HomeSoccerMilenkovic's journey from Partizan academy to City Ground

Milenkovic’s journey from Partizan academy to City Ground


Nikola Milenkovic celebrates after scoring the winner for Partizan Belgrade in the 2017 Serbian Cup final

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It was the 42nd minute of 2017 Serbian Cup final between the two Belgrade giants, Red Star and Partizan, when the black-and-whites had a corner.

As the ball flew in front of the Red Star goalkeeper, a 19-year-old Nikola Milenkovic met it to score.

In his final game for Partizan he had got the winner against their arch-rivals – and it is a goal fans will never forget.

Even though still a teenager at the time, Milenkovic was one of the best Partizan players – a defensive anchor who played a key role in their last Serbian league title win.

He had come to Partizan at 15 after a trial at the academy, and at a young age was compared to former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic – and after only 36 games for the club, he got a transfer to Fiorentina.

Milenkovic also became a regular for Serbia. He has 57 caps for this country and has appeared at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and at Euro 2024.

He played 264 times for Fiorentina over almost seven years, featuring in their Europa Conference League final defeats in 2023 and 2024.

The 26-year-old will not be the only Nottingham Forest player schooled in a Belgrade footballing academy.

Marko Stamenic, the defensive midfielder from New Zealand with Serbian origins, came from Red Star in January, but was initially sent out on loan to Olympiakos.

The previous season, the 22-year-old played in the Champions League against Manchester City, Young Boys and RB Leipzig, and eventually won the Serbian league and cup double.

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