yugoslavia subsequently lost to an injury time goal by Edgar Davids
.
. The same continued when Vujadin Boškov
took over in Živadinović's place midway through the qualifying. For his part, Mijatović responded with some solid outings. Replicating scoring form from World Cup 98 qualifying proved elusive, but he still found ways to be useful with a few key assists and overall buildup play.
The deciding match occurred in October 1999 versus Croatia
and in highly charged atmosphere Mijatović came through with a shining moment, scoring an acrobatic first half header to level the score at 1-1. The eventual 2-2 final meant Yugoslavia qualified directly for the European Championships in Belgium and Holland.
established himself as the target man up front. Mijatović failed to score in all four games and had a fairly low-key tournament altogether.
as part of the lawyer's candidate bid for the position of Real Madrid
president. When Calderón won the closely contested club election on 2 July 2006, Mijatović became Real's new Director of Football.
On 16 January 2009, Calderón resigned his post and by mid February reports appeared that Mijatović's is on his way out as well. Though he continued at his post under new interim president Vicente Boluda
, it soon became clear that it's just a matter of time before Mijatović leaves. On 20 May 2009, Real Madrid announced Mijatović's departure.
In the end, Calderón and Mijatović left a mixed legacy of their time heading Real's front office. On one hand they presided over two La Liga
titles in addition to signing the already established world-class winger Arjen Robben
, but are more remembered for the high profile superstars they promised but couldn't sign such as Cesc Fàbregas
, Kaká
, and Cristiano Ronaldo
.
Other notable players Mijatović had a hand in signing to Real were Ruud van Nistelrooy
from Manchester United, defensive midfielder Mahamadou Diarra
from Lyon, 19-year-old striker Gonzalo Higuaín
from River Plate, 18-year-old left back Marcelo Vieira from Fluminense, the emerging 23-year-old midfield creator Wesley Sneijder
from Ajax, defensive midfielder Royston Drenthe
from Feyenoord, attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
from Hamburger SV, and striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar from Ajax.
following the departure of Frank Arnesen
, however nothing came of it since in July 2011 the club promoted assistant first team coach Michael Emenalo
to the position.
Through his friendhip with FC Anzhi
general manager German Chistyakov, Mijatović was reportedly part of the three-man delegation (the other two were Anzhi's transfer man German Tkachenko and Serbian player agent Vlado Lemić
) the Russian club deployed to Milan on 9 August 2011 for initial negotiations with Inter side (sporting director Marco Branca
and vice-president Rinaldo Ghelfi) over the transfer of Samuel Eto'o
. Also present at the meeting were Eto'o's personal agent Claudio Vigorelli as well as his lawyer Alberto Ziliani while the role of Mijatović and Lemić was mostly as intermediaries between the two clubs. Some two weeks later on 23 August, Eto'o's transfer to Dagestan
was agreed and announced.
clan ancestry.
Mijatović's personal life has been well-publicized due to his turbulent relationship with Belgrade
socialite Elena Karić. They were married for 1½ years during the early 1990s, and had two sons before divorcing. During the divorce proceedings, he often wore a Los Angeles Dodgers
baseball cap with the initials "L.A.", dedicated to their sons Luka and Andreja. On the 3rd of June 2009, the official website of Real Madrid stated that Andreja, aged 15, died after a long illness, and offered its "deepest sympathies on behalf of the entire club and its members".
In the years following his divorce, Mijatović got remarried to Serbian
fashion model Aneta Milićević. The couple has three daughters: Nađa (born 1999), Nina, and Lola.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and former sports director of Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
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...
. He is considered one of Yugoslavia's best players of the 1990s. He was acclaimed as the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1997
1997 in sports
1997 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Luc Alphand, France** Women's overall season champion: Pernilla Wiberg, Sweden-American football:...
. During his career his position on the pitch was striker but was very often deployed, especially later in his career, as a midfield creator.
On the club level, Mijatović played for 6 different clubs: Budućnost Podgorica
FK Buducnost Podgorica
FK Budućnost is a football club from Podgorica, Montenegro, currently competing in the First League of Montenegro. Its colours are blue and white. FK Buducnost is a part of the Budućnost sport society.-History:...
, FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
, Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
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...
, Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, and Levante
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
. Internationally, Mijatović has been capped 73 times, scoring 28 goals (the appearances are split between the SFR Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
and the FR Yugoslavia national teams). He played in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
A very technically gifted player known for his outstanding skill and vision, as well as his prolific goalscoring ability, Mijatović is well remembered for
scoring impressive 28 goals in the 1995/1996 Primera División
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
season for Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, which in turn led him to controversially move to Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
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...
, where he scored a goal for Real Madrid in the 1998 UEFA Champions League Final
1998 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1998 UEFA Champions League Final took place at the Amsterdam ArenA in Amsterdam on 20 May 1998. Spanish club Real Madrid defeated Italian side Juventus 1–0 to clinch their seventh European title, the sixth being in 1966.-Match details:...
that brought the biggest European title back to Madrid after 32 years. He also had many memorable moments on the big stage, at both club and international levels.
Budućnost
Mijatović was born in Titograd (at the time SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia). After spending a few years in the FK Budućnost Titograd youth system, 18-year-old Mijatović made his debut for the full squad in 1987 during last part of the 1986-87 league season under head coach Milan ŽivadinovićMilan Živadinovic
Milan Živadinović is a Serbian former football player and most recent manager of Myanmar.He is known as a coach who advocates an old-school system of coaching...
.
It was in the following 1987-88 season that he became a team regular under the newly-arrived head coach Špaco Poklepović
Stanko Poklepovic
Stanko "Špaco" Poklepović is a Croatian football coach.-References:...
. In October 1987, as part of the Yugoslav youth squad that competed in and won the World Youth Championship
1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from October 10 to October 25, 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of the three other semi-finalists, and...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Mijatović had a notable tournament. Playing in Chile meant that he was away from the club for the entire month of October. Coming back to the club as a hero, young Mijatović's spot on the squad was now cemented alongside Dejan Savićević
Dejan Savicevic
Dejan Savićević , is a Montenegrin former football player and is the president of the Montenegrin FA....
, Dragoljub Brnović
Dragoljub Brnovic
Dragoljub Brnović is a former Montenegrin football player. He was born on 2 November 1963 in Montenegro, Yugoslavia. He played at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy for the Yugoslav team, where he became notorious for missing one of the penalty kicks in the quarter-finals against Argentina, sending...
, and fellow 'Chilean' Branko Brnović
Branko Brnovic
Branislav "Branko" Brnović is a retired Montenegrin professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and the current manager of the Montenegro national football team.-Club career:After making his professional debuts with local FK Budućnost Podgorica, Brnović signed...
. The youngster made 31 league appearances and contributed 4 goals as Budućnost finished the season in 9th spot.
During the winter 1989-90 transfer window, the talented 20-year-old was close to signing with Hajduk Split after negotiating with Hajduk's sporting director Jurica Jerković
Jurica Jerkovic
Jurica "Jure" Jerković is a former Croatian footballer.During his club career he played for Hajduk Split, FC Zürich and FC Lugano...
with even a DM
German mark
The Deutsche Mark |mark]], abbreviated "DM") was the official currency of West Germany and Germany until the adoption of the euro in 2002. It is commonly called the "Deutschmark" in English but not in German. Germans often say "Mark" or "D-Mark"...
50,000 pre-contract payment given to the player, before Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
's president Mirko Marjanović
Mirko Marjanovic
Mirko Marjanović was a former Prime Minister of Serbia and a high-ranking official in Slobodan Milošević's Socialist Party of Serbia .-Biography:Marjanović was born into a large working-class family with 7 children...
stepped in and convinced him to come to Belgrade. Partizan ended up paying a DM1 million transfer fee to Budućnost for Mijatović in December 1989. In later interviews Mijatović said that deteriorating political and security situation in Yugoslavia was a factor in his decision not to go to the Croatian club.
Partizan
Though he scored on his Partizan debut against his former club FK Budućnost, Mijatović's debut half season in the new club under head coach Ivan GolacIvan Golac
Ivan Golac is a former Yugoslav football player and manager.A Yugoslav international right back, he is best known as a player and manager of FK Partizan, of Belgrade...
was mostly spent settling into the new surroundings as he failed to add to his scoring tally in the following 14 league appearances until the end of the 1989-90 league season
Yugoslav First League 1989-90
The 1989–90 Yugoslav First League season was the 44th season of the First Federal League , the top level association football competition of SFR Yugoslavia, since its establishment in 1946....
. Partizan was off the pace for the league title, finishing the season in 4th spot as Golac got replaced by returning head coach Nenad Bjeković
Nenad Bjekovic
Nenad Bjeković is a Serbian footballer of the late 1960s, 1970s who was very successful with OGC Nice in French Division 1...
.
The next league campaign (Mijatović's first full season at Partizan) provided a bit of breakthrough as he became a prominent team member with 14 goals in 33 league appearances under new head coach Miloš Milutinović
Miloš Milutinovic
Miloš Milutinović was a Serbian football player and manager...
. However, their failure to win any silverware combined with Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
's rampage through Yugoslav League and Europe meant that the entire Partizan team was in constant shadow of their crosstown rivals.
For his part, Mijatović continued improving, becoming the squad's undisputed leader during 1991/92 season
Yugoslav First League 1991-92
The First League of Yugoslavia's 1991/1992 season was the last in which teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia participated, as well as the last of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in general as the First League of FR Yugoslavia was established the following season. In 1992...
under head coach Ivica Osim
Ivica Osim
Ivan "Ivica" Osim is a Bosnian former football player and manager. He was most recently head coach of Japan, before he suffered a stroke in November 2007 and left the post...
, and leading Partizan to the 1992 Yugoslav Cup title over reigning European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
champions Red Star. He also picked up the Yugoslav Footballer of the Year award along the way.
Before the start of the 1992/93 season SFR Yugoslavia disintegrated meaning that the new Yugoslav League consisted of teams from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
only. Mijatović put in another impressive season, helping Partizan finally overcome their Red Star jinx, and leading them to the Yugoslav title.
Ever since he established himself at Partizan, Mijatović had been linked with various top European sides - Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
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...
, Atlético Madrid and Juventus, among others. However, none of them expressed sufficient interest and he eventually ended up at Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in the summer of 1993. Then Real president Ramón Mendoza
Ramón Mendoza
Ramón Mendoza was a Spanish lawyer and business man, most famous for his stint as football chairman of Real Madrid from 1985 until 1995. He was born in Madrid, Spain....
later admitted that Robert Prosinečki
Robert Prosinecki
Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered...
's failure to live up to expectations in Madrid made his club wary of young Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
.
Valencia
Mijatović made his La LigaLa Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
debut on 5 September 1993 against Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
and immediately became an integral part of coach Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
's squad. He would go on to make 35 league appearances and score 16 goals in his debut season.
After steady progression he got the Spanish Footballer of the Year honours in the 1995/96 season in which he led Valencia to second place in La Liga with 28 goals in 40 league matches - a truly impressive tally considering he was often deployed as a midfield creator.
The glowing performance didn't go unnoticed by Spanish giants Real Madrid who, now under new club president Lorenzo Sanz
Lorenzo Sanz
Lorenzo Sanz Mancebo is a Spanish businessman, former president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol and former owner of Málaga Club de Fútbol, where his son Fernando served as club's president.- Early life :In his youth, Sanz played as a goalkeeper for several minor league Madrilenian teams, including...
, started courting Mijatović again after failing to commit to him three years earlier.
Real Madrid
Mijatović finally arrived at the Spanish capital as a highly touted 27-year-old during the 1996 summer transfer window. At Real, playing in a slightly withdrawn forward/playmaker role, Mijatović linked up with Davor ŠukerDavor Šuker
Davor Šuker , is a retired Croatian footballer. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals....
(another fresh arrival from Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
) and Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
to form a formidable trio upfront. Despite being known for his extremely defensive tactics while with AC Milan, head coach Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
played a three-man attack: Šuker and Mijatović both featured in 38 league matches during title-winning 1996/97 season
La Liga 1996-97
* It was the last season with 22 teams in La Liga. To reduce the number of teams in the league, the last four teams, CF Extremadura, Sevilla FC, Hércules CF and CD Logroñés, were relegated and the fifth-to-last team, Rayo Vallecano, played a relegation playoff and was also relegated.-League...
, with Šuker scoring 24, and Mijatović 14 goals while also laying on many others. Nineteen-year-old Raúl played in each one of 42 league matches, scoring 21 goals.
Though the following, 1997/98 season
La Liga 1997-98
1997-98 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* SD Compostela* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* RCD Mallorca* CP Mérida* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid* Real Oviedo...
at Real wasn't quite as successful for Mijatović from a personal standpoint, it still provided many memorable moments. Despite injuries and somewhat inconsistent form, he still managed 10 goals in 24 league games, linking up well with emerging 21-year-old forward Fernando Morientes
Fernando Morientes
Fernando Morientes Sánchez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.His main asset was his aerial and strong goalscoring abilities. He played for a number of clubs throughout his career, including Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool, and Valencia...
who arrived from Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
at the beginning of the season and all but squeezed Šuker out of the squad by the end of it. And even though FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
led by, among others, Sonny Anderson
Sonny Anderson
Anderson da Silva Nilmar , known as Sonny or Anderson, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a striker....
, Luís Figo
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
, and Luís Enrique
Luís Enrique Martínez García
Luis Enrique Martínez García , known as Luis Enrique, is a retired Spanish footballer, and the current head coach of Serie A club A.S. Roma...
beat them to the league title, the season was still deemed a success since the elusive European trophy
UEFA Champions League 1997-98
The 1997–98 UEFA Champions League was the 43rd edition of UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the sixth since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League. The tournament was won 1–0 by Real Madrid, winning for the first time in 32 years, beating Juventus who were playing in a third...
was finally back at the Bernabéu
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators....
after a 32-year wait. Real beat Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in May 1998 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
's ArenA
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
with Mijatović scoring the only goal - incidentally his first of that season's Champions League.
However, after being on top of the world in May, Mijatović came back to Real Madrid in August with lukewarm feelings due to his poor showing at the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. The following 1998/99 season turned out to be his last with the royal club. Despite winning the Champions League trophy, coach Jupp Heynckes
Jupp Heynckes
Josef "Jupp" Heynckes is a German football coach and former player. As player he belonged to the core of the team of Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and 1970s where he won many national championships and the Cup as well as the UEFA Cup...
' contract was not extended. The new coaching set-up employed by first José Antonio Camacho
José Antonio Camacho
José Antonio Camacho Alfaro is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a left defender, and the current coach of the China PR national football team....
and subsequently Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
often used Mijatović out of position on the wing, while Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
and Morientes
Fernando Morientes
Fernando Morientes Sánchez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.His main asset was his aerial and strong goalscoring abilities. He played for a number of clubs throughout his career, including Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool, and Valencia...
were the preferred attacking duo most of the time. Though at moments he displayed his old brilliance, Mijatović's performance was much too streaky and inconsistent for a club of Real's stature. Even when Hiddink got fired mid-season, it still didn't spell the start of better days for Mijatović, as he openly feuded with new coach John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
. After going out in Champions League quarterfinals
UEFA Champions League 1998-99
The 1998–99 UEFA Champions League was the seventh season of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club football tournament, since it was renamed from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The competition was won by Manchester United, coming back from a goal down in the last...
to a Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a Ukrainian footballer who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team as a striker. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 2011-03-10, behind Filippo Inzaghi and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with A.C...
-led Dynamo Kyiv (incidentally, 2 matches where Mijatović played some excellent football) and failing to win the league
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
for the second season in a row, changes were clearly in order especially knowing the triggerhappy nature of the Real brass. They were getting ready to clear the space upfront for the promising 20-year-old Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
from 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...
to be brought in. The management decided that the best days of now 30-year-old Mijatović were behind him and sold him to Fiorentina at the end of the season.
Fiorentina
Arriving in summer 1999 to the club that finished the previous Serie A season in third place (thus qualifying for the Champions League after putting in a legitimate title challenge for a while), the expectations were substantial. At the same time Mijatović was brought in, another striker, 28-year-old Enrico ChiesaEnrico Chiesa
Enrico Chiesa is an Italian football coach and former striker.Chiesa performed regularly at Serie A level for over a decade, and was also part of the Italy national football team. He was considered one of the most exciting and dynamic strikers in Italy during the mid 90's.-Club:Chiesa moved his...
, came to Florence from AC Parma. Their arrivals were part of an effort by club president Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Vittorio Cecchi Gori is an Italian film producer and politician.Born in Florence, he is the son of Mario Cecchi Gori. He has produced numerous films, most notably Il Postino , which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.He was also senator from the Italian People's Party.He owned...
to make the squad more competitive for the title run as well as to keep club legend Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta , nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches...
happy, since the famous striker who recently turned 30 started considering his option to leave in search of the Scudetto that eluded him for years.
In Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
Mijatović initially played under experienced head coach Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
, with Batistuta and Chiesa providing competition for places upfront. Fortunately for all three, Trapattoni favoured an attacking formation that season, allowing each forward his share of playing time. This also meant Mijatović dropped further into midfield which was a role he adapted to quickly. In total, he made 16 league appearances throughout the season, scoring 2 goals while also having to deal with injury problems that caused him to miss a lot of matches. From team standpoint, the season was deemed a disappointement as Fiorentia fell out of the league contention following a good spell of results at the beginning while in Champions League they got to the second group stage.
Trapattoni left at the end of the 1999-00 season and was replaced by Fatih Terim
Fatih Terim
Fatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, is a Turkish football former player and manager. Terim was born in Adana, Turkey to Nuriye and Talat Terim. His father, Talat, is a Turkish Cypriot who emigrated to Turkey....
who was coming off winning the UEFA Cup with Galatasaray. Also, the talismanic striker Batistuta was sold to Roma, which signaled the end of an era for the club in many ways. Using some of the huge sum of money Roma paid for Batistuta, Cecchi Gori brought in young striker Nuno Gomes
Nuno Gomes
Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro , commonly known as Nuno Gomes, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Braga as a striker.He was given the nickname Gomes during childhood after F.C...
from Benfica for €17 million. The season started great with wins over Juventus and a draw with Milan, but the form didn't last. Mijatović's injury problems returned, forcing him to the sidelines. Terim left mid-season over disagreements with president over the future signings, and Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
was brought in as his replacement. The team finished in ninth league spot while improbably winning the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
trophy. Mijatović made only 13 league appearances (some of them as substitute), scoring 1 goal.
The summer 2001 offseason saw further big name sales as Fiorentina began to experience serious financial trouble - goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and attacking midfielder Manuel Rui Costa were sold to Inter and AC Milan, respectively. Mijatović, now 32 years of age, stayed, but it was clear his form and physical fitness were in rapid decline. The team had a disastrous season, getting relegated and going into bankruptcy administration.
National team
Mijatović began his career in the youth categories of the former Yugoslavia teamYugoslavia national under-21 football team
The Yugoslavia national under-21 football team existed in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After the state's dissolution in 1992, the following teams were formed:*Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-21 football team...
. He was included in the squad for the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from October 10 to October 25, 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of the three other semi-finalists, and...
with Croatian Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker , is a retired Croatian footballer. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals....
and fellow Montenegrin Branko Brnović
Branko Brnovic
Branislav "Branko" Brnović is a retired Montenegrin professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and the current manager of the Montenegro national football team.-Club career:After making his professional debuts with local FK Budućnost Podgorica, Brnović signed...
. "Peda" scored 2 goals as Yugoslavia won the title.
Simultaneously with Mijatović's transfer from Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
to Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
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...
, Yugoslavia returned to playing competitive matches after a 4 year ban due to the UN embargo. Naturally, Mijatović, by this time a bona fide European football star, played a prominent role for Yugoslavia as well. Playing in the pure attacking role for his country, he was seemingly scoring at will. In late 1997, during the 2-game World Cup playoff qualifiers against Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
, he notched 7 goals (hat-trick in the first leg in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and 4 goals in the return home leg at the Marakana
Stadion Crvena Zvezda
The Red Star Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Red Star Belgrade. The stadium is all-seated and the capacity is 51,328. It was opened in 1963 after construction which had started three years...
). Yugoslavia demolished their opposition 12-1 on aggregate and qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France.
World Cup 1998
The expectations in France 981998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
were undoubtedly substantial. In many circles Yugoslavia was considered to be the tournament's dark horse as a team full of players with prominent roles in top European clubs. Now 29 years of age, Mijatović was in the prime of his career and also heading into the tournament on a high from his Champions League final success. Furthermore, with 14 qualifying campaign goals to his name, he was expected to provide most of the scoring punch. He himself beamed with confidence, even cautiously suggesting Yugoslavia will go far in the tournament.
However, he performed well below expectations, managing to score only one goal in 4 matches - a fluky effort during a group phase match 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....
that was awarded to him only after further video examination because at first it seemed like Dejan Stanković
Dejan Stankovic
Dejan Stanković is a Serbian association football player who plays for the Italian Serie A side Inter. He captained the Serbian national football team until 2011, when he announced his retirement from international football...
provided the final touch to put the ball in the net. To compound his subpar performance, Mijatović slammed a crucial penalty against the crossbar in the round-of-16 elimination game against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
that Yugoslavia subsequently lost to an injury time goal by Edgar Davids
Edgar Davids
Edgar Steven Davids is a retired Dutch footballer and current member of the supervisory board of Ajax. After beginning his career with the Amsterdam club, he subsequently played in Italy for Milan and Juventus before a loan spell with Barcelona. He went on to play for Internazionale and Tottenham...
.
Road to Euro 2000
At the start of the next qualifying cycle for Euro 2000, Mijatović continued to be an automatic choice for Yugoslavia under new coach Milan ŽivadinovićMilan Živadinovic
Milan Živadinović is a Serbian former football player and most recent manager of Myanmar.He is known as a coach who advocates an old-school system of coaching...
. The same continued when Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov is a retired Serbian football player and coach.Boškov was born in the village of Begeč near Novi Sad, Danube Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia). He played with FK Vojvodina for most of his career...
took over in Živadinović's place midway through the qualifying. For his part, Mijatović responded with some solid outings. Replicating scoring form from World Cup 98 qualifying proved elusive, but he still found ways to be useful with a few key assists and overall buildup play.
The deciding match occurred in October 1999 versus Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
and in highly charged atmosphere Mijatović came through with a shining moment, scoring an acrobatic first half header to level the score at 1-1. The eventual 2-2 final meant Yugoslavia qualified directly for the European Championships in Belgium and Holland.
Euro 2000
Heading into the final tournament, Mijatović, now 31 years old and with just solid club form at Fiorentina, was free of pressure and big personal expectations that followed him during World Cup two years earlier. He still played all four of Yugoslavia's matches, though in a more withdrawn position since suddenly emergent Savo MiloševićSavo Miloševic
Savo Milošević is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a striker.After making a name for himself at Partizan, he signed for Aston Villa, and went on to spend the vast majority of the following decade playing in Spain, where he represented four clubs, amassing La Liga totals of 241 games and...
established himself as the target man up front. Mijatović failed to score in all four games and had a fairly low-key tournament altogether.
Post-playing
After retiring in 2004, Mijatović continued living in Valencia and soon became a player agent.Real Madrid director of football
In June 2006, Mijatović hooked up with Ramón CalderónRamón Calderón
José Ramón Calderón Ramos is a lawyer and an ex-President of Spanish sports club Real Madrid.-Life and career:...
as part of the lawyer's candidate bid for the position of 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...
president. When Calderón won the closely contested club election on 2 July 2006, Mijatović became Real's new Director of Football.
On 16 January 2009, Calderón resigned his post and by mid February reports appeared that Mijatović's is on his way out as well. Though he continued at his post under new interim president Vicente Boluda
Vicente Boluda
Vicente Boluda Fos is the president of Aguas de Valencia and former president of Spanish sports club Real Madrid.-Life and career:...
, it soon became clear that it's just a matter of time before Mijatović leaves. On 20 May 2009, Real Madrid announced Mijatović's departure.
In the end, Calderón and Mijatović left a mixed legacy of their time heading Real's front office. On one hand they presided over two La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
titles in addition to signing the already established world-class winger Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben is a Dutch footballer who plays for the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Though often classified as a forward, he usually plays behind the forwards as a winger, and he is also known for his dribbling skills...
, but are more remembered for the high profile superstars they promised but couldn't sign such as Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
, and Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
.
Other notable players Mijatović had a hand in signing to Real were Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
from Manchester United, defensive midfielder Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra is a Malian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Mali national team. He is captain of the national team.-Early career:Diarra started his career with Greek side OFI Crete...
from Lyon, 19-year-old striker Gonzalo Higuaín
Gonzalo Higuaín
Gonzalo Gerardo "El Pipita" Higuaín is an Argentine professional footballer. He was born in France, attaining Argentine citizenship in 2007, and now holding dual nationality...
from River Plate, 18-year-old left back Marcelo Vieira from Fluminense, the emerging 23-year-old midfield creator Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder is a Dutch footballer playing as an attacking midfielder for Internazionale. He was named UEFA midfielder of the season as well as one of the three best midfielders in the world for 2010 by FIFA....
from Ajax, defensive midfielder Royston Drenthe
Royston Drenthe
Royston Rickie Drenthe is a Dutch footballer who plays for Everton on loan from Real Madrid.Mainly a midfielder, and regarded as one of football's fastest players, he can also operate as a defender or forward, but always on the left side of the pitch.-Youth:Born in Rotterdam, Drenthe joined local...
from Feyenoord, attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart is a Dutch footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Dutch national team. His preferred position is as an attacking midfielder; he can, however, also operate in other positions, such as second striker...
from Hamburger SV, and striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar from Ajax.
After Real Madrid
In May 2011, Mijatović was linked with a position of sporting director at ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
following the departure of Frank Arnesen
Frank Arnesen
Frank Arnesen is a former Danish football player and currently sporting director at Hamburger SV. Arnesen was Director of Football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea....
, however nothing came of it since in July 2011 the club promoted assistant first team coach Michael Emenalo
Michael Emenalo
Michael Kevin Emenalo is a retired Nigerian football defender.-Career:Emenalo played college Soccer in the United States at Boston University from 1986 to 1989. From there, he played for Molenbeek in Belgium, Eintracht Trier in Germany and Notts County F.C in England before coming back to the US...
to the position.
Through his friendhip with FC Anzhi
FC Anzhi Makhachkala
FC Anzhi Makhachkala is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala, capital of the Republic of Dagestan, which plays in the Russian Premier League. The word "Anzhi" is part of Anzhi-Qala the old name of Makhachkala.-History:The club was founded in 1991 and has played in the Russian league since...
general manager German Chistyakov, Mijatović was reportedly part of the three-man delegation (the other two were Anzhi's transfer man German Tkachenko and Serbian player agent Vlado Lemić
Vlado Lemić
Vladica "Vlado" Lemić is a Serbian former footballer and current football agent.Following a modest career as a professional footballer, Lemić became a top player agent - a calling where he's achieved significant prominence, presiding over and being an integral part of many high-profile transfers...
) the Russian club deployed to Milan on 9 August 2011 for initial negotiations with Inter side (sporting director Marco Branca
Marco Branca
Marco Branca is an Italian former football striker who is currently head of the technical staff of Serie A club Internazionale.-Career:...
and vice-president Rinaldo Ghelfi) over the transfer of Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
. Also present at the meeting were Eto'o's personal agent Claudio Vigorelli as well as his lawyer Alberto Ziliani while the role of Mijatović and Lemić was mostly as intermediaries between the two clubs. Some two weeks later on 23 August, Eto'o's transfer to Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
was agreed and announced.
Personal
He is of CuceCuce
Cuce is a Serb clan of Old Montenegro. Cuce are first mentioned in 1431 in documents from Kotor, then in 1521 and 1523 in Ottoman defters. Jovan Cvijic, the Serbian ethnologist and geographer registered the Cuce as a clan of Old Montenegro, of the Katunska nahija-region.Cuce are divided into Upper...
clan ancestry.
Mijatović's personal life has been well-publicized due to his turbulent relationship with 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...
socialite Elena Karić. They were married for 1½ years during the early 1990s, and had two sons before divorcing. During the divorce proceedings, he often wore a Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
baseball cap with the initials "L.A.", dedicated to their sons Luka and Andreja. On the 3rd of June 2009, the official website of Real Madrid stated that Andreja, aged 15, died after a long illness, and offered its "deepest sympathies on behalf of the entire club and its members".
In the years following his divorce, Mijatović got remarried to Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
fashion model Aneta Milićević. The couple has three daughters: Nađa (born 1999), Nina, and Lola.