The name Matija Popović probably doesn’t mean much to you. Only Football Manager addicts, always determined to find the new nugget of world football, have probably already unearthed it. Scouts around the world have also been keeping an eye on him for a while. The Guardian even noted him in its annual list of 60 players of tomorrow. This shows if the young Serbian is expected at the high level.
Moreover, the local press does not miss an opportunity to raise expectations around the attacking midfielder. His performances with the Partizan Belgrade U17s do not go unnoticed. In 25 appearances in the championship in his category, he scored 21 times and provided 5 assists. Tall for his position (1m93), some observers see him as having a Sergej Milinković-Savić profile but more offensively.
A contractual dispute with Partizan…
The story is beautiful but it is not rosy either. With such performances, the young Popović should already be playing in the first team only, and as is often the case, a contract issue is pushing him out of his training club, informs the local press. However, he received the“the most important offer in the history of the club for a young player” according to Miloš Vazura, the general director of Partizan. The family clan embodied by the father said no.
As a result, the attacking midfielder reaches the end of his contract on December 31. He can already sign wherever he wants for next year since he will reach his majority on January 8, 2024. “Negotiations between his family and the club collapsed in the face of interest from major European clubs. There is speculation he will join Borussia Dortmund in January. continues the Serbian DG. Always inclined to recruit young shoots, the BvB must still face strong competition.
…which whets the appetites of the big clubs
As with Adra Güler last spring, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are in the running to try to attract the 17-year-old player. According to Sky Sport Italia, Blaugrana emissaries have already gone to Belgrade, while Casa Blanca is monitoring the situation of the one who was born in Altötting (Germany). Spain has already met him on the pitch since last May during the Euro U17, Popović offered himself a decisive pass against Rojita in the group stage (1-1).
