Predrag Mijatović

Predrag Mijatović
Mijatović in 2007
Personal information
Full name Predrag Mijatović
Date of birth (1969-01-19) 19 January 1969
Place of birth Podgorica, Montenegro
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Forward / Striker
Youth career
Kom
OFK Titograd
Budućnost
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1989 Budućnost 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)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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

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

In 1987–88, Mijatović became a regular at Budućnost Titograd under newly arrived 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. 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.[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 joined Valencia in the summer of 1993.[4]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[4]

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[6] for 17 billion Italian lire. He played there for two years, scoring four goals, and adding a Coppa Italia title to his honours.[7]

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.

World Cup 1998

He played for Yugoslavia in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, missing a penalty in the match versus the Netherlands.[8]

Euro 2000

Mijatović played at UEFA Euro 2000 for Yugoslavia.[9]

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.[10]

Mijatović's personal life has been well-publicized due to his turbulent relationship with Belgrade socialite Elena Karaman Karić. They were married for one-and-a-half 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 Andreja, aged 15, died after a long illness, and offered its "deepest sympathies on behalf of the entire club and its members".[11]

Post-playing

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

Real Madrid director of football

In 2006, Mijatović became Real Madrid's director of football, serving in the position for three seasons.[12]

After Real Madrid

Through his friendship with Anzhi Makhachkala 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 Internazionale (represented by sporting director Marco Branca and vice-president Rinaldo Ghelfi) over the transfer of striker Samuel Eto'o.[13]

Career statistics

International

National teamYearAppsGoals
SFR Yugoslavia 198930
199000
199150
199210
1993*00
FR Yugoslavia 199420
199510
199663
1997811
1998113
199972
2000124
200162
200261
Serbia and Montenegro 200351
Total7326
  • Note: Yugoslavia was banned from international football in 1993. Since 1994, FR Yugoslavia became the successor of the SFR Yugoslavia national team.

Honours

Club

Partizan[14]
Real Madrid[5]
Fiorentina[15]

International

Yugoslavia

Individual

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. 1 2 "Predrag Mijatović: profile". Fudbalski savez Srbije. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 Vulas, Frane (18 December 2009). "Predrag Mijatović: Sudbina nije htjela da zaigram za Hajduk". Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  4. 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.
  5. 1 2 "Predrag Mijatovic". Real Madrid. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Chiesa, Carlo F. (August 22, 1999). "La nuova Serie A" [The new serie A]. Calcio 2000 (in Italian). Action Group S.r.l. p. 37.
  7. ↑ "Coppa alla Fiorentina col pareggio più bello" [Fiorentina wins the cup with the most useful deuce]. La Repubblica (in Italian). June 13, 2001. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  8. ↑ Roger Cohen. "WORLD CUP '98; Netherlands' Davids Comes in From Cold". New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "Norway 0-1 Yugoslavia". UEFA Euro 2000. UEFA. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  11. ↑ http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202773280340/noticia/Noticia/Sincere_condolences.htm Archived 12 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ Steve Wilson (20 May 2009). "Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic leaves by 'mutual agreement'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  13. ↑ Predrag Mijatovic represented Anzhi at negotiations with Inter;sports.ru, 10 August 2011
  14. ↑ "Biografía de Predrag Mijatovic". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "2001: Coppa Italia ai Viola". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
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