Predrag Mijatović
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Mijatović in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Predrag Mijatović | ||
| Date of birth | 19 January 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kom | |||
| OFK Titograd | |||
| Budućnost Titograd | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1989 | Budućnost Titograd | 72 | (10) |
| 1989–1993 | Partizan | 104 | (45) |
| 1993–1996 | Valencia | 104 | (56) |
| 1996–1999 | Real Madrid | 90 | (30) |
| 1999–2002 | Fiorentina | 42 | (4) |
| 2002–2004 | Levante | 21 | (3) |
| Total | 433 | (148) | |
| National team | |||
| 1989–2003 | Yugoslavia | 73 | (26) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2006–2009 | Real Madrid (Director of Football) | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović (Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг "Пеђа" Мијатовић, pronounced [prêdraɡ mijǎtoʋit͡ɕ]; born 19 January 1969) is a former footballer who played for the Yugoslavia national football team as a striker. At club level, Mijatović played for 6 different clubs: Budućnost Podgorica, Partizan, Valencia, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, and Levante. At international level, he played in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
He scored 28 goals in the 1995–96 Primera División season for Valencia, which in turn led him to move to Real Madrid, where he scored a goal in the 1998 UEFA Champions League Final that brought the biggest European title back to Madrid after 32 years. In 1997, Mijatović was runner-up for the Ballon d'Or, behind Ronaldo and ahead of Zinedine Zidane.[1]
Club career
Budućnost
In 1987–88 he became a regular at FK Budućnost Titograd under the newly arrived head coach Špaco Poklepović. In October 1987, as part of the Yugoslav youth squad that competed in and won the 1987 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.[2]
During the winter of 1989–90, the talented 20-year-old was close to signing with Hajduk Split after negotiating with Hajduk's sporting director Jurica Jerković with even a DM50,000 pre-contract payment given to the player,[3] 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.[3]
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 Golac 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.[2]
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.[4]
At Partizan, Mijatović had been linked with various top European sides, including Atlético Madrid and Juventus. However, none of them expressed sufficient interest and he eventually ended up at Valencia CF in the summer of 1993.[4]
Valencia
Mijatović made his debut with Valencia on 5 September 1993 against Real Oviedo. He won the Spanish Footballer of the Year award in the 1995–96 season, scoring 28 goals in 40 league matches.[4]
Real Madrid
Mijatović joined Real from Valencia and won the La Liga title in his first season, as well as the 1997 Supercopa de España.[5]
Real won the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League after a 32-year wait, beating Juventus in May 1998 with Mijatović scoring the only goal in the final.[4]
The 1998–99 season turned out to be his last with Real, and the 30-year-old Mijatović was sold to Serie A club Fiorentina at the end of the season.
Fiorentina
He arrived at the Florence club in the summer of 1999; Fiorentina had finished the previous Serie A season in third place (thus qualifying for the 1999-2000 UEFA Champions League).
International career
Mijatović began his career in the youth categories of the former Yugoslavia team. He was included in the squad for the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship with Croatian Davor Šuker and fellow Montenegrin Branko Brnović. "Pedja" scored 2 goals as Yugoslavia won the title. Overall, Mijatović has scored 28 goals for Yugoslavia in 73 international appearances.
World Cup 1998
During the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, he scored one goal in 4 matches, helping his country to the second round, where they were eliminated by the Netherlands.
Euro 2000
He played at Euro 2000 for Yugoslavia.[6]
Personal life
Born in Titograd, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia, Mijatović grew up in the Masline neighbourhood on the town outskirts. He is of Cuce clan ancestry.[7]
Mijatović's personal life has been well-publicized due to his turbulent relationship with Belgrade socialite Elena Karaman 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 3 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".[8]
Career statistics
International
| Yugoslavia national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1989 | 3 | 0 |
| 1990 | 5 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996 | 6 | 3 |
| 1997 | 8 | 10 |
| 1998 | 11 | 3 |
| 1999 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000 | 12 | 4 |
| 2001 | 6 | 2 |
| 2002 | 6 | 1 |
| 2003 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 73 | 26 |
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 Calderón 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 20 May 2009, Real Madrid announced Mijatović's departure by mutual consent.[9]
After Real Madrid
In May 2011, Mijatović was linked with the sporting director position at Chelsea following the departure of Frank Arnesen,[10] however nothing came of it since in July 2011 the club promoted assistant first team coach Michael Emenalo to the position.
Through his friendship 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 (represented by sporting director Marco Branca and vice-president Rinaldo Ghelfi) over the transfer of Samuel Eto'o.[11]
Honours
Club
- La Liga: 1996–97
- Supercopa de España: 1997
- UEFA Champions League: 1997–98
- Intercontinental Cup: 1998
Individual
- FR Yugoslavia player of the Year: 1992, 1993, 1998
- La Liga Best Foreign Player: 1995-96
- Ballon d'Or: Runner-up 1997
References
- ↑ Pierrend, José Luis (26 March 2005). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1997". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- 1 2 "Predrag Mijatović: profile". Fudbalski savez Srbije. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- 1 2 Vulas, Frane (18 December 2009). "Predrag Mijatović: Sudbina nije htjela da zaigram za Hajduk". Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 King, Jeff (31 May 1999). "Dearest Predrag". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- 1 2 "Predrag Mijatovic". Real Madrid. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ↑ "Norway 0-1 Yugoslavia". UEFA Euro 2000. UEFA. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ http://www.srpskadijaspora.info/vest.asp?id=9312
- ↑ http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202773280340/noticia/Noticia/Sincere_condolences.htm Archived 12 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Steve Wilson (20 May 2009). "Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic leaves by 'mutual agreement'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ↑ Real Madrid legend Mijatovic could step into Arnesen's shoes;Daily Mail, 6 May 2011
- ↑ Predrag Mijatovic represented Anzhi at negotiations with Inter;sports.ru, 10 August 2011
- ↑ "Biografía de Predrag Mijatovic". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ↑ "2001: Coppa Italia ai Viola". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Predrag Mijatović. |
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Aleksandra Ivošev |
 The Best Athlete of Yugoslavia1997 |
Succeeded by Dejan Bodiroga |
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