Mateja Milovanović

Mateja Milovanović
Personal information
Date of birth (2004-04-18) 18 April 2004 (age 20)
Place of birth Vlaardingen, Netherlands
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Heerenveen
Number 27
Youth career
2008–2018 Sparta Rotterdam
2018–2021 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2024 Jong Ajax 12 (0)
2024– Heerenveen 2 (0)
International career‡
2021–2023 Serbia U19 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:49, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 November 2022

Mateja Milovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Матеја Миловановић; born 18 April 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eredivisie club Heerenveen. Born in the Netherlands, he is a youth international for the Serbia U19s.

Personal life

Milovanović was born in Vlaardingen in 2004. His father Viktor Milovanović was playing for Sparta Rotterdam at the time. Mateja has captained the Netherlands at youth level but has eligibility for Serbia through his family.[1]

Club career

Milovanović signed a first professional contract with Ajax in 2021 to take him through to 2024. He had been with Ajax youth teams since 2018 when he switched from Sparta Rotterdam.[2] He made his professional debut in the Eerste Divisie for Jong Ajax in a 1–0 defeat against Roda JC Kerkrade on 12 August 2022.[3]

On 11 July 2024, Milovanović joined Heerenveen on a two-year deal.[4]

International career

Having previously been called up for the under-15 and under-18 teams of the Netherlands, Milovanović made his debut for the Serbia under-19 team under manager Dejan Branković on 7 June 2021, in a friendly fixture against Romania under-19 which resulted in a 1–0 victory at home.[5]

Career statistics

As of match played 14 November 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong Ajax 2022–23 Eerste Divisie 12 0 — — — 12 0
Career total 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0

Style of play

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport both AS Roma and S.S.C. Napoli were attracted to Milovanović as he was left footed, tall and strong but with good technique, they felt his style of play was comparable to Matthijs de Ligt.[6]

References

  1. ^ "The captain of the Netherlands could play for the "eagles"! The Serbian son is the MAIN TOPIC in Amsterdam, and here hardly anyone has heard of him!". sportal.blic.rs.
  2. ^ "Ajax signs Mateja Milovanovic". ajax.nl.
  3. ^ "RODA JC VS. AJAX II-Soccerway". Soccerway.
  4. ^ "SC HEERENVEEN HAALT MATEJA MILOVANOVIC" [SC HEERENVEEN SIGNS MATEJA MILOVANOVIC] (in Dutch). Heerenveen. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Toate detaliile despre naționala Italiei, adversarul de astăzi al tricolorilor" (in Romanian). Federația Română de Fotbal. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  6. ^ "They call him the new De Ligt: the 17-year-old Milovanovic already in the sights of Rome and Naples". Gazzetta.It.