The Rise of Mirko Ivanić: A Serbian Talent on the Radar
It was the eve of the January 2016 transfer window, and Mirko Ivanić was quickly becoming the talk of the town. The then 23-year-old had made a name for himself as one of the finest talents in the Serbian SuperLiga, prompting sports news outlets across the Balkan region to link Ivanić with a move to one of Serbia’s two biggest teams.
Ivanić, however, decided to throw cold water on the rumors, stating that if he did leave his club, it would preferably be to the Eredivisie, like former Vojvodina playmaker Dušan Tadić. “There’s nothing to [the rumors]. It’s not possible for me, as the captain of Vojvodina, to move to Partizan Belgrade or Crvena zvezda. All credit to the “eternals”, I respect them, but for me, it’s still best to continue in Vojvodina.”
Nearly a decade later, and it’s safe to say that plenty has changed. Ivanić has emerged as a vital figure in Crvena Zvzeda’s attack since joining in 2019, scoring 69 goals and 57 assists in 241 appearances and winning 10 domestic trophies. And on Tuesday, he’ll be looking to lead Crvena zvzeda to a vital win against the best team in the Eredivisie: PSV Eindhoven.
Mirko Ivanić: A Career Full of Turns
Born in Bački Jarak, Ivanić developed in Vojvodina’s academy before being loaned out to FK Proleter Novi Sad for regular senior minutes. He returned in the winter 2014 transfer window, where he managed to become a regular performer under Branko Babić and help his team win the 2013–14 Serbian Cup.
Ivanić rejected offers to join Vojvodina’s rivals Partizan and Crvena zvezda and instead decided to move to Belarus in February 2016 and join BATE Borisov for €1.5 million. Over the next three years, Ivanić would rack up three Belarussian Premier League titles and two Belarussian Super Cups at the Borisov Arena and score 33 goals and 23 assists in 126 appearances. His crowning achievement arrived on the final day of the 2017 season when he scored a last-minute equalizer vs. FC Gorodeya, enough to edge Dinamo Minsk to the championship on goal difference.
He returned to Serbia in February 2019 and joined Crvena zvezda for €1.3 million, where he initially underwent a slow adaptation period. After registering just 3 goals and 3 assists in his first 33 league appearances, it seemed that Ivanić was struggling to cope with the increased standards and demands. However, he managed to turn things around in the 2020/21 season under Dejan Stanković, racking up a sensational 16 goals and 12 assists in 33 appearances.
He also coincided with Nikola Popović, who served as Stanković’s assistant coach from 2021 to 2021. Popović, who has spent the past two decades coaching in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia, considers Ivanić one of the three best players he has trained alongside Portugal internationals Renato Sanches and Rúben Dias. “Ivanić is a fantastic player; every moment of the game, he’s going to be your difference-maker,” said Popović.
A Key Player for Crvena zvezda
Bit by bit, Ivanić has emerged as an indispensable figure for the Crveno-beli and enabled them to retain their domestic dominance in Serbia. The Montenegro international has established himself as one of the top footballers in the league and was even named into the 2023/24 Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season. However, there’s reason to believe that his impact is even more pronounced in international competition as opposed to domestic competition.
Whereas Stanković can occasionally afford to rotate his players against Serbian opponents, he isn’t bequeathed with that same luxury when it comes to the UEFA Champions League. We saw this on November 27, when, six minutes after replacing Andrija Maksimović at the hour mark, Ivanić doubled their lead vs. Stuttgart, whilst fellow substitute Nemanja Radonjić scored a late brace to secure a 5-1 victory.
He followed that up with an assist in a 3-1 victory vs. TSC before coming off the bench in a 6-0 win vs. Tekstilac. Ivanić replaced Milson at halftime after Rafael Leão opened the scoring before the interval vs. Milan and helped the visitors deliver a reenergized second-half performance with 12/16 passes completed, 1 key pass, 2 shots, and 2 clearances. Radonjić would level proceedings in the 67th minute, but Tammy Abraham restored Milan’s in the 87th minute to secure the victory for the Rossoneri.
The Upcoming Challenge Against PSV Eindhoven
Crvena zvezda’s chances of advancing to the UEFA Champions League knockout phase playoffs are hanging on by a thread, but they’ll be looking to do their end of the equation and come away with a victory against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday. In order to do so, they’ll need a big contribution from Ivanić, who has proven to be one of their most reliable performers in Europe’s premier competition.
According to Croatian live sports app Sofascore, Ivanić has been the team’s third-best player in the Champions League with a 7.07 rating, only behind Radonjić (7.50) and Timi Mak Elšnik (7.12), a sentiment that is shared by its Norwegian counterpart FotMob, with Radonjić (7.46) and Elšnik (6.96) sitting above Ivanić (6.89).
The 31-year-old midfielder leads the team in shots per game (2.0) and finds himself second in shots on target per game (0.7) and third in scoring frequency (one goal every 166 minutes). And whilst he has had to come off the bench in recent weeks, there’s every reason to believe that Stanković will include him from the start and use every drop of his experience in their upcoming trip to the Netherlands.
“There are several important players for zvezda this season, but we could say Ivanić is their best player and the one who gets this team closer to playing at the level they should be at when facing Champions League opponents,” stated Serbian journalist Nebojša Marković. “He is the player who moves the team forward, the one that makes the difference in the opposition’s half. It is also telling that Ivanić was one of zvezda’s key players under Dejan Stanković, Miloš Milojević and now again under Vladan Milojević in his second term.”
“We get to see just how important he is in the Champions League, coming off the bench and instantly making a huge impact vs. Stuttgart. He didn’t start against Milan, but the players who did start in the centre of the park clearly lacked what Ivanić offers—his clear quality, his courage to make a bold move, that kind of flair that he possesses. When he came on, zvezda improved because of him, as he was the one initiating dangerous attacks. It’s not a coincidence that some of zvezda’s best football in UCL this season was after Ivanić came on.”
– Nebojša Marković
Capitalising on Eindhoven’s Struggles
Crvena zvezda’s last competitive match came on December 22, when they secured their 19th consecutive win vs. a Serbian opponent in a 5-2 shellacking of FK Čukarički. Since then, PSV have played in three official matches, returning from the break with a 2-2 draw vs. AZ Alkmaar in the league before edging Excelsior 5-4 across 120 minutes in their KNVB beker tie.
The reigning Dutch champions came undone at the weekend and lost 3-1 at Zwolle, making it four defeats from their last six away matches in all competitions. Stanković will be looking to further their struggles on the road and guide his team to a desperately needed three points in Eindhoven, and he may be inclined to unleash Ivanić in a more advanced role and give him the freedom to get forward and pick apart PSV’s defense.
“He has the vision none of his teammates have,” says Marković. “Zvezda don’t have another player like him who can help them get closer to the opposing goal on a consistent basis against stronger opponents. Rade Krunić did really well in some instances, but his overall game gives more of that defensive stability and persistent running off the ball. Andrija Maksimović was given lots of opportunities as a big talent, but you can see his lack of physicality and inexperience hindering him, and then when you have Guélor Kanga, who lacks the quality in abundance.”
“He is that kind of a cultured, slower type of player who may not possess the pace of some other players and may not be the most physically imposing either, but he sees the right things on the pitch and he is often the one who breaks the lines and finds teammates in dangerous positions. Nobody else in the team has his mix of qualities—he makes this team tick.”
– Nebojša Marković
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