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Predrag Mijatović facts for kids

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Predrag Mijatović
Predrag Mijatović 2007 b.jpg
Mijatović in 2007
Personal information
Date of birth (1969-01-19) 19 January 1969 (age 56)
Place of birth Titograd, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Kom
OFK Titograd
Budućnost Titograd
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1989 Budućnost Titograd 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)
International career
1989–2003 Serbia and Montenegro 73 (27)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Yugoslavia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 1987
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 1990
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Predrag Mijatović, born on January 19, 1969, is a famous football player from Montenegro. He played as a striker, which means he was responsible for scoring goals.

He played for many big clubs like Budućnost, Partizan, Valencia, Real Madrid, Fiorentina and Levante. He also played for his country, FR Yugoslavia, in major tournaments like the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Many people thought he was one of the best strikers in the world when he played for Real Madrid.

In the 1995–96 season, Mijatović scored 28 goals for Valencia. This led to him joining Real Madrid. There, he scored a very important goal in the 1998 UEFA Champions League final. This goal helped Real Madrid win their first European Cup in 32 years! In 1997, he was almost named the best player in Europe, coming in second for the Ballon d'Or award. After he stopped playing, he worked as a director of football for Real Madrid from 2006 to 2009.

Club Career Highlights

Predrag Mijatović had an amazing career playing for several top football clubs. Let's look at his journey.

Starting at Budućnost

Mijatović started playing regularly for Budućnost in the 1987–88 season. In October 1987, he was part of the Yugoslav youth team that won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile. When he returned to Budućnost, he became a key player. He played 31 league games and scored four goals.

In late 1989, Mijatović almost joined Hajduk Split. However, the president of Partizan convinced him to join their club instead. Partizan paid a large amount of money for him, which was the highest transfer fee in the Yugoslav league at that time. Mijatović later said that difficult times in Yugoslavia influenced his decision not to join the Croatian club.

Time with Partizan

Mijatović scored in his very first game for Partizan against his old club, Budućnost. He spent his first half-season getting used to his new team. He continued to improve and became a very important player for Partizan during the 1991–92 season. He helped Partizan win the Yugoslav Cup in 1992. He was also named the Yugoslav Footballer of the Year.

While at Partizan, many big European clubs were interested in him, including Juventus. He eventually joined Valencia in the summer of 1993.

Playing for Valencia

Mijatović made his debut for Valencia on September 5, 1993. He had a fantastic 1995–96 season, scoring 28 goals in 40 league matches. He was the second-highest goal scorer in the league that season. His great performance helped Valencia finish in second place in La Liga.

Becoming a Real Madrid Star

In February 1996, Mijatović signed a contract to join Real Madrid in the summer. The deal was confirmed a month later. Other great players like Davor Šuker, Clarence Seedorf, and Roberto Carlos also joined Real Madrid that summer. The coach often paired Mijatović with Šuker, just like they played together in the youth team.

During the 1996–97 season, Mijatović scored 14 goals. He scored a memorable goal against Barcelona in a famous match called El Clásico. Real Madrid won La Liga that season and also the 1997 Supercopa de España.

On May 20, 1998, Mijatović scored the winning goal for Real Madrid against Juventus in the 1998 UEFA Champions League final. This was a huge moment because it was Real Madrid's first Champions League title in 32 years! The next season was his last with Real Madrid. He was then sold to the Italian club Fiorentina.

Moving to Fiorentina

Mijatović signed a three-year contract with Fiorentina in June 1999. He started well, and even though Fiorentina had many good attackers, the coach often chose him to start. He played for Fiorentina for two seasons, scoring four goals in the league. He also won the Coppa Italia with them.

Final Club: Levante

Mijatović joined Levante UD in the summer of 2002. He played there for one season. Levante finished in fourth place in the league that year. After this season, he decided to retire from professional football because of ongoing injuries.

International Football Career

Mijatović played for his country, Yugoslavia, in many important tournaments.

He was part of the Yugoslavia squad that won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship. He also made his debut for the senior team in August 1989. He was supposed to play in UEFA Euro 1992, but Yugoslavia was not allowed to play due to the Yugoslav Wars.

1998 FIFA World Cup

Mijatović was the top scorer for FR Yugoslavia during the qualifiers for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He scored seven goals in the play-off against Hungary, helping Yugoslavia win by a huge score and qualify for the World Cup.

He was a key player for FR Yugoslavia in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He played in all four of his team's games and scored a goal against Germany. However, he missed a penalty kick in the game against the Netherlands in the Round of 16, and his team lost.

UEFA Euro 2000

Mijatović also played for FR Yugoslavia at UEFA Euro 2000. He played in all their games as the team reached the quarter-finals. They were eventually knocked out by the Netherlands.

Overall, Mijatović played 73 international games and scored 27 goals for his country. His last international game was in June 2003.

Life After Playing Football

After he stopped playing football in 2004, Mijatović continued to live in Valencia. He then started working as a player agent, helping other footballers.

In 2006, Mijatović became the director of football for Real Madrid. He held this position for three seasons. During his time, he helped Real Madrid sign important players like Fabio Cannavaro, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Marcelo, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Pepe.

In October 2024, Mijatović was appointed vice president of FK Partizan.

Personal Life

Predrag Mijatović was born in Titograd (which is now called Podgorica). He grew up in the Masline neighborhood. He is married to Aneta Milićević.

Sadly, his son Andrej passed away in June 2009 at the age of 15 after a long illness.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Budućnost Titograd 1986–87 Yugoslav First League 1 0 — — 1 0
1987–88 31 4 — — 31 4
1988–89 28 2 — — 28 2
1989–90 13 4 — — 13 4
Total 73 10 — — 73 10
Partizan 1989–90 Yugoslav First League 15 1 2 0 2 0 — 19 1
1990–91 33 14 3 1 6 1 — 42 16
1991–92 25 12 6 2 2 0 — 33 14
1992–93 31 17 8 2 — — 39 19
Total 104 44 19 5 10 1 — 133 50
Valencia 1993–94 La Liga 35 16 2 1 4 2 — 41 19
1994–95 29 12 9 3 — — 38 15
1995–96 40 28 9 6 — — 49 34
Total 104 56 20 10 4 2 — 128 68
Real Madrid 1996–97 La Liga 38 14 5 1 — — 43 15
1997–98 24 10 0 0 8 1 2 1 34 12
1998–99 28 5 4 2 7 2 2 0 41 9
Total 90 29 9 3 15 3 4 1 118 36
Fiorentina 1999–2000 Serie A 16 2 0 0 9 1 — 25 3
2000–01 13 1 4 2 2 2 — 19 5
2001–02 13 1 0 0 4 0 — 17 1
Total 42 4 4 2 15 3 — 61 9
Levante 2002–03 Segunda División 21 3 0 0 — — 21 3
Career total 434 146 52 20 44 9 4 1 534 176

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
SFR Yugoslavia 1989 3 0
1990 0 0
1991 5 0
1992 1 0
FR Yugoslavia 1993 —
1994 2 0
1995 1 0
1996 6 3
1997 8 11
1998 11 3
1999 7 2
2000 12 4
2001 6 2
2002 6 1
Serbia and Montenegro 2003 5 1
Total 73 27
Scores and results list Yugoslavia's and Serbia and Montenegro's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mijatović goal.
List of international goals scored by Predrag Mijatović
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 June 1996 Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Malta 2–0 6–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 6 October 1996 Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroes  Faroe Islands 3–1 8–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 10 November 1996 Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Czech Republic 1–0 1–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 2 April 1997 Stadion Letná, Prague, Czech Republic  Czech Republic 1–0 2–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 30 April 1997 Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Spain 1–1 1–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 8 June 1997 Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Slovakia 2–0 2–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 11 October 1997 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta  Malta 4–0 5–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 29 October 1997 Üllői úti stadion, Budapest, Hungary  Hungary 4–0 7–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 6–0
10 6–0
11 15 November 1997 Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Hungary 2–0 5–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
12 3–0
13 4–0
14 5–0
15 29 May 1998 Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Nigeria 2–0 3–0 Friendly
16 21 June 1998 Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France  Germany 1–0 2–2 1998 FIFA World Cup
17 18 November 1998 Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Republic of Ireland 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 2000 qualification
18 8 June 1999 Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece  Malta 1–1 4–1 UEFA Euro 2000 qualification
19 9 October 1999 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia  Croatia 1–1 2–2 UEFA Euro 2000 qualification
20 23 February 2000 City Stadium, Skopje, Macedonia  Macedonia 1–0 2–1 Friendly
21 2–0
22 28 March 2000 Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  China 1–0 1–0 Friendly
23 16 August 2000 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 2–1 2–1 Friendly
24 2 June 2001 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia  Russia 1–1 1–1 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
25 6 October 2001 Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia  Luxembourg 2–2 6–2 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 12 October 2002 Stadio San Paolo, Napoli, Italy  Italy 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
27 12 February 2003 City Stadium, Podgorica  Azerbaijan 1–0 2–2 UEFA Euro 2004 qualification

Awards and Achievements

Predrag Mijatović won many awards and titles during his football career.

Partizan

Real Madrid

Fiorentina

Yugoslavia

Individual Awards

Awards

  • FR Yugoslavia Player of the Year: 1992, 1993, 1998
  • La Liga Best Foreign Player: 1995–96
  • Ballon d'Or: Runner-up 1997
  • ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1997

Images for kids

  • Predrag Mijatović 2006 stamp of Montenegro

    Mijatović on a 2006 stamp of Montenegro

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Predrag Mijatović para niños

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