Photo Finish
Imagine that in order to choose Serbia’s top player, we arrange a horse race with Dusan Tadic, Dusan Vlahovic, and Luka Jovic as the jockeys. Also, imagine that it was such a close race that we had to check the photo taken at the finish line. Most importantly, imagine that Jovic was victorious.
That’s right, despite having some subpar years while playing for Real Madrid, Jovic remains a lethal striker, and that’s why we ended up choosing him. Plus, he has plenty of time before the 2022 World Cup starts to regain confidence.
Club Career
Jovic made his professional debut with Red Star Belgrade in 2014 at only 16 years old. That didn’t prevent him from scoring, becoming the youngest goal scorer in a competitive match in the team’s history. He ended up playing three seasons in the Serbian Super League, contributing to them winning the title once.
Later, he was transferred to Benfica. He spent the first two seasons at Benfica B, with whom he scored four goals in 18 games. That was enough for him to be promoted to the first team, but he didn’t get much of a chance, appearing in only four games over two seasons and scoring no goals.
After the disappointment, Benfica sold him to Eintracht Frankfurt from the Bundesliga. In his first season, he scored nine goals in 27 games. The following season, he became a sensation in all of Europe by scoring 27 goals: 17 in the Bundesliga and 10 in the UEFA Europa League. He was crucial for Frankfurt to reach the continental tournament semifinals, in which they lost to Chelsea in penalties.
Then came Real Madrid. Los Blancos signed him to be Karim Benzema’s backup, but he barely played. In 2½ seasons, he appeared in 51 games, scoring only three goals. In 2021-22, he returned to Frankfurt on a loan for the second half of the season. In 18 games, he scored more goals (four) than he did in his entire time at Real Madrid.
Knowing he wouldn’t have many chances, Jovic requested a transfer. A lot of teams showed interest, but he ended up choosing Fiorentina. In his first preseason match with the Italian squad, he scored four goals in 28 minutes. That’s how good he can be. He’s among the favorites to dethrone Ciro Immobile as the Calcio’s top scorer.
With the Eagles
After scoring a hat trick for Serbia’s U-17 team, Jovic was included in the U-19 team for the 2014 UEFA European Championship. He ended up scoring one goal as the Eagles reached the semifinals, where they lost to Portugal in penalties.
He made his debut with the senior team on June 4, 2018, only a few days prior to the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Even so, he was included in the final 23-man squad for the tournament. He played against Brazil as a late substitute.
Overall, Jovic has played 26 games for the Eagles, averaging a goal every 2.8 games. Again, that’s how good he can be. He contributed for Serbia to win Group A in the UEFA World cup soccer 2022 Qualifiers, defeating Portugal for the top spot.
Take a Look at 2 Other Analysis for the 2022 Fifa World Cup Top Players
Serbia in Qatar 2022
The Eagles will face Brazil, Switzerland, and Cameroon in Group G. As expected, Brazil leads the World cup odds to win it at -225. As for the Eagles, they’re offering a +550 price. Considering Tadic, Vlahovic and Jovic are one of the best attacking trios to play in the tournament, that’s a great deal.
Again, Tadic and Vlahovic are great players. In fact, Vlahovic is offering a +4000 price to win the Golden Boot in Qatar. Nevertheless, with rhythm, Jovic can be better. By the way, despite not playing much over the last couple of years, he’s offering a +10000 price to win the Golden Boot. One last time, that’s how good he can be.
