The new Serie A season had only just started, but one of its greatest goals has already been scored. On Sunday, centre-back Nikola Milenkovic sent an unstoppable long-range effort into the top corner to open the scoring as Fiorentina thrashed Chievo 6-1 — his first ever goal from outside the area.
For many defenders that would have been a career highlight, but for the 20-year-old Serbia international it is likely to be a mere footnote in the tale of his meteoric rise to greatness.
A couple of years ago, Milenkovic used to take several buses each day in order to train with the Partizan Belgrade reserves. Now, he is a star in Serie A and coming off a superb World Cup from a personal point of view. Atletico Madrid and Juventus are reported to be interested in signing him and not for nothing is Milenkovic compared to former Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic, one of Serbia’s best central defenders of all time.
Such a parallel was first made by Ivan Tomic, who was promoted to Partizan coach in December 2015 and immediately told the club to give Milenkovic a professional contract. The lanky centre-back wasn’t considered a top prospect with the Partizan reserves until then, but Tomic — a former Roma and Alaves midfielder who also used to serve as the club’s sporting director — has a good eye for young players.
“Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him,” Tomic has said of Milenkovic, privately predicting his protege would soon be worth at least €30 million.
The coach may have resigned in July 2016 but he left a legacy. Having played a few games under Tomic, Milenkovic cemented his place in the starting lineup and became a favourite among the fans, earning the nickname of “Blek Stena” (“the Black Rock”), which has been affectionately shortened to “Bleki.” Basing his playing style on idol Gerard Pique, Milenkovic likes to build play from the back, showing remarkable technical skills for a defender who is 6-foot-4.
Milenkovic barely put a foot wrong in 32 league matches as Partizan won the 2016-17 Serbian title boasting an outstanding defensive record. And Fiorentina were quick to snap him up for €5.1m before the season ended, outbidding the likes of Anderlecht and Hamburg. The Belgrade faithful were heartbroken to see him go, but Milenkovic gave them a superb farewell present in his final appearance, scoring the only goal in the cup final against bitter rivals Red Star with a trademark header to complete a domestic double.
Comparisons with Vidic, who began his career at Red Star before moving to Spartak Moscow and then becoming a legend at Manchester United, were always going to raise their head.
“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic says. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common — both are fearless.”
After waiting several months, Milenkovic made his debut in December 2017 in a totally new role — as a right-back. Few players of his height are able to play on the flank but the Serbian prodigy’s pace and tenacity marked him out for coach Stefano Pioli and he impressed.