Nikola Krstović

Nikola Krstović (Cyrillic: Никола Крстовић; born 5 April 2000) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a striker for Grafičar Beograd on loan from Red Star Belgrade. He is considered to be one of the most promising young talents in Montenegro.[1]

Nikola Krstović
Personal information
Full name Nikola Krstović
Date of birth (2000-04-05) 5 April 2000
Place of birth Golubovci, FR Yugoslavia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Grafičar Beograd
(on loan from Red Star Belgrade)
Youth career
2014–2017 Zeta
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Zeta 92 (37)
2019– Red Star Belgrade 6 (0)
2020– → Grafičar Beograd (loan) 6 (2)
National team‡
2016–2017 Montenegro U17[lower-alpha 1] 6 (2)
2017– Montenegro U19[lower-alpha 1] 3 (0)
2017– Montenegro U21[lower-alpha 1] 3 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 June 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 May 2019

Club career

On 23 April 2016, Krstović made his competitive debut for Zeta, being assigned the number 13 jersey. He came on as a second-half substitute for Filip Kukuličić in their 1–1 league draw away against Iskra Danilovgrad, becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a 1. CFL game at the age of 16 years and 18 days old.[2] Until the end of the 2015–16 Montenegrin First League, Krstović would go on to play in three more fixtures (all as a substitute) as the club hovered around the middle of the table.

On 5 November 2016, Krstović made his first appearance of the 2016–17 season, entering the field during the second half of a 1–0 home league win over Bokelj. He scored his first senior goals in March of the following year, netting a brace in a 3–0 away victory over Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje,[3] making him the first player born in the 2000s to find the back of the net in the top flight of Montenegrin football.[4] In his first full season at Zeta, Krstović played in 19 games (all in the league) and bagged seven goals.[5]

On 29 June 2017, Krstović appeared as a starter for Zeta wearing the number 9 shirt in a 1–0 away loss to Željezničar Sarajevo in the first leg of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. He then scored an equalizer in the return tie a week later at home (the game ended in a 2–2 draw).[6] In October of the same year, Krstović netted his first senior hat-trick and led his team to a 4–2 home win over Kom.[7] He tallied 15 goals in 39 matches across all competitions throughout the season.

On 25 February 2019, Krstović signed with Serbian club Red Star Belgrade until the summer of 2023 with an option for another year.[8] He remained on loan at Zeta until the end of the season, becoming the Montenegrin First League top scorer with 17 goals.[9]

International career

Krstović was capped for Montenegro at all youth levels from under-17 through to under-21. He made his debuts for the national under-21 team at the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial Tournament in June 2017, appearing in both of his side's matches and scoring a brace in a 3–2 victory over Slovenia U21 in the third-place game.[10] Later that year, Krstović netted a goal in a UEFA Under-21 Championship 2019 qualifier away to Bulgaria, as Montenegro suffered a 3–1 loss.[11]

Statistics
As of 26 May 2019[12]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Zeta 2015–16 4000—40
2016–17 19700—197
2017–18 361311213915
2018–19 331742—3719
Red Star Belgrade 2019–20 60000060
Career total 9837532110541

Notes
  1. Only official UEFA matches included

References
  1. "Krstović za MONDO: Moji idoli Mitar i Zlatan…" (in Montenegrin). mondo.me. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  2. "Novi rekord u 1.CFL: Dobili smo najmlađeg debitanta" (in Montenegrin). cg-fudbal.com. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  3. "ČUDO OD DETETA Ima 17 godina i 14 prvoligaških golova - Da li je ovo novi Savićević ili Mijatović?" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  4. "Vrtić iz Golubovaca hoće u Evropu, a mogao je i do titule" (in Montenegrin). vijesti.me. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  5. "Fudbaler rođen 2000. godine očekuje prolaz protiv Želje" (in Bosnian). sportsport.ba. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  6. "Nikola Krstović – biser crnogorskog fudbala" (in Montenegrin). reprezentacija.me. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. "Ovo su golovi cijele ekipe" (in Montenegrin). dan.co.me. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  8. "Krstović potpisao za Zvezdu" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  9. FOTO: Novi igrač u Zvezdi!, mondo.rs, 25 February 2019
  10. "Krstović nastavio da rešeta: Crna Gora bolja od Slovenije" (in Montenegrin). vijesti.me. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  11. "Kažnjeni za promašaje" (in Montenegrin). fscg.me. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  12. "Nikola Krstović" (in Montenegrin). fscg.me. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
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