Sergej Milinković-Savić ( sr-Cyrl, Сергеј Милинковић-Савић, ; born 27 February 1995), also known

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

ously as Sergej, is a Serbian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

club

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and the Serbia national team. Milinković-Savić began his professional career at Serbian club

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

and helped them win the

Serbian Cup The Serbian Cup (Serbian: Куп Србије, Kup Srbije) is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. From 2006 to 2010, the competition was known as the Lav Cup f ...

in the 2013–14 season. He joined Belgian club

Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...

in June 2014, where he played 24 games before transferring to Italian club Lazio one year later. He has made over 250 appearances for Lazio and has won the

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

once and the Supercoppa Italiana twice. He was named in the

Serie A Team of the Year The AIC Serie A Team of the Year (in Italian: ''Squadra dell’anno AIC'') is an annual award given to a set of eleven footballers in the top tier of Italian football, the Serie A, who are considered to have performed the best during the previous c ...

in the 2017–18 season and won the league's Best Midfielder award in the 2018–19 season. Born in Spain, Milinković-Savić played youth international football for Serbia at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He was a member of the Serbian team that won the

2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after ...

and received the tournament's Bronze Ball award for his performances. He made his senior international debut in 2017 and represented Serbia at the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

Early life

Milinković-Savić was born into a sporting family in Lleida,

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

, Spain, where his father Nikola Milinković played football professionally at the time. His mother, Milana Savić, was a professional basketball player. He first started training with

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

, while his father was playing in Portugal. He then spent a few years at

Grazer AK Grazer AK, founded 18 August 1902 as Grazer Athletiksport Klub (in Austria the abbreviation GAK is more common), is an Austrian sports club, from the city of Graz in the federal state of Styria (''Steiermark''). The football section used to be on ...

in Austria before moving to his native Serbia where he broke through as a footballer. Milinković-Savić is the older brother of

Vanja Milinković-Savić Vanja Milinković-Savić ( sr-Cyrl, Вања Милинковић-Савић, ; born 20 February 1997) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Italian club Torino. Born in Spain, he represents the Serbia national team. ...

, a fellow footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. In additional to his Serbian citizenship, he is also a citizen of Spain.

Club career

Vojvodina

Milinković-Savić came through the youth academy of

. He was one of the midfielders who emerged from the youth squad that won two consecutive national youth championship titles, alongside

Mijat Gaćinović Mijat Gaćinović (, ; born 8 February 1995) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Greek Super League club AEK Athens and the Serbia national team. Club career Vojvodina Gaćinović was born in Novi Sad while his f ...

and

Nebojša Kosović Nebojša Kosović ( cnr, Небојша Косовић; born 24 February 1995) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese Super League club Meizhou Hakka and the Montenegro national team. Club career Vojvodina ...

. Consequently, Milinković-Savić signed his first professional contract with the club on 26 December 2012, penning a three-year deal. Milinković-Savić made his senior debut in a 3–0 away loss to

Jagodina ) , image_shield = Jagodina-grb.png , image_flag = FLAG Jagodina.png , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = File:Municipalities of Serbia Jagodina.png , map_caption = Location of Jagodina w ...

on 23 November 2013. He scored his first goal in a 1–1 away draw with Spartak Subotica on 9 March 2014. In total, Milinković-Savić made 13 league appearances and scored three goals in the 2013–14 season. He also helped Vojvodina win the 2013–14 Serbian Cup in the club's centennial year.

Genk

In June 2014, Milinković-Savić signed a five-year contract with Belgian club

and was given the number 20 shirt. He made his competitive debut for the club in a 1–1 home league draw with

Cercle Brugge Cercle Brugge Koninklijke Sportvereniging () is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges. Cercle have played in the Belgian Pro League since the 2003–04 season, having previously spent several years in the Belgian Second Divisi ...

on 2 August 2014. Milinković-Savić scored his first goal for Genk in a 1–1 away league draw against Lokeren on 18 January 2015. He scored a total of five league goals in 24 appearances during the 2014–15 season.

Lazio

On 31 July 2015, it was announced that Milinković-Savić would join Italian club

. He made his debut for the side in a 1–0 home win over

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...

in the first leg of the Champions League play-off round on 18 August 2015. Milinković-Savić scored his first goal for Lazio in a 1–1

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

draw with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 17 September 2015. He scored his first

goal in a 3–1 away win over

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...

on 9 January 2016. Throughout his debut season, Milinković-Savić made 35 appearances and scored three goals for Lazio in all competitions. In his second season at Lazio, Milinković-Savić scored seven goals from 39 appearances (league and cup). On 5 December 2021, Milinković-Savić became the highest-scoring midfielder in Lazio's history following his goal against Sampdoria. He beat previous holder

Pavel Nedvěd Pavel Nedvěd (; born 30 August 1972) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is regarded as one of the most successful players to emerge from the Czech Republic, winning domestic and European accolades with Ital ...

, who had the record of 33 goals for over a decade.

International career

Youth

Milinković-Savić represented Serbia at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He played for Serbia at the 2013 UEFA Under-19 Championship, winning the gold medal. He played the full 90 minutes in four out of five games, including the final match of the competition against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

that Serbia won 1–0. Subsequently, Milinković-Savić appeared at the 2014 UEFA Under-19 Championship, as the team was eliminated in the semi-final by

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

after penalties. He missed Serbia's last spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out. The following summer, Milinković-Savić was one of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

's most influential players at the

, as the team won the tournament. He appeared in six out of seven games and scored one goal against

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

in the group stage. Due to his performances during the tournament, Milinković-Savić was awarded the Bronze Ball. In the summer of 2017, Lazio prevented Milinković-Savić from playing at the

2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2017) was the 21st edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a biennial international youth football championship organised by UEFA for the men's under-21 na ...

Senior

In October 2015, Milinković-Savić received his first call-up to the full squad by manager

Radovan Ćurčić Radovan Ćurčić (; born 10 January 1972) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Playing career Ćurčić started out at his hometown club Javor Ivanjica, before going on to play for OFK Beograd, Gorica (Slovenia), and Borac Čača ...

for Serbia's UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers against

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

and

. He remained an unused substitute in both games. In May 2016, Milinković-Savić was selected by newly appointed manager

Slavoljub Muslin Slavoljub Muslin ( sr-Cyrl, Славољуб Муслин, ; born 15 June 1953) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Muslin began his head coaching career in 1988 and has since had stints in France, Morocco, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine ...

for friendly matches against

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. However, after failing to receive any playing time in the first two games, Milinković-Savić left the team in agreement with Muslin who said that some other players better fit into his tactical formations. On 30 October 2017, it was announced that Serbia caretaker manager

Mladen Krstajić Mladen Krstajić ( sr-cyr, Младен Крстајић, ; born 4 March 1974) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. From Janua ...

included Milinković-Savić in the squad for friendlies against China and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. In June 2018, he was selected in the Serbian squad for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

, playing all three group stage matches. Milinković-Savić scored his first two senior international goals on 8 October 2020, settling a 2–1 win over

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

in the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 qualifying play-off. In November, 2022 he was selected in Serbia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He played in all three group stage matches, against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, and Switzerland. He scored a goal in a group stage match match against

, on assist from

Andrija Živković Andrija Živković ( sr-Cyrl, Андрија Живковић, ; born 11 July 1996) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Greek Super League club PAOK and the Serbia national team. He is the youngest player ever to ...

. Serbia finished fourth in the group.

Style of play

Sergej Milinković-Savic is a versatile central midfield player and is capable of playing in several roles, including as a trequartista, or in a holding role, although he is usually deployed as a central midfielder, in the mezzala role. His style of play has drawn comparisons to

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...

and

Yaya Touré Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is an academy coach for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Touré aspired to be a striker during his you ...

, as he blends the traditional attacking movement, positional sense, and finishing ability of an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, with the height and physicality of a target man or

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...

; as such, he also is effective in the air, and is capable of scoring goals with his head as well as either foot, by making late runs from behind into the penalty area, or striking from distance. He possesses good technique, tactical intelligence, vision, and passing ability, despite his limited pace, as well as tenacity and excellent defensive work-rate, which enables him to help out at both ends of the pitch, carry the ball, and start attacking plays after winning possession. He has been nicknamed ‘il Sergente’ (the Sergeant) by Lazio fans for his charisma, physical dominance and for the assonance with his name.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Serbia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Milinković-Savić goal''.

Honours

Vojvodina *

: 2013–14 Lazio *

: 2018–19 * Supercoppa Italiana:

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Serbia U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain and England ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

Serbia U20 *

FIFA U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 whe ...

: 2015 Individual * FIFA U-20 World Cup Bronze Ball: 2015 *

: 2017–18, 2021–22 * Serie A Best Midfielder: 2018–19 * Serie A Player of the Month: December 2019, January 2021 *

Player of the Season: 2020–21, 2021–22

References

External links

Player profile at Serbian National Team page
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Milinkovic-Savic, Sergej Association football midfielders Belgian Pro League players 1995 births Serbian footballers Spanish footballers Footballers from Catalonia Living people FK Vojvodina players Grazer AK players Sporting CP footballers K.R.C. Genk players Sportspeople from Lleida Serbia under-21 international footballers Serbia youth international footballers Serbian expatriate footballers Spanish expatriate footballers Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Austria Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Serbian SuperLiga players Serie A players Spanish people of Serbian descent S.S. Lazio players 2018 FIFA World Cup players 2022 FIFA World Cup players Serbia international footballers Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Austria Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Belgium Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Austria