Real Madrid, with 15 Champions League titles, is the most successful team in the history of the competition and certainly one of the biggest clubs in the world. In the 122-year-long history of the “Royal Club,” only five Serbian footballers, along with three coaches, have represented Serbian football in the famous Spanish team. Unfortunately, most of them had only brief appearances, although two managed to win the Champions League trophy.
MILAN JANKOVIC
Although before Milan Jankovic’s arrival to Real Madrid, legendary coaches Miljan Miljanic and Vujadin Boskov had already begun and finished their tenures on the “Royal Club” bench, it was actually not until 1987 that the transfer of the experienced midfielder from Red Star Belgrade to Real Madrid marked the arrival of the first Serbian footballer in this team.
Paradoxically, Jankovic is probably the Serb with the best career in Real, since during the 1987–88 season he was a starter in most matches in the campaign for the Primera title. His generation — which included Martín Vázquez, Gordillo, Míchel, Butragueño, Hugo Sánchez, and other stars — was called “Los Merengues,” after a Latin dance.
Jankovic caught Real Madrid’s attention in the two-legged European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade in 1987, when he scored a spectacular goal from the penalty spot in a 4–2 win at “Marakana.” As he was 27 years old, he received permission to move abroad and thus became the first Serb in Real Madrid.
Janković won two league titles with Real, in the 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons, making a total of 45 appearances and scoring 5 goals.
PREDRAG SPASIC
A player who you can always find on lists of Real Madrid’s biggest transfer flops is certainly Predrag Spasic from Kragujevac. He made 25 appearances for Real without scoring a goal, received six yellow cards, and scored one own goal — in the worst possible moment, against Barcelona in El Clásico. The own goal, which Spaniards still place among the funniest own goals of all time, effectively sealed Spasić’s career in the famous club.
Although he had an excellent career at Partizan and was a regular member of the Yugoslav national team under coach Ivica Osim — as well as a key player at the 1990 World Cup in Italy where “the Blues” reached the quarterfinals — it seems that his unremarkable performances in Madrid defined his career. After leaving Real, Spasić played for Osasuna, Marbella, and finally Radnički Belgrade, where he ended his career at the age of 31.
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DEJAN PETKOVIC
Excellent performances for Red Star Belgrade brought Dejan “Rambo” Petković to the attention of Real Madrid’s management, who signed the 23-year-old in December 1995. Petković arrived at a very difficult time for the club, which was struggling in La Liga’s mid-table and had no European competition that season.
Between 1995 and 1997, Petković played only five matches for Real Madrid without scoring a goal. He spent most of his contract on loan — at Sevilla (1996, 8 matches, 1 goal) and Racing Santander (1997, 8 matches, 1 goal). After returning from Santander, he played a few friendly matches for Real’s B team, one of which was against Brazilian side Vitória, who soon signed him. The rest, as they say, is history…
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PERICA OGNJENOVIC
Another player who moved directly from Red Star Belgrade to the “Royal Club” was Perica Ognjenović, who joined Real Madrid in January 1999 for a salary of 1.2 million German marks per season.
Perica Ognjenović.#RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/1q1UrIchJI
— Olympia (@olympia_vintage) November 27, 2020
How seriously Real counted on Ognjenović is best shown by the fact that even Samuel Eto’o, then a 17-year-old, was loaned out to make room for him. However, like Petković, Ognjenović never got a real chance in Madrid, mostly appearing as a substitute. From winter 1999 to summer 2001, he made only 22 appearances, scoring one goal — against Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey.
After leaving Real, Ognjenović spent six months without a club before joining Kaiserslautern after a successful trial. Later, he became a true globetrotter, playing in China, Ukraine, France, Malaysia, Greece, and finally in Jagodina, Serbia, where he showed glimpses of his talent again and retired in 2011.
LUKA JOVIC
Serbia had to wait a full 18 years after Ognjenović for another player to wear Real Madrid’s shirt. The arrival of Luka Jović to Europe’s most decorated club sparked huge expectations among both Serbian and Spanish fans. The 22-year-old striker completed a €63 million transfer, becoming the most expensive Serbian footballer of all time.
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Jović earned the move after brilliant performances for Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 25 goals in 54 appearances, including a five-goal match (against Fortuna). Yet, like his countrymen, Jović failed to settle at Real. From 2019 to 2022, he played only 36 games and scored 3 goals. During 2021, he was loaned back to Frankfurt, where he found better form, scoring 4 goals in 18 matches — one more than during his entire Real Madrid stint.
Jović can boast of winning the Champions League (2021–22), but it doesn’t erase the impression that he could and should have left a greater mark in the “Royal Club,” where things such as Karim Benzema’s outstanding form didn’t work in his favor — though, to be fair, his own effort was also questionable. Afterward, he moved to Italy, first to Fiorentina and then to AC Milan.
COACHES
Unlike Serbian players, who didn’t have much luck at Real Madrid, three Serbian coaches left a more notable legacy.
The legendary Miljan Miljanic led Real from 1974 to 1977, winning two league titles and one Copa del Rey. Shortly after, Vujadin Boskov took over from 1979 to 1982, with his first season being the most successful — winning the domestic double and reaching the European Cup final the following year.
The third Serbian coach was Radomir Antic, who managed Real during the 1991–92 season. One of Serbia’s most successful national team managers in the 21st century, Antić was dismissed while his team was at the top of the league with a seven-point lead and had already reached the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. Real’s management felt that his football style was “unattractive,” so they replaced him with Dutchman Leo Beenhakker, who went on to lose both the league title to Barcelona and the UEFA Cup semifinal to Torino.
Bonus: Predrag Mijatovic
One player often mentioned when discussing Serbs who played for Real Madrid is Predrag “Pedja” Mijatovic. Although many things — both professionally and personally — connect him to Serbia, Mijatovic, born in Podgorica, represented Yugoslavia and later Serbia and Montenegro, and is officially listed as a Montenegrin footballer.
Predrag Mijatović, Real Madrid #RMFC #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/VWiPmhASSH
— Football Memories (@footballmemorys) March 7, 2019
Mijatovic undoubtedly left a significant mark at Real, playing 90 matches and scoring 29 goals. His most famous one came on May 20, 1998, in the Champions League final against Juventus — the goal that gave Real Madrid their first European title in 32 years.
Este 19 de enero cumple 52 años Predrag Mijatović, futbolista del Real Madrid entre las temporadas 1996-97 y 1998-99. 118 partidos oficiales, 36 goles, Ámsterdam, La Séptima… Felicidades a nuestro ex jugador.
🎥 Vídeo de la UEFA Champions League.pic.twitter.com/77nA8MhmAK— Rancoma (@Rancoma_) January 19, 2021
