Mateja Kežman facts for kids

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Mateja Kežman
Personal information
Kežman in 2009
Full name	Mateja Kežman
Date of birth	(1979-04-12) 12 April 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Belgrade, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1986–1996	Zemun
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1996–1997	Radnički Pirot	17	(11)
1997	Loznica	13	(5)
1998	Sartid Smederevo	14	(4)
1998–2000	Partizan	54	(33)
2000–2004	PSV Eindhoven	122	(105)
2004–2005	Chelsea	25	(4)
2005–2006	Atlético Madrid	30	(8)
2006–2009	Fenerbahçe	46	(20)
2008–2009	→ Paris Saint-Germain (loan)	21	(3)
2009–2010	Paris Saint-Germain	14	(2)
2009	→ Zenit Saint Petersburg (loan)	10	(2)
2011	South China	6	(2)
2011	BATE Borisov	6	(0)
2012	South China	0	(0)
Total		378	(199)
International career
1996–1997	FR Yugoslavia U18	8	(1)
1998–2000	FR Yugoslavia U21	4	(4)
2000–2006	Serbia and Montenegro	49	(17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mateja Kežman (born 12 April 1979) is a Serbian sports agent and former professional footballer. He played as a striker, scoring many goals.

Mateja played football in many countries. These included the Netherlands, England, Spain, Turkey, France, Russia, Hong Kong, and Belarus. He is most famous for his time at PSV. There, he won many awards and was seen as a very promising striker. In 2003, he was even named Dutch Footballer of the Year.

Later in his career, Mateja won championship medals in five different countries. He also played for his country, FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro, in one European Championship and one World Cup.

After he stopped playing, Kežman became a sports agent. He helps other players with their careers. He also worked as a director of football for Vojvodina in 2013.

Mateja Kežman's Early Life
Mateja Kežman's Club Career
Mateja Kežman's International Career
Mateja Kežman's Career Statistics
- Club Appearances and Goals
- International Appearances and Goals
Mateja Kežman's Honours and Awards
Images for kids
See also

Mateja Kežman's Early Life

Mateja Kežman's father, Zlatko, was also a footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for Zemun.

Mateja's early career at Partizan was affected by events in 1999. He is a very religious person and a member of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He has religious tattoos and wore a shirt with a picture of Jesus while playing. He has even said he wants to become a monk.

Mateja Kežman's Club Career

Playing for Partizan

In 1998, when he was 19, Kežman joined Partizan. In his first season (1998–99), he scored six goals in 22 league games. His team won the championship title that year. He became well-known when he scored a winning goal in the last minute against Red Star in a big match.

In the 1999–2000 season, Kežman played even better. He scored 27 goals in 32 league games. He was the top scorer in the national championship that season. Fans loved him because he scored so many goals, especially against Red Star. In total, he scored 33 league goals in 54 games for Partizan.

Playing for PSV Eindhoven

In 2000, Kežman moved to the Dutch club PSV. In his first season (2000–01), he was the league's top scorer with 24 goals in 33 games. PSV won the league title. Fans called him 'Batman' because the famous theme song played every time he scored. He also formed a great team with Arjen Robben. They were called 'Batman and Robben'.

Kežman scored 81 more goals for PSV over the next three seasons. His best season was 2002–03, when he played 33 games and scored 35 goals. This helped PSV win another league title.

Playing for Chelsea

Kežman played for Chelsea in the 2004–05 season. He scored seven goals in 40 games across all competitions. Chelsea signed him on 13 July 2004 for £5.3 million. He wore the number 9 shirt.

He played 24 league games and scored four goals. His first league goal was a penalty against Newcastle United in December 2004. He also scored twice against Crystal Palace. Chelsea won their first league title since 1955 that season.

Kežman scored his first goal for Chelsea in a League Cup match against West Ham United. He also scored in extra time during the 2005 League Cup Final against Liverpool. Chelsea won that final 3–2. He also scored in the FA Cup against Scunthorpe United.

In 2011, Kežman said that his time at Chelsea was the best part of his football career. He said, "Chelsea was the best thing in my career. That was the climax of my career, for sure. Living and playing in London was something that I will never forget."

Playing for Atlético Madrid

Kežman left Chelsea for Atlético Madrid in Spain in June 2005. He joined for the same price, £5.3 million. He had a knee injury early on, which took time to heal. He scored eight goals in 30 league matches for Atlético. He often played alongside Fernando Torres.

Playing for Fenerbahçe

Kežman with Fenerbahçe in 2008

In 2006, Kežman moved to Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He signed a four-year contract. He was a key player when Fenerbahçe won the 2006–07 Süper Lig in their 100th year. He also played in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. He even played against his old club, Chelsea, in the quarter-finals. Fenerbahçe fans really liked him, even after he left.

Playing for Paris Saint-Germain

On 19 August 2008, Kežman joined Paris Saint-Germain in France on a one-year loan. He played in 21 league games, mostly as a substitute, and scored three goals.

In August 2009, Kežman went on loan to Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia. He scored two goals for Zenit, helping them finish 3rd in the Russian Premier League. However, Zenit decided not to keep him, and he returned to Paris in January 2010. His contract with PSG ended in November 2010.

Playing for South China

On 20 January 2011, Kežman signed to play for South China in Hong Kong. He made his first appearance on 29 January 2011.

On 13 February 2011, he scored his first two goals for the club in a League Cup semi-final. South China won 4–2. On 13 April 2011, he scored his first AFC Cup goal with a header.

In May 2011, Kežman helped his team win the 2010–11 Hong Kong FA Cup. He scored a great goal in extra time to give his team a 2–1 victory. His four-month contract with South China ended the next day.

Playing for BATE Borisov

On 31 August 2011, Kežman joined BATE Borisov in Belarus. He played six games in the Belarusian League and five games in the Champions League, but he did not score any goals. He left BATE after their last Champions League game.

Return to Hong Kong and Retirement

In January 2012, Kežman returned to South China for the Asian Challenge Cup. He played his last professional match on 26 January 2012. After his last game, the club decided to retire his number 38 jersey.

Mateja Kežman's International Career

Kežman first played for his country, FR Yugoslavia, in March 2000. He scored a goal against China in a friendly match. He was chosen for the UEFA Euro 2000 team. In a group match against Norway, he was sent off after being on the field for only about 90 seconds.

In February 2003, Kežman said he would stop playing for the national team. But he came back a few months later when a new coach was appointed.

Kežman was the top scorer for Serbia and Montenegro during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifications. He scored five goals, including the winning goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina. This goal helped Serbia and Montenegro qualify directly for the World Cup. During the competition, he was sent off in a group match against Argentina.

After being sent off against Argentina in the 2006 World Cup, Kežman was not called up to play for his country again. In his six years playing for the national team, Kežman scored 17 goals in 49 games.

Mateja Kežman's Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Radnički Pirot	1996–97	Second League of FR Yugoslavia	17	11	0	0	–		–		0	0	17	11
Loznica	1997–98	First League of FR Yugoslavia	13	5	0	0	–		–		0	0	13	5
Sartid Smederevo	1997–98	First League of FR Yugoslavia	14	4	0	0	–		–		0	0	14	4
Partizan	1998–99	First League of FR Yugoslavia	22	6	6	2	–		5	0	0	0	33	8
	1999–2000	First League of FR Yugoslavia	32	27	2	2	–		7	6	0	0	41	35
	Total		54	33	8	4	0	0	12	6	0	0	74	43
PSV	2000–01	Eredivisie	33	24	4	3	–		11	4	1	0	49	31
	2001–02		27	15	2	1	–		11	3	1	1	41	20
	2002–03		33	35	3	4	–		6	0	1	1	43	40
	2003–04		29	31	1	0	–		12	6	1	1	43	38
	Total		122	105	10	8	0	0	40	13	4	3	176	129
Chelsea	2004–05	Premier League	25	4	3	1	4	2	9	0	0	0	41	7
Atlético Madrid	2005–06	La Liga	30	8	3	2	–		0	0	0	0	33	10
Fenerbahçe	2006–07	Süper Lig	24	9	2	0	–		7	2	0	0	33	11
	2007–08	Süper Lig	22	11	4	5	–		9	2	1	1	36	19
	Total		46	20	6	5	0	0	16	4	1	1	69	30
Paris Saint-Germain	2008–09	Ligue 1	21	3	2	2	4	0	8	3	0	0	35	8
	2009–10		13	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	2
	2010–11		1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	0
	Total		35	5	4	2	4	0	9	3	1	0	53	10
Zenit (loan)	2009	Russian Premier League	10	2	0	0	–		0	0	0	0	10	2
South China	2010–11	Hong Kong First Division League	6	2	2	2	1	2	5	1	2	0	16	7
BATE Borisov	2011	Belarusian Premier League	6	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	11	0
South China	2011–12	Hong Kong First Division League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0
Career total			378	199	36	24	9	4	96	27	10	4	529	258

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
FR Yugoslavia	2000	7	2
	2001	9	5
	2002	10	3
Serbia and Montenegro	2003	4	0
	2004	5	1
	2005	10	5
	2006	4	1
Total		49	17

Scores and results list Serbia and Montenegro's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kežman goal.

List of international goals scored by Mateja Kežman
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	25 May 2000	Workers Stadium, Beijing, China	China	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2	16 August 2000	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	1–1	2–1	Friendly
3	6 June 2001	Svangaskarð, Toftir, Iceland	Faroe Islands	2–0	6–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
4				5–0
5				6–0
6	6 October 2001	Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	Luxembourg	3–2	6–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
7	6 October 2001	Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	Luxembourg	6–2	6–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying
8	13 February 2002	Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, United States	Mexico	1–0	2–1	Friendly
9	17 April 2002	Sartid Stadium, Smederevo, Serbia	Lithuania	2–1	4–1	Friendly
10	17 April 2002	Sartid Stadium, Smederevo, Serbia	Lithuania	3–1	4–1	Friendly
11	17 November 2004	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	Belgium	2–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
12	17 August 2005	Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine	Ukraine	1–2	1–2	Valeriy Lobanovskyi Tournament
13	3 September 2005	Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	Lithuania	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
14	7 September 2005	Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid, Spain	Spain	1–1	1–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
15	8 October 2005	LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania	Lithuania	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
16	12 October 2005	Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	1–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying
17	1 March 2006	Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia	Tunisia	1–0	1–0	Friendly