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Sergej Milinković-Savić

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Sergej Milinković-Savić
Сергеј Милинковић-Савић
Milinković-Savić with Serbia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Sergej Milinković-Savić[1]
Date of birth (1995-02-27) 27 February 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Lleida, Spain
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Al Hilal
Number 22
Youth career
1999–2001 Sporting
2002–2006 Grazer AK
2006–2013 Vojvodina
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Vojvodina 13 (3)
2014–2015 Genk 24 (5)
2015–2023 Lazio 267 (57)
2023– Al Hilal 40 (14)
International career‡
2013–2014 Serbia U19 17 (6)
2014–2015 Serbia U20 10 (1)
2014–2017 Serbia U21 12 (3)
2017– Serbia 54 (9)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Serbia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 2015 New Zealand
UEFA U-19 Championship
Winner 2013 Lithuania
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:09, 8 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 June 2024

Sergej Milinković-Savić (Serbian Cyrillic: Сергеј Милинковић-Савић, pronounced [serɡêj milǐːŋkoʋitɕ sǎːʋitɕ]; born 27 February 1995), also known mononymously as Sergej, is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Serbia national team.

Milinković-Savić began his professional career at Serbian club Vojvodina and helped them win the Serbian Cup in the 2013–14 season. He joined Belgian club Genk in June 2014, where he played 24 games before transferring to Italian club Lazio one year later. He made over 300 appearances for Lazio and won the Coppa Italia once and the Supercoppa Italiana twice. He was named in the Serie A Team of the Year in the 2017–18 season and won the league's Best Midfielder award in the 2018–19 season.

Milinković-Savić played youth international football for Serbia at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He was a member of the Serbian team that won the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and received the tournament's Bronze Ball award for his performances. He made his senior international debut in 2017, and represented Serbia at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, as well as at UEFA Euro 2024.

Early life

[edit]

Milinković-Savić was born into a sporting family in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain,[3] where his father Nikola Milinković[4] played football professionally at the time. His mother, Milana Savić, was a professional basketball player. He first started training with Sporting CP, while his father was playing in Portugal.[5] He then spent a few years at Grazer AK in Austria before moving to his Serbia where he broke through as a footballer.

Milinković-Savić is the older brother of Vanja Milinković-Savić, a fellow footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.

Club career

[edit]

Vojvodina

[edit]

Milinković-Savić came through the youth academy of Vojvodina. He was one of the midfielders who emerged from the youth squad that won two consecutive national youth championship titles, alongside Mijat Gaćinović and Nebojša Kosović. Consequently, Milinković-Savić signed his first professional contract with the club on 26 December 2012, penning a three-year deal.[6]

Milinković-Savić made his senior debut in a 3–0 away loss to Jagodina on 23 November 2013.[7] He scored his first goal in a 1–1 away draw with Spartak Subotica on 9 March 2014. In total, Milinković-Savić made 13 league appearances and scored three goals in the 2013–14 season. He also helped Vojvodina win the 2013–14 Serbian Cup in the club's centennial year.[8]

Genk

[edit]

In June 2014, Milinković-Savić signed a five-year contract with Belgian club Genk and was given the number 20 shirt.[9] He made his competitive debut for the club in a 1–1 home league draw with Cercle Brugge on 2 August 2014. Milinković-Savić scored his first goal for Genk in a 1–1 away league draw against Lokeren on 18 January 2015. He scored a total of five league goals in 24 appearances during the 2014–15 season.

Lazio

[edit]
Milinković-Savić lining up for Lazio in 2015

On 31 July 2015, it was announced that Milinković-Savić would join Italian club Lazio.[10] He made his debut for the side in a 1–0 home win over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Champions League play-off round on 18 August 2015.[11] Milinković-Savić scored his first goal for Lazio in a 1–1 Europa League draw with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 17 September 2015.[12] He scored his first Serie A goal in a 3–1 away win over Fiorentina on 9 January 2016. Throughout his debut season, Milinković-Savić made 35 appearances and scored three goals for Lazio in all competitions.

In his second season at Lazio, Milinković-Savić scored seven goals from 39 appearances (league and cup).

On 5 December 2021, Milinković-Savić became the highest-scoring midfielder in Lazio's history following his goal against Sampdoria. He beat previous holder Pavel Nedvěd, who had the record of 33 goals for over a decade.

Al Hilal

[edit]

On 12 July 2023, Saudi club Al Hilal announced the signing of Milinković-Savić on a three-year deal,[13] for a reported fee of €40 million.

In January 2023 it was revealed by former Lazio sporting director Igli Tare: “A lot of things have been said about Milinkovic-Savic that are not true… the only thing that is true is that Lotito [Lazio president] turned down a very important offer, over £85 million, from AC Milan and #mufc.”[14]

International career

[edit]

Youth

[edit]

Milinković-Savić represented Serbia at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels.[15] He played for Serbia at the 2013 UEFA Under-19 Championship, winning the gold medal. He played the full 90 minutes in four out of five games, including the final match of the competition against France that Serbia won 1–0.[16] Subsequently, Milinković-Savić appeared at the 2014 UEFA Under-19 Championship, as the team was eliminated in the semi-final by Portugal after penalties. He missed Serbia's last spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out.[17]

The following summer, Milinković-Savić was one of Serbia's most influential players at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, as the team won the tournament.[18] He appeared in six out of seven games and scored one goal against Mali in the group stage. Due to his performances during the tournament, Milinković-Savić was awarded the Bronze Ball.[19]

In the summer of 2017, Lazio prevented Milinković-Savić from playing at the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Senior

[edit]

In October 2015, Milinković-Savić received his first call-up to the full squad by manager Radovan Ćurčić for Serbia's UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers against Albania and Portugal.[20] He remained an unused substitute in both games. In May 2016, Milinković-Savić was selected by newly appointed manager Slavoljub Muslin for friendly matches against Cyprus, Israel, and Russia.[21] However, after failing to receive any playing time in the first two games, Milinković-Savić left the team in agreement with Muslin who said that some other players better fit into his tactical formations.[22]

On 30 October 2017, it was announced that Serbia caretaker manager Mladen Krstajić included Milinković-Savić in the squad for friendlies against China and South Korea.[23]

In June 2018, he was selected in the Serbian squad for the 2018 World Cup,[24] playing all three group stage matches.[25][26][27]

Milinković-Savić scored his first two senior international goals on 8 October 2020, settling a 2–1 win over Norway in the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 qualifying play-off.[28]

In November 2022, he was selected in Serbia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[29] He played in all three group stage matches, against Brazil,[30] Cameroon,[31] and Switzerland.[32] He scored a goal in a group stage match against Cameroon, on assist from Andrija Živković.[31] Serbia finished fourth in the group.[33]

Milinković-Savić was part of the Serbia squad for UEFA Euro 2024 and started the team's opening match of the tournament against England, playing the full 90 minutes of the 1–0 loss.[34] He also played in group stage matches against Slovenia and Denmark. Serbia finished fourth in the group.

Style of play

[edit]

Sergej Milinković-Savic is a versatile central midfield player and is capable of playing in several roles, including as a trequartista, or in a holding role, although he is usually deployed as a central midfielder, in the mezzala role. His style of play has drawn comparisons to Zinedine Zidane and Yaya Touré, as he blends the traditional attacking movement, positional sense, and finishing ability of an attacking midfielder, with the height and physicality of a target man or defensive midfielder; as such, he also is effective in the air, and is capable of scoring goals with his head as well as either foot, by making late runs from behind into the penalty area, or striking from distance. He possesses good technique, tactical intelligence, vision, and passing ability, despite his limited pace, as well as tenacity and excellent defensive work-rate, which enables him to help out at both ends of the pitch, carry the ball, and start attacking plays after winning possession. He has been nicknamed ‘il Sergente’ (the Sergeant) by Lazio fans for his charisma, physical dominance and for the assonance with his name.[35][36][37][38]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 4 November 2024[39]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vojvodina 2013–14 Serbian Superliga 13 3 3 1 0 0 — 16 4
Genk 2014–15 Belgian Pro League 24 5 0 0 — — 24 5
Lazio 2015–16 Serie A 25 1 2 0 8[b] 2 0 0 35 3
2016–17 34 4 5 3 — — 39 7
2017–18 35 12 4 0 8[c] 2 1[d] 0 48 14
2018–19 31 5 5 2 5[c] 0 0 0 41 7
2019–20 37 7 1 0 4[c] 1 1[d] 0 43 8
2020–21 32 8 2 0 7[e] 0 — 41 8
2021–22 37 11 2 0 8[c] 0 — 47 11
2022–23 36 9 2 0 9[f] 2 — 47 11
Total 267 57 23 5 49 7 2 0 341 69
Al Hilal 2023–24 Saudi Pro League 30 11 4 0 8[g] 1 7[h] 2 49 14
2024–25 9 3 2 0 4[g] 2 2[i] 1 17 6
Total 39 14 6 0 12 3 9 3 66 20
Career total 343 79 32 6 61 10 11 3 446 98
  1. ^ Includes Serbian Cup, Coppa Italia, King Cup
  2. ^ One appearance in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, three appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. ^ a b Appearances in AFC Champions League
  8. ^ Five appearances and two goals in Arab Club Champions Cup, two appearances in Saudi Super Cup
  9. ^ Appearances in Saudi Super Cup

International

[edit]
As of match played 25 June 2024[40]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Serbia 2017 2 0
2018 8 0
2019 5 0
2020 5 3
2021 8 2
2022 11 2
2023 8 0
2024 7 2
Total 54 9
As of match played 20 June 2024[40]
Scores and results list Serbia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Milinković-Savić goal.
List of international goals scored by Sergej Milinković-Savić
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 October 2020 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway 17  Norway 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
2 2–1
3 14 October 2020 Türk Telekom Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey 18  Turkey 1–0 2–2 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
4 7 September 2021 Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland 24  Republic of Ireland 1–0 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 11 November 2021 Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia 27  Qatar 4–0 4–0 Friendly
6 5 June 2022 Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia 32  Slovenia 2–1 4–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B
7 28 November 2022 Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar 38  Cameroon 2–1 3–3 2022 FIFA World Cup
8 25 March 2024 AEK Arena, Larnaca, Cyprus 49  Cyprus 1–0 1–0 Friendly
9 8 June 2024 Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden 51  Sweden 1–0 3–0 Friendly

Honours

[edit]

Vojvodina[39]

Lazio[39]

Al-Hilal[39]

Serbia U19[39]

Serbia U20[39]

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Serbia (SRB)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Milinkovic-Savic, sport in the genes". fifa.com. 17 February 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  4. ^ "FANATIK: Sećate li se Bečeja i Bekrija?" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Sergej i Vanja: Ko je bio zvezdaš, a ko partizanovac? Ko je voleo "debelog" Ronalda, a nosio dres Raula? Otkud dva prezimena?" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 31 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
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  40. ^ a b "Sergej Milinković-Savić". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  41. ^ "Al Hilal thrash Al Ittihad to win Saudi Super Cup". ESPN. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  42. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr routed by Al Hilal in Saudi Super Cup final". ESPN. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
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  50. ^ "توج لاعب فريق الهلال السعودي ، سيرجي سافيتش بجائزة أفضل لاعب في بطولة كأس الملك سلمان للأندية 2023" (in Arabic). Union of Arab Football Associations. 12 August 2023.
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