Igor Jovićević

Who is Igor Jovićević?

Igor Jovićević is a Croatian former football player of Montenegrin descent.

After being labeled as the new Zvonimir Boban while playing in the youth team of the most successful Croatian club, NK Dinamo Zagreb, with only 17 years, he signed, in summer of 1991 a contract with Real Madrid. His transfer cost was one million dollars, however, the contact was based on the fact that the Merengues, in case of lining him in the first team, would have to pay a total of five million, being that the probable cause of having him playing in the B squad. He had the privilege there of being trained by world class experts, like Rafa Benitez, among others, and he had to opportunity of playing along some youngsters that would become worldwide stars, like Raúl, Guti, Juan Esnáider or Urzaiz. But there was another unquestionable fact that made his career shine much less than initially expected, a heavy injury that he had while playing against Ukraine with the Croatian national team. After having a one year pause, he returned to Croatia to play with another club from the capital of the now independent Croatia, NK Zagreb. But, he was not the same any more. From then on, he would have an exotic career, playing with J. League Division 1 club Yokohama F. Marinos, Brazilian Guarani Futebol Clube and a short spell in France with FC Metz before moving to China to play with Shenyang Dongjin, a discrete passage in Ukraine with Karpaty Lviv before definitely finishing his career in China, again, with a new knee ligaments injury, aged 32. After retiring, he returned to Spain, this time to Marbella where he owns a bar.