Aleksandar Mitrović (footballer)


Aleksandar Mitrović is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Fulham and the Serbia national team.
A youth product at Partizan, he turned professional after a loan at Teleoptik, and was a regular as they won the Serbian SuperLiga in his first season. At the age of 18, Mitrović was named among the top 10 talents under the age of 19 in Europe by a selection of UEFA reporters. He then joined Anderlecht for a club record €5 million, and scored 44 goals in 90 games across all competitions in a two-season spell. He won the Belgian Pro League in his first campaign at the club, and was the league's top scorer in his second. In 2015, he moved to Newcastle United for £13 million. In 2018, he was loaned to Fulham, and joined them permanently after helping them to promotion to the Premier League.
Mitrović helped Serbia win the 2013 European Under-19 Championship, being voted the best player of the tournament. Since that year, he has also been a senior international player, earning over 50 caps and representing the nation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early years

Born in Smederevo, Mitrović came to Partizan and went through the youth system of the club. Before being promoted to the first team, he made his senior debut with their affiliated side Teleoptik in the 2011–12 season, scoring seven goals in 25 league matches.

Partizan

On 27 June 2012, Mitrović signed his first professional contract with Partizan, on a four-year contract. He made his official debut for the club in a Champions League qualifier against Maltese side Valletta, scoring a goal nine minutes after coming on as a substitute. On 23 August 2012, Mitrović scored a header against Tromsø in the Europa League play-off round. Three days later, he scored his first league goal in a home fixture against Jagodina. On 17 November 2012, Mitrović scored the opening goal in his first ever Eternal derby, which Partizan eventually lost 3–2. Five days later, he also scored in a 1–1 away draw with Azerbaijani side Neftchi Baku during the Europa League group stage. By the end of his debut season, Mitrović was Partizan's top scorer in all competitions with 15 goals in 36 appearances even though he was one of the youngest players of the team. Due to his displays, he earned a place in Jelen SuperLiga's Team of the Season selection. Additionally, Serbian sports portal Mozzart Sport rated Mitrović third out of the 25 best players in the national league for that season.

Anderlecht

On 12 August 2013, after much speculation, it was announced that Mitrović was sold to Anderlecht and that he would join the Belgian club on 30 August at the request of the player and his family. The transfer fee was €5 million, which is Anderlecht's record signing fee. On 1 September, Mitrović provided two assists on his debut for the club after coming on as a substitute at the beginning of the second half in a league match against Zulte Waregem.
On 10 December 2013, in the last round of the Champions League Group C against Olympiacos, Mitrović replaced goalkeeper Silvio Proto who had been sent off, but failed to save a penalty from Alejandro Domínguez.
Mitrović ended his debut season in Belgium with 16 league goals as Anderlecht won their 33rd league title.
Mitrović began the 2014–15 season by scoring in Anderlecht's 2–1 Super Cup defeat of K.S.C. Lokeren. On 5 November 2014, he scored an equalizing goal in the 90th minute in the UEFA Champions League versus Arsenal, completing Anderlecht's comeback from 3–0 to 3–3. Overall, he scored 20 goals in the Pro League, making him the competition's top scorer, and 28 in all competitions. On 22 March 2015, he scored the team's only goal in the 2–1 Belgian Cup Final loss to Club Brugge KV in Brussels.

Newcastle United

On 21 July 2015, Mitrović joined Newcastle United on a five-year contract for a reported £13 million, saying he hoped to be able to play like club legend Alan Shearer. He made his debut on 9 August as Newcastle began the season with a 2–2 draw against Southampton at St James' Park, playing the final 15 minutes in place of Papiss Cissé. He was booked 22 seconds into his debut for a foul on Matt Targett. Twenty days later, he was sent off in the 15th minute of a 0–1 home defeat to Arsenal for a foul on Francis Coquelin.
Mitrović scored his first Newcastle goal on 3 October away to Manchester City, opening the scoring in a 6–1 loss. On 20 March 2016, he headed the equaliser in a 1–1 draw against arch-rivals Sunderland in the Tyne–Wear derby. Mitrović was booked for taking off his shirt in celebration, and a fan who ran onto the pitch to celebrate with him was given a banning order.
On 2 April, Mitrović scored two goals, one from a penalty, in a 3–2 defeat to Norwich City. On the final day of the season, and with Newcastle United already relegated, Mitrović scored the second goal in a 5–1 win over third-place Tottenham Hotspur, but was also sent off for a shin-high challenge on Kyle Walker. He became the sixth player in Premier League history to score a goal, assist a goal and get sent off in the same match.
After being suspended for the first four matches of the season as punishment for that red card, Mitrović made his season debut in the EFL Cup against Cheltenham on 23 August, but was forced off with a head injury in the first half. As a result, Mitrović had to wait until 13 September to make his Championship debut, scoring his first goal of the 2016–17 season at Queens Park Rangers, with the fifth goal in a 6–0 win. On 25 October, he bagged a brace and an assist in a 6–0 win over Preston North End, as the Magpies advanced to the EFL Cup quarter-finals. That weekend, Mitrović received his first league start since the match at Deepdale, and against the same opposition, Mitrović again scored a brace in a 2–1 win. Despite losing playing time to summer signing Dwight Gayle, Mitrović remained positive, saying "maybe last season I played more, but we are in good shape", as Newcastle arrived at the top of the table on 18 October.
On 7 January 2017, Mitrović started the FA Cup third round match against Birmingham City, but was injured in the buildup to the opening goal, scored by Daryl Murphy. On 11 February, Mitrović scored the only goal in a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, he was substituted at half-time as a precaution, as he had been booked earlier in the match and could have been sent off for a challenge on Carl Ikeme.
On 30 August 2017, he was suspended for three matches, after an elbow to the head of West Ham's Manuel Lanzini was picked up by television cameras. On 21 October, Mitrović returned to the matchday squad in an eventual 1–0 win over Crystal Palace, having been left out for the previous two matches after his suspension. He came on as a 78th minute substitute for Joselu to what was described as a "still surprising heroes welcome", but his first touch almost allowed Palace's Ruben Loftus-Cheek to take the lead for the visitors. In mid-December, Mitrović was ruled out with a back injury, which would sideline him for rest of the month and the following January. Towards the end of December, Mitrović stated in the Serbian sports daily Žurnal that he expected to leave the club in the January transfer window "to find the best solution for my career".

Fulham

On 1 February 2018, Mitrović joined Championship club Fulham on loan until the end of the season. In the build up to deadline day, Mitrović was poised to join Bordeaux and then former club Anderlecht, but both moves broke down, and after a discussion with their manager, the fellow Serb Slaviša Jokanović on Snapchat, he decided to join Fulham. On 3 February, Mitrović made his debut for the West London club in a 2–0 win over Nottingham Forest, and almost scored, but his headed effort was cleared off the line by Joe Worrall. On 21 February, Mitrović scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Bristol City, kickstarting a run of form which saw him score six goals in four matches. In the six matches played by Fulham in April, Mitrović scored five times, including winning goals against Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland. Due to his prolific run of form in March and April, he was the back-to-back Championship Player of the Month.
Mitrović finished the season with twelve goals, four behind top scorer Ryan Sessegnon, as Fulham missed out on automatic promotion on the final day, losing 3–1 to Birmingham City; their first league loss of the calendar year. The goal against Sunderland would prove to be his last for the club in his loan spell, as he did not score in the play-offs, but he did start in the play-off final, with Fulham beating Aston Villa 1–0.
On 30 July, Mitrović signed for Fulham permanently for an initial fee of £22 million, potentially rising to £27 million. He signed a five-year contract lasting to June 2023. On 18 August, he scored the equaliser in an eventual 3–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, with a inventive header from a low cross by Sessegnon. Mitrović scored three goals in Fulham's next two matches against Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion, although it was his handball which resulted in a penalty for the latter side, converted by Glenn Murray. On 24 November, and Claudio Ranieri's first match in charge, Mitrović scored a brace in a 3–2 win over Southampton, ending a run of six league matches without a goal. On 29 December, against Huddersfield Town, Mitrović argued with Aboubakar Kamara over taking a penalty; Kamara's effort was saved by Jonas Lössl. Eight minutes later, he scored the only goal of the match. While Ranieri was angered by Kamara's decision to take the penalty, Mitrović was more forgiving of the Frenchman, referring to a similar incident he had while playing for Newcastle United. In January 2019, Kamara had another altercation with Mitrović during a yoga session at the club's training ground, leading to a series of events which saw the Frenchman leave the club on loan. On 29 January, Mitrović scored a brace against Brighton & Hove Albion. His second goal was his tenth of the season, and in doing so, he beat his previous best of nine goals in the Premier League. It was also his twentieth Premier League goal, and at that point, he had scored five goals each under the stewardship of his last four managers in McClaren, Benítez, Jokanović and Ranieri. However, he would not score again until winning and converting a penalty against Bournemouth on 20 April, but by then, Fulham had been relegated from the Premier League.
On 9 July he signed a new five-year contract, extending the deal until June 2024. Mitrović began the season in fine form, scoring five goals in six matches. In October, he went on another scoring run with six goals in five matches, including a hat-trick against Luton Town. He was later named Championship Player of the Month, tying the record with former teammate Dwight Gayle.

International career

Youth

With four goals, Mitrović was the top scorer of the Serbian national under-19 team in their successful qualifying campaign for the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. On 3 July 2012, the opening day of the final tournament, he was sent off during a match against France U19, which caused him to miss the rest of the competition due to suspension. On 26 March 2013, Mitrović scored two goals in a friendly for Serbia's U21 team against Bulgaria U21.
Mitrović was called up by Serbia's U19 coach Ljubinko Drulović for two qualification matches for the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship taking place after his debut with the senior national side against Belgium. Mitrović was also a member of the squad that traveled to Lithuania for the final tournament, where he established himself as one of the key players in Serbia's U19 team which won the competition for the first time in the history of Serbian football. He contributed by scoring a goal and providing two assists during the contest (including one in the final match against France U19. Also, Mitrović was named the tournament's Golden Player for his performances.

Senior

Mitrović earned his first call up to the Serbian senior national team by coach Siniša Mihajlović for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belgium. He played 69 minutes on his debut on 7 June 2013 and earned a yellow card after stepping on Axel Witsel's foot, before being substituted for Marko Šćepović. On 6 September, Mitrović scored his first goal for the senior side in a 1–1 home draw against Croatia in another World Cup qualifier. Two years and a day later, he scored his next international goal, the consolation in a 2–1 friendly defeat to France at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Serbia's 100th match as an independent nation.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Mitrović scored three goals in two matches to ensure Serbia were still in contention to qualify from their group. On 9 October 2016, he scored a brace in a 3–2 win against Austria, and on 12 November, he scored the equaliser against Wales in a 1–1 draw. He continued this scoring run in 2017, with goals against Georgia, Wales, and Moldova, putting him ahead of teammate Dušan Tadić as the group's top goalscorer.
In May 2018, he was named in Serbia's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and on 1 June, made the final 23-man squad. Prior to the tournament, Mitrović scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 win over Bolivia. On 22 June, he scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 loss to Switzerland. He was also involved in a penalty claim when Swiss defenders Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schär dragged him to the ground in the box, but referee Felix Brych turned down the appeal. He played all three group stage matches.
Later that year, on 11 October, he scored a brace in a 2–0 UEFA Nations League victory over neighbouring nation Montenegro in the first match between the two countries since their split in 2006. The following month against the same opposition, he spurned the chance to score another brace, but missed a penalty, by attempting a panenka kick. From June to November 2019, he began a scoring run, with eleven goals in seven matches. The majority of these came during Serbia's qualifying group for UEFA Euro 2020, including braces both home and away against Lithuania and Luxembourg.

Personal life

Mitrović has two children with his partner Kristina Janjić. He is a lifelong supporter of both Partizan and Newcastle.

Career statistics

Club

International

No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
16 September 2013Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia31–11–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
27 September 2015Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France151–21–2Friendly
325 May 2016Užice City Stadium, Užice, Serbia201–02–1Friendly
45 June 2016Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco221–11–1Friendly
59 October 2016Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia241–03–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
69 October 2016Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia242–13–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
712 November 2016Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales251–11–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
824 March 2017Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia272–13–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
911 June 2017Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia281–11–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
102 September 2017Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia293–03–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
1110 November 2017Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China332–02–0Friendly
1227 March 2018The Hive Stadium, London, England351–02–0Friendly
1327 March 2018The Hive Stadium, London, England352–02–0Friendly
149 June 2018Liebenauer Stadium, Graz, Austria371–05–1Friendly
159 June 2018Liebenauer Stadium, Graz, Austria373–05–1Friendly
169 June 2018Liebenauer Stadium, Graz, Austria375–15–1Friendly
1722 June 2018Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad, Russia391–01–22018 FIFA World Cup
1810 September 2018Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia421–02–22018–19 UEFA Nations League C
1910 September 2018Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia422–12–22018–19 UEFA Nations League C
2011 October 2018Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro431–02–02018–19 UEFA Nations League C
2111 October 2018Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro432–02–02018–19 UEFA Nations League C
2217 November 2018Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia452–02–12018–19 UEFA Nations League C
2320 November 2018Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia462–04–12018–19 UEFA Nations League C
2410 June 2019Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia491–04–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
2510 June 2019Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia492–04–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
267 September 2019Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia502–32–4UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
2710 September 2019Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg511–03–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
2810 September 2019Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg513–13–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
2910 October 2019Mladost Stadium, Kruševac, Serbia521–01–0Friendly
3014 October 2019LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania531–02–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
3114 October 2019LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania532–02–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
3214 November 2019Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia541–03–2UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
3314 November 2019Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia542–03–2UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
3417 November 2019Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia552–12–2UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

Honours

Partizan
Anderlecht
Newcastle United
Fulham
Serbia U19
Individual