Milan Biševac

Milan Biševac

Personal information
Full name	Milan Biševac
Date of birth	31 August 1983
Place of birth	Titova Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current team	Metz
Number	4
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001–2003	FK Bask	52	(5)
2003	Bežanija	15	(1)
2004	Železnik	15	(1)
2004–2006	Red Star Belgrade	58	(3)
2007–2008	Lens	35	(1)
2008–2011	Valenciennes	100	(4)
2011–2012	Paris Saint-Germain	19	(1)
2012–2015	Lyon	76	(0)
2016	Lazio	11	(1)
2016–	Metz	5	(0)
National team^‡
2006–2014	Serbia	19	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 November 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2014

Milan Biševac (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Бишевац; born 31 August 1983) is a Serbian footballer who plays as centre-back for French Ligue 1 club Metz. In international competition, he has represented the Serbia national team.

Club career

Early career

Biševac with Red Star Belgrade in 2006.

Biševac started his football career when he was at BASK in 2001, as his first club. Biševac had been at OFK Beograd, but the club let him go because it was not impressed with his talent. At BASK, he established himself in the starting XI, scoring five goals in 52 appearance. In 2003, he left BASK for FK Bežanija, where he scored once in 15 appearance. After half a season at Bežanija, he joined FK Železnik after their coach was impressed by his play and decided to sign him. At Železnik, Biševac helped the club to a third place finish in the league.

Red Star Belgrade

In the summer transfer window, Biševac joined Serbian Red Star Belgrade for a reported fee of €500,000. He made his European debut when he came on as a late substitute in a 2–2 draw against Swiss side Young Boys in the first leg. In the second leg, Red Star Belgrade advanced to the next round, winning 3–0, where Biševac played the full 90 minutes. With Red Star's elimination from the UEFA Champions League, he also made his UEFA Cup debut in a first-round loss against Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg. At Red Star, he won his place in the first team in defence and scored once in 24 appearances. The club, however, was unable to win the title, losing to rivals Partizan, though in the following season, the team won the title. In the UEFA Cup campaign, Biševac played all the club's matches. He continued to be in the first team for the club until he left Serbia for France.

Lens

In the summer transfer window, Biševac joined Lens; he remained, however, at Red Star until January due to remaining issues in Serbia.^[1] After his move, he joined up his Serbian national teammate Nenad Kovačević. On 3 February 2007, Biševac played his first Ligue 1 match for Lens against Valenciennes.^[2] In the second half of the season, Biševac played only a handful of matches after suffering from a back injury.^[3] The following season, Biševac established himself in the first team. On 21 January 2008, he scored his first goal in his French career in a 3–0 win over his future club Lyon. In a 1–1 draw against Toulouse, he also set up a goal for striker Loïc Rémy. During the season, the club would play in European games, where Biševac featured regularly. Lens, however, were relegated at the end of the season.

Valenciennes FC

On 4 July 2008, Biševac signed a four-year contract with Valenciennes for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of €3 million.^[4] On his move, he was seen a replacement for central defenders Éric Chelle and Abdeslam Ouaddou. In the opening game of the domestic season, Biševac made his debut in a 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne. In his first season, he went on to make 37 appearances, where his one absence was due to a suspension after picking up a fifth league yellow card.

The following season, Biševac was named captain of the team, replacing Rafael Schmitz, who was his partner in central defence partnership during the season.^[5] On 26 September 2009, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 win over Marseille.^[6] In a match against Montpellier on 7 November 2009, Biševac suffered an injury on his foot, forcing him to miss two weeks of action.^[7] Several weeks later, he made his return in a 3–1 win over Monaco on 4 December 2009.^[8] On 10 April 2010, he scored his second goal of the season in a 2–1 loss against Monaco.^[9]

During the summer transfer window, Biševac was linked a move away from Valenciennes, with the likes of Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe,^[10] Paris Saint-Germain^[11] and other European clubs all tracking him; no offers were ever made. The next season, he maintained his captaincy and his first team place as he stayed for another season at Valenciennes. On 29 January 2011, he scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 win over Lyon, scoring from the penalty spot^[12] and his second came in a 3–0 win over Brest.^[13] On 9 April 2011, Biševac received a red card after receiving second booking offence in a 1–1 draw against Nancy. At the end of the season, the club finished 12th place in the league.

Paris Saint-Germain

Biševac signing autographs for PSG fans in 2011

In the summer transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain renewed their interests in signing Biševac.^[14] On 25 July 2011, he signed a three-year contract with PSG for an undisclosed fee.^[15] On his move, he spoke out about feeling under pressure and said, "I got to know this at Red Star Belgrade, where fans could enter the dressing room to demand us to win. I'm not afraid of pressure. I prefer for there to be pressure, I am more focused and I perform better."^[16]

On the opening game of the season, Biševac made his debut in a 1–0 loss against Lorient, playing 90 minutes. He soon became a regular player in the team, playing the first four games to start the season. After the arrival of centre back Diego Lugano, however, he lost his first team status. Incoming manager Carlo Ancelotti then shifted Biševac from central defence to right back, finding himself competing with natural right backs Christophe Jallet and Ceará. The arrival of Alex from Chelsea sent Biševac further down the pecking order at centre back. On 28 January 2012, Biševac opened his goalscoring account for PSG, netting the only goal in a 0–1 victory away to Brest. In the same month, he was awarded UNFP Player of the Month due to his impressive performances.^[17] He went on to make more appearances for the club, reverting to his nature centre back position towards the end of the season.

At the start of the following season, PSG signed centre back Thiago Silva from Milan, leading to speculation that Biševac would leave the club, with Lyon confirming their interest in signing him.^[18][19] After rumours of the bid spread, PSG initially agreed only to sell him if Lyon agreed to send right back Anthony Réveillère in the opposite direction.^[20] PSG were motivated to sell him in order to free up one of the four prohibited non-EU spots after the club signed Brazilian winger Lucas from São Paulo.^[21] Just days after Biševac joined Lyon, league rivals Marseille stated their intent to sign him, but owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus refused, stating the club didn't have enough money.^[22]

Lyon

In the summer of 2012, Biševac joined Lyon for a transfer fee of €2.75 million plus bonuses on a four-year contract.^[23][24] He made his debut coming on as a substitute in a 4–1 win over Troyes. He then played the full 90 minutes in the next game in a 1–1 draw against Evian. Since then, Biševac has formed a central defence partnership with Bakary Koné in the starting XI.

Lazio

On 6 January 2016, Biševac was signed by Serie A club S.S. Lazio^[25] on a free transfer.^[26]

Metz

On 24 August 2016, Biševac returned to France, agreeing to a two-year contract with Metz.^[27]

International career

Biševac won a silver medal with the Serbia and Montenegro national under-21 football team at the 2004 European Under-21 Football Championship. Subsequently, he played for the Serbian and Montenegrin 2004 Olympic football team which exited in the first round, finishing fourth in Group C behind gold-medal winners Argentina, Australia and Tunisia.

Biševac made his senior team debut for Serbia in a friendly against Czech Republic, 16 August 2006.

Career statistics

Club

As of November 2016^[28]

Club	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
BASK	2001–02	24	1	?	?	–		0	0	0	0	24	1
	2001–02	28	4	?	?	–		0	0	0	0	28	4
	Total	52	5	?	?	–		0	0	0	0	52	5
Bežanija	2003–04	15	1	?	?	–		0	0	0	0	15	1
	Total	15	1	?	?	–		0	0	0	0	15	1
Železnik	2003–04	15	1	?	?	–		0	0	0	0	15	1
	Total	15	1	?	?	–		0	0	0	0	15	1
Red Star	2004–05	24	1	?	?	–		3	0	0	0	27	1
	2005–06	20	0	?	?	–		5	0	0	0	25	0
	2006–07	14	2	?	?	–		6	0	0	0	20	2
	Total	58	3	?	?	–		14	0	0	0	72	3
Lens	2006–07	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
	2007–08	26	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	30	1
	Total	35	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	39	1
Valenciennes	2008–09	37	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	38	0
	2009–10	31	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	2
	2010–11	32	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	33	2
	Total	100	4	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	103	4
Paris Saint-Germain	2011–12	19	1	3	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	25	1
	Total	19	1	3	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	25	1
Lyon	2012–13	30	0	1	0	1	0	4	0	0	0	36	0
	2013–14	27	0	2	0	3	0	10	1	0	0	42	1
	2014–15	13	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	15	0
	2015–16	6	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	8	0
	Total	76	0	4	0	4	0	17	1	0	0	101	1
Lazio	2015–16	11	1	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	15	1
	Total	11	1	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	15	1
Metz	2016–17	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	Total	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Career total		386	17	10	0	5	0	41	1	0	0	442	18

International

Serbian national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2006	2	0
2007	1	0
2008	0	0
2009	0	0
2010	0	0
2011	6	0
2012	5	0
2013	3	0
2014	2	0
Total	19	0

Honours

Club

Red Star

• Serbian Superliga : 2005–06
• Serbian Cup : 2005–06

Individual

• Ligue 1 Player of the Month (1): January 2012

References

1. "Lens seal Serbian deal". Sky Sports. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
2. "Tactical Formation". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
3. "Injury concerns for Gillot". Sky Sports. 12 March 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
4. "Bisevac four years at the VA (in French:Bisevac, quatre ans au VA)" (in French). L Equipe. 3 July 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
5. "captain Bisevac (in French:Bisevac capitaine)" (in French). L Equipe. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
6. "Valenciennes 3–2 Marseille". ESPN Soccernet. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
7. "Bisevac out two weeks (in French:" (in French). L Equipe. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
8. "Rafael and return Bisevac (in French:Rafael et Bisevac reviennent)" (in French). L Equipe. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
9. "AS Monaco 2 – 1 Valenciennes". ESPN Soccernet. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
10. "Bisevac coveted Turkey(in French:Bisevac convoité en Turquie)" (in French). L Equipe. 4 May 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
11. "PSG following Basa (in French:Le PSG suit Basa)" (in French). L Equipe. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
12. "Valenciennes 2 – 1 Lyon". ESPN Soccernet. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
13. "Ducourtioux goal the catalyst". ESPN Soccernet. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
14. "PSG monitoring Bisevac". Sky Sports. 25 June 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
15. "PSG continue spending with Bisevac". ESPN Soccernet. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
16. "Milan Bisevac : "Kombouaré ne m'a pas pris pour me faire plaisir"" [Milan Bisevac: "Kombouaré did not sign me to make me happy"] (in French). La Parisien. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
17. "Bisevac joueur du mois de janvier" [Bisevac Player of the Month in January)] (in French). So Foot.com. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
18. "Garde confirme pour Bisevac" [Guard confirms Bisevac] (in French). L Equipe. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
19. "Lyon boss Garde admits Bisevac interest". Goal.com. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
20. "Guard confirms Bisevac (in French:Garde confirme pour Bisevac)" (in French). L Equipe. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
21. "Paris Saint-Germain interested in exchanging Bisevac for Lyon's Reveillere – report". Goal.com. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
22. "Marseille voulait Bisevac" [Marseille wanted Bisevac] (in French). L Equipe. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
23. "Paris Saint-Germain's Milan Bisavec joins Lyon". Goal.com. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
24. "Winner of the Trophée des Champions in New York Summer 2012 trading window New sponsors and renewal of sponsorship agreements" (PDF). Olympique Lyonnais Group. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
25. "Biševac è un nuovo giocatore biancoceleste" [Biševac is a new biancoceleste player] (in Italian). S.S. Lazio. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
26. "2015–16 FIRST-HALF FINANCIAL REPORT" (PDF). Olympique Lyonnais. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
27. "Milan Bisevac signe à Metz" [Milan Bisevac signs for Metz]. L'Equipe (in French). 24 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
28. "M.Biševac". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 February 2015.

External links

• Profile, stats and pictures of Milan Bisevac (French)
• Milan Biševac – French League Stats at LFP.fr (French)
• Milan Biševac profile at Reprezentacija