Predrag Mijatović

Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović (Montenegrin: Предраг Мијатовић, pronounced [prêdraːɡ pêdʑa mijȃːtoʋitɕ, - mîːjaː-]; born 19 January 1969) is a retired Montenegrin professional footballer who played as a striker. At club level, Mijatović played for six clubs: Budućnost Titograd, Partizan, Valencia, Real Madrid, Fiorentina and Levante. Internationally, he played for Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and at the UEFA Euro 2000.

Predrag Mijatović
Mijatović in 2007
Personal information
Full name Predrag Mijatović
Date of birth (1969-01-19) 19 January 1969
Place of birth Titograd, SR Montenegro,
SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
OFK Titograd
Budućnost
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1989 Budućnost 73 (10)
1990–1993 Partizan 104 (44)
1993–1996 Valencia 104 (56)
1996–1999 Real Madrid 90 (29)
1999–2002 Fiorentina 42 (4)
2002–2003 Levante 21 (3)
Total 434 (146)
National team
1989–1992 Yugoslavia 9 (0)
1994–2003 Serbia and Montenegro 64 (27)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Mijatović scored 28 goals in the 1995–96 La Liga season for Valencia, which prompted a move to Real Madrid, where he scored a goal in the 1998 UEFA Champions League Final which ensured Madrid's first European Cup in 32 years. In 1997, Mijatović was named runner-up for the Ballon d'Or, behind Ronaldo and ahead of Zinedine Zidane.[1] After his playing career, he served as director of football for Real Madrid from 2006 to 2009.

Club career

Budućnost Titograd

In 1987–88, Mijatović became a regular at Budućnost under new head coach Stanko Poklepović. In October 1987, as part of the Yugoslav youth squad which competed in and won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile, Mijatović had a notable tournament. Playing in Chile meant he was away from Budućnost for all 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 Branko Brnović, who also represented Yugoslavia in Chile. Mijatović made 31 league appearances and contributed four goals as Budućnost finished the season in ninth position.[2]

During the winter of 1989–90, Mijatović nearly signed 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] However, Partizan club president Mirko Marjanović stepped in and convinced Mijatović to join the Belgrade-based club instead. In December 1989, Partizan ultimately paid a DM1 million transfer fee to Budućnost for Mijatović. This was at time the highest transfer within the Yugoslav league.[4]

In later interviews, Mijatović said a deteriorating political and security situation in Yugoslavia was a factor in his decision not to join the Croatian club Hajduk.[3]

Partizan

Though he scored on his Partizan debut against his former club Budućnost, Mijatović's debut half season in the new club under head coach Ivan Golac was mostly spent settling into the new surroundings. He failed to score in his following 14 league appearances until the end of the 1989–90 league season.[2]

However, 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 Belgrade. He was also named Yugoslav Footballer of the Year award en route.[5]

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 joined Valencia in the summer of 1993.[5]

Valencia

Mijatović made his Valencia debut 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 La Liga matches.[5]

Real Madrid

Mijatović joined Real Madrid from Valencia and won the La Liga title in his first season, as well as the 1997 Supercopa de España over Barcelona.[6]

In the 1997–98 season, Real Madrid won the Champions League for the first time in 32 years, defeating Juventus. Mijatović scored the only goal in the final.[5]

The 1998–99 season was Mijatović's final season with Los Blancos; at the end of the season, the 30-year-old Mijatović was sold to Italian Serie A club Fiorentina.

Fiorentina

Mijatović arrived at the Florence-based club in the summer of 1999[7] for 17 billion Italian lire. He played there for two years, scoring four goals, and adding a Coppa Italia title to his honours.[8]

International career

Mijatović was included in the squad for the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship, winning the tournament.[9] He was also called by the main team to UEFA Euro 1992,[10] but the nation would be suspended due to the Yugoslav Wars. He made his senior debut for Yugoslavia in an August 1989 friendly match against Finland.

1998 FIFA World Cup

He played for FR Yugoslavia in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, missing a penalty in the match versus the Netherlands.[11]

UEFA Euro 2000

Mijatović played for FR Yugoslavia at UEFA Euro 2000.[12]

He has earned a total of 73 caps, scoring 27 goals. His final international was a June 2003 European Championship qualification match against Azerbaijan.[13]

Post-playing career

After retiring in 2004, Mijatović continued living in the city of Valencia and soon became a player agent.

In 2006, Mijatović became Real Madrid's director of football, serving in the position for three seasons.[14]

Career statistics

Club

[15][16][17]

Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Budućnost Titograd1986–87Yugoslav First League10——10
1987–88314——314
1988–89282——282
1989–90134——134
Total 7310——7310
Partizan1989–90Yugoslav First League1512020—191
1990–9133143161—4216
1991–9225126220—3314
1992–93311782——3919
Total 10444195101—13350
Valencia1993–94La Liga35162142—4119
1994–95291293——3815
1995–96402896——4934
Total 10456201042—12868
Real Madrid1996–97La Liga381451——4315
1997–98241000812[lower-alpha 1]13412
1998–9928542722[lower-alpha 2]0419
Total 9029931534111836
Fiorentina1999–2000Serie A1620091—253
2000–011314222—195
2001–021310040—171
Total 42442153—619
Levante2002–03Segunda División21300——213
Career total 434146522044941534176
  1. Appearances in Supercopa de España
  2. One appearance in Intercontinental Cup, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup

International

[18]

National teamYearAppsGoals
Yugoslavia 198930
199000
199150
199210
FR Yugoslavia 1993—[nb 1]
199420
199510
199663
1997811
1998113
199972
2000124
200162
200261
Serbia and Montenegro 200351
Total7327

Honours

Partizan[19]

Real Madrid[6]

Fiorentina[20]

Yugoslavia

Individual

Awards

Notes
  1. The country was banned from international football by the UN sanctions.

References
  1. Pierrend, José Luis (26 March 2005). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1997". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  2. "Predrag Mijatović: profile". Fudbalski savez Srbije. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  3. Vulas, Frane (18 December 2009). "Predrag Mijatović: Sudbina nije htjela da zaigram za Hajduk". Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  4. Stankovic, Vladimir (4 July 1993). ""Con Penev formaré un gran "tándem" en ataque"" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). p. 22. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  5. King, Jeff (31 May 1999). "Dearest Predrag". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  6. "Predrag Mijatovic". Real Madrid. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. Chiesa, Carlo F. (22 August 1999). "La nuova Serie A" [The new serie A]. Calcio 2000 (in Italian). Action Group S.r.l. p. 37.
  8. "Coppa alla Fiorentina col pareggio più bello" [Fiorentina wins the cup with the most useful deuce]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 13 June 2001. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  9. Chile 1987: Yugoslavian fireworks
  10. "Pancev también renuncia a la Eurocopa". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 25 May 1992. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  11. Roger Cohen. "WORLD CUP '98; Netherlands' Davids Comes in From Cold". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  12. "Norway 0-1 Yugoslavia". UEFA Euro 2000. UEFA. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  13. "Player Database". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  14. Steve Wilson (20 May 2009). "Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic leaves by 'mutual agreement'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  15. Predrag Mijatović at WorldFootball.net
  16. Predrag Mijatović at FootballDatabase.eu
  17. Predrag Mijatović at BDFutbol
  19. "Biografía de Predrag Mijatovic". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  20. "2001: Coppa Italia ai Viola". Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
Awards
Preceded by
Aleksandra Ivošev		 The Best Athlete of FR Yugoslavia
1997		 Succeeded by
Dejan Bodiroga
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