Vlado Lemić
Encyclopedia
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. Furthermore, due to his personal and business ties to many powerful figures in European club football, Lemić has established himself as an important behind-the-scenes figure in the sport.
. Otherwise mostly mediocre and unremarkable, his time at the club did feature one shining moment - being part of the 1988 Yugoslav Cup
winning team. The famous final on 11 May 1988 at Belgrade's Marakana pitted the heavy underdog Banja Luka side against powerhouse Red Star Belgrade
. Sensationally, Borac ended up winning 0-1, the first and only time Yugoslav Cup was won by a team outside of the top-tier First League
. Lemić only appeared in the closing 2 minutes of the match plus injury time as head coach Husnija Fazlić
brought him on for goalscorer Senad Lupić
.
Due to exposure from the Cup win, he got transferred to Belgian lower league club KFC Herentals.
Later, Lemić played a season for Lierse S.K.
in Belgian top league where he played under head coach Eric Gerets.
's move from FK Partizan
to PSV Eindhoven during the summer of 2000. The young striker with plenty of positive notices from the FR Yugoslavia's First League commanded a major price tag as the Dutch club was said to have paid DM27 million for his services. The forward would go to become a scoring hit at Eindhoven, while for the agent this marked the beginning of a long and eventually somewhat controversial business relationship with PSV.
Through his close relationship with PSV technical director Stan Valckx
, Lemić became an influential figure inside the club despite not officially being part of the organization. Through Lemić's network of connections (his South America
-based brother Zoran is also a football agent), the club was able to get their hands on many acquisitions from that part of the world, the most famous of which were Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, Peruvian winger Jefferson Farfán
, and talented young striker Jonathan Reis
. Additionally, Lemić engineered an agreement between Chelsea
and PSV for Chelsea signings to be sent to PSV in co-sharing or loan deals until they're eligible for a British work permit. Defenders Alex
, Alcides
, and Slobodan Rajković
arrived to the club in this manner. Lemić's style at PSV was very hands-on as he could be regularly seen with players at the club's training complex De Herdgang. He also kept close contact with club head coaches in this period: first Guus Hiddink
followed by Ronald Koeman
, and additionally fostered contacts with Chelsea organization through Piet de Visser
and Frank Arnesen
, which allowed him to become close with club's owner Roman Abramovich
.
Despite PSV having had plenty of success on the pitch as well as maintaining healthy cash flow on the financial side of things all throughout this period, Lemić's undefined role and large influence in Eindhoven came under scrutiny of the newly arrived general manager Jan Reker
. Though the two never got on from day one, the initial trigger for their feud seems to have been the issue over PSV's Ecuadorian midfielder and Lemić's client Édison Méndez
who in December 2007 requested a transfer out of the club, reportedly wishing to be home in Ecuador closer to his ill mother. The club unwillingly obliged, setting a relatively low transfer fee of US$1 million when Barcelona Sporting Club
expressed interest. However, the fee was still too high for the Ecuadorian club and the deal fell through. One month later in January 2008, an offer from a Mexican club willing to pay the million for Méndez came in, however, Reker killed it by informing them that million dollars was a 'friendly fee' for Ecuadorian clubs while the Mexicans would have to pay a higher one. Méndez's agent Lemić didn't like this and the situation exploded on 30 January after PSV's league win over Ajax.
Though things quickly appeared to have settled on surface, the situation festered behind the scenes for months as Lemić's role in the club began to be publicly questioned courtesy of leaked information to the press by the Reker camp. Lemić didn't hold back either as his client Heurelho Gomes' stinging attack on Reker in a Voetbal International
interview was largely seen to be the agent's revenge by proxy. With all the turmoil PSV still managed to win the 2007-08 Dutch league title, but by summer 2008, the agent and the general manager were engaged in a full blown public war. Many things that normally happen behind closed doors were now all out in the open as Reker moved to rid the club of any Lemić influence. Influenced by Reker, the club alleged that Lemić and Valckx pocketed profits from their deals for PSV. When a transfer was made at the club, Lemić would allegedly send a hefty bill to the PSV office, even when no one was aware of his involvement. He reportedly claimed services rendered like 'cooling off the interest of club X in player Y' to keep transfer prices down or making a supposed bid by a foreign club for a PSV-player fade away. Meanwhile Valckx earned five per cent of every outgoing transfer at the club according to findings from an investigation by reporters of the NRC Handelsblad. Though no wrongdoing was ever proven, Lemić got banned from the club's training ground while Valckx got fired. Appalled by the situation, scout Piet de Visser left of his own accord.
Reker thus decisively won the war for the control of PSV, however, in eliminating Lemić he also eliminated the agent's vast network of contacts. Additionally, in direct response to Lemić's ban, his players Gomes, Farfan, Alcides, and Rajković left the club shortly. Since 2008, PSV has largely struggled on and off the pitch - the club hasn't won a league title since then, it has played in the Champions League since getting eliminated by Christmas in the 2008-09 season after finishing dead last in its group and has even felt the pinch financially in recent seasons.
and was instrumental in the €14 million transfer of Royston Drenthe
from Feyenoord to Real in August 2007 as well as in the €27 million transfer that saw Klaas-Jan Huntelaar go from Ajax to Madrid in January 2009.
In May 2008, Lemić's services were enlisted by Chelsea's Roman Abramovich in its search for the new manager following the dismissal of Avram Grant. Lemić was said to have played an important role in setting up contacts with AC Milan's Carlo Ancelotti
and AS Roma's Luciano Spalletti
, however the job ultimately went to Luiz Felipe Scolari
.
After getting banned from PSV, Lemić intensified his dealings with Chelsea's sporting director Arnesen, going on scouting trips with him as well as with Mijatović who went back to being a football agent after getting fired from Real following the club's presidential change. After Arnesen left Chelsea organization to go to Hamburger SV, Mijatović got short-listed for the job at Stamford Bridge
in large part thanks to Lemić's connections, however the job eventually went to Michael Emenalo
. In August 2011, Lemić and Mijatović took part in the negotiations that eventually resulted in Samuel Eto'o
transferring from Inter to Anzhi Makhachkala
.
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. Furthermore, due to his personal and business ties to many powerful figures in European club football, Lemić has established himself as an important behind-the-scenes figure in the sport.
Club career
Lemić spent most of his playing career with Borac Banja Luka, which at the time toiled in the second-tier Yugoslav Second LeagueYugoslav Second League
Yugoslav Second League was the second tier football league of SFR Yugoslavia. The top clubs were promoted to the top tier, the Yugoslav First League....
. Otherwise mostly mediocre and unremarkable, his time at the club did feature one shining moment - being part of the 1988 Yugoslav Cup
1987–88 Yugoslav Cup
The 1987–88 Yugoslav Cup was the 40th season of the top football knockout competition in SFR Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Cup , also known as the "Marshal Tito Cup" , since its establishment in 1946. FK Borac Banja Luka beat FK Crvena Zvezda in the final.-Final:-See also:*1987–88 Yugoslav First League...
winning team. The famous final on 11 May 1988 at Belgrade's Marakana pitted the heavy underdog Banja Luka side against powerhouse 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...
. Sensationally, Borac ended up winning 0-1, the first and only time Yugoslav Cup was won by a team outside of the top-tier First League
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
. Lemić only appeared in the closing 2 minutes of the match plus injury time as head coach Husnija Fazlić
Husnija Fazlić
Husnija Fazlić is a former Yugoslav association footballer.-References:*http://www.boracbl.net/intervju/f_fazlichune.html*http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/fazlichussnija/1976/...
brought him on for goalscorer Senad Lupić
Senad Lupić
Senad Lupić is a former Bosnian footballer.During his club career he first played for suburb club NK Polet Omeragići where he was born and soon after he was spoted by town club FK Tekstilac Derventa...
.
Due to exposure from the Cup win, he got transferred to Belgian lower league club KFC Herentals.
Later, Lemić played a season for Lierse S.K.
Lierse S.K.
Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring is a Belgian professional football club, from the city of Lier in the Antwerp province. Lierse has been playing in the Belgian Pro League since the 2010-11 season and they have already won the competition 4 times. They also have won 2 Belgian Cups...
in Belgian top league where he played under head coach Eric Gerets.
PSV connection
Lemić's first transfer of note was 21-year-old Mateja KežmanMateja Kežman
Mateja Kežman is a Serbian football striker who plays for FC BATE Borisov of the Belarusian Premier League....
's move from 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...
to PSV Eindhoven during the summer of 2000. The young striker with plenty of positive notices from the FR Yugoslavia's First League commanded a major price tag as the Dutch club was said to have paid DM27 million for his services. The forward would go to become a scoring hit at Eindhoven, while for the agent this marked the beginning of a long and eventually somewhat controversial business relationship with PSV.
Through his close relationship with PSV technical director Stan Valckx
Stan Valckx
Stanislaus "Stan" Henricus Christina Valckx is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a central defender.-Club career:...
, Lemić became an influential figure inside the club despite not officially being part of the organization. Through Lemić's network of connections (his South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
-based brother Zoran is also a football agent), the club was able to get their hands on many acquisitions from that part of the world, the most famous of which were Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, Peruvian winger Jefferson Farfán
Jefferson Farfán
Jefferson Agustín Farfán Guadalupe is a Peruvian football player, playing for Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.-Club career:Farfán began his professional career with Alianza Lima of Peru, with whom he signed for in 2001...
, and talented young striker Jonathan Reis
Jonathan Reis
Jonathan Reis , is a Brazilian footballer who most recently played for PSV Eindhoven of the Dutch Eredivisie....
. Additionally, Lemić engineered an agreement between Chelsea
Chelsea 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...
and PSV for Chelsea signings to be sent to PSV in co-sharing or loan deals until they're eligible for a British work permit. Defenders Alex
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, better known as Alex , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chelsea FC and the Brazil national team. His nickname is "Vinny" amongst fans for his close similarities to actor Vin Diesel....
, Alcides
Alcides Araújo Alves
Alcides Eduardo Mendes de Araújo Alves, simply Alcides , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine....
, and Slobodan Rajković
Slobodan Rajkovic
Slobodan Rajković is a Serbian footballer who plays as a Centre back for Hamburger SV.-Club career:...
arrived to the club in this manner. Lemić's style at PSV was very hands-on as he could be regularly seen with players at the club's training complex De Herdgang. He also kept close contact with club head coaches in this period: first 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...
followed by Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
, and additionally fostered contacts with Chelsea organization through Piet de Visser
Piet de Visser
Piet de Visser is a Dutch football manager and scout. He is best known for scouting players like Romário and Ronaldo and successfully bringing them to Europe. He is currently a personal adviser to Roman Abramovich, the owner of the English club Chelsea F.C...
and 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....
, which allowed him to become close with club's owner Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
.
Despite PSV having had plenty of success on the pitch as well as maintaining healthy cash flow on the financial side of things all throughout this period, Lemić's undefined role and large influence in Eindhoven came under scrutiny of the newly arrived general manager Jan Reker
Jan Reker
Jan Reker is a Dutch former football manager and currently the chief executive of Dutch football team PSV Eindhoven...
. Though the two never got on from day one, the initial trigger for their feud seems to have been the issue over PSV's Ecuadorian midfielder and Lemić's client Édison Méndez
Edison Méndez
Édison Vicente Méndez Méndez is an Ecuadorian football midfielder who plays for Emelec and the Ecuadorian national team.-Playing style:...
who in December 2007 requested a transfer out of the club, reportedly wishing to be home in Ecuador closer to his ill mother. The club unwillingly obliged, setting a relatively low transfer fee of US$1 million when Barcelona Sporting Club
Barcelona Sporting Club
Barcelona Sporting Club is an Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil, known best for its professional football team. They currently play in the Ecuadorian Serie A, the highest level of football in the country, and hold the distinction of being the only team to have never been relegated.With...
expressed interest. However, the fee was still too high for the Ecuadorian club and the deal fell through. One month later in January 2008, an offer from a Mexican club willing to pay the million for Méndez came in, however, Reker killed it by informing them that million dollars was a 'friendly fee' for Ecuadorian clubs while the Mexicans would have to pay a higher one. Méndez's agent Lemić didn't like this and the situation exploded on 30 January after PSV's league win over Ajax.
Though things quickly appeared to have settled on surface, the situation festered behind the scenes for months as Lemić's role in the club began to be publicly questioned courtesy of leaked information to the press by the Reker camp. Lemić didn't hold back either as his client Heurelho Gomes' stinging attack on Reker in a Voetbal International
Voetbal International
Voetbal International is a Dutch football magazine, which has been publishing since 1965. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running....
interview was largely seen to be the agent's revenge by proxy. With all the turmoil PSV still managed to win the 2007-08 Dutch league title, but by summer 2008, the agent and the general manager were engaged in a full blown public war. Many things that normally happen behind closed doors were now all out in the open as Reker moved to rid the club of any Lemić influence. Influenced by Reker, the club alleged that Lemić and Valckx pocketed profits from their deals for PSV. When a transfer was made at the club, Lemić would allegedly send a hefty bill to the PSV office, even when no one was aware of his involvement. He reportedly claimed services rendered like 'cooling off the interest of club X in player Y' to keep transfer prices down or making a supposed bid by a foreign club for a PSV-player fade away. Meanwhile Valckx earned five per cent of every outgoing transfer at the club according to findings from an investigation by reporters of the NRC Handelsblad. Though no wrongdoing was ever proven, Lemić got banned from the club's training ground while Valckx got fired. Appalled by the situation, scout Piet de Visser left of his own accord.
Reker thus decisively won the war for the control of PSV, however, in eliminating Lemić he also eliminated the agent's vast network of contacts. Additionally, in direct response to Lemić's ban, his players Gomes, Farfan, Alcides, and Rajković left the club shortly. Since 2008, PSV has largely struggled on and off the pitch - the club hasn't won a league title since then, it has played in the Champions League since getting eliminated by Christmas in the 2008-09 season after finishing dead last in its group and has even felt the pinch financially in recent seasons.
Other dealings
Over the years, Lemić developed a business relationship with Real Madrid football director Predrag MijatovićPredrag Mijatovic
Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović 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...
and was instrumental in the €14 million transfer of 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 to Real in August 2007 as well as in the €27 million transfer that saw Klaas-Jan Huntelaar go from Ajax to Madrid in January 2009.
In May 2008, Lemić's services were enlisted by Chelsea's Roman Abramovich in its search for the new manager following the dismissal of Avram Grant. Lemić was said to have played an important role in setting up contacts with AC Milan's Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
and AS Roma's Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti is a retired Italian footballer and current coach of FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.-Playing career:Born in Certaldo, Province of Florence, Spalletti played for Serie C teams such as Entella, Spezia, Viareggio and Empoli....
, however the job ultimately went to Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari , ComIH , also known as Felipão in Brazil and Phil Scolari in the United Kingdom, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian football manager. He is currently the manager of Palmeiras. He served as the manager of the Portuguese national team from July 12, 2003 to June 30, 2008...
.
After getting banned from PSV, Lemić intensified his dealings with Chelsea's sporting director Arnesen, going on scouting trips with him as well as with Mijatović who went back to being a football agent after getting fired from Real following the club's presidential change. After Arnesen left Chelsea organization to go to Hamburger SV, Mijatović got short-listed for the job at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
in large part thanks to Lemić's connections, however the job eventually went to 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...
. In August 2011, Lemić and Mijatović took part in the negotiations that eventually resulted in 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...
transferring from Inter to Anzhi Makhachkala
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...
.
Deals brokered
Over the years Lemić has been involved in many top transfers in various capacity:| Date | Player | Previous club | New club | Transfer sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer of 2000 | Mateja Kežman | FK Partizan | PSV Eindhoven | DM27 million |
| Summer of 2004 | Jefferson Farfán | Alianza Lima | PSV Eindhoven | €2 million |
| Summer of 2004 | Heurelho Gomes | Cruzeiro EC | PSV Eindhoven | unknown |
| Summer of 2004 | Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa | Santos FC | PSV Eindhoven | co-ownership deal with Chelsea F.C. with a €1 million buyout clause |
| Summer of 2004 | Arjen Robben | PSV Eindhoven | Chelsea FC | £12.1 million |
| Summer of 2004 | Mateja Kežman | PSV Eindhoven | Chelsea FC | £5.4 million |
| Summer of 2007 | Jonathan Reis | Atlético Mineiro | PSV Eindhoven | unknown |
| Summer of 2007 | Royston Drenthe | Feyenoord | Real Madrid | €14 million |
| January 2008 | Branislav Ivanović | Lokomotiv Moskva | Chelsea F.C. | £9.7 million |
| Summer of 2008 | Heurelho Gomes | PSV Eindhoven | Tottenham Hotspur | £7.8 million |
| Summer of 2008 | Miralem Sulejmani | SC Heerenveen | Ajax | €16.25 million |
| January 2009 | Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | Ajax | Real Madrid | €27 million |
| Summer of 2011 | Samuel Eto'o | Internazionale | Anzhi Makhachkala | €28 million |