#11 Dusan Tadić
Former clubs:
FK Vojvodina, FC Groningen, FC Twente
Early years
The versatile Serbian winger was born on 20th November 1988 in the town of Bačka Topola, which was then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
He began his playing career in the youth teams of his hometown club, AIK Bačka Topola, before joining FK Vojvodina when he was 14.
Tadić signed a professional contract and broke into the first team in the 2006/07 season as an 18-year-old, making 28 appearances and scoring four goals.
He continued his rise the following season, scoring seven goals in 32 appearances and playing in the UEFA Europa League.
2008 Olympics
In the summer of 2008, Tadić was the youngest player named in the Serbia squad for the 2008 Olympics, starting his country’s first game and appearing as a substitute in the other two as his country went out in the group stage.
Tadić would make his senior international debut in December when, shortly after his 20th birthday, he started in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Poland.
Back on the domestic front, he would notch a further 20 goals in 66 appearances across two seasons to earn a move to the Netherlands, where he signed for FC Groningen in June 2010.
Playing in Holland
His first season with Groningen was a success, with his 21 assists the joint-third-highest in the whole of Europe, behind only Mesut Özil and Lionel Messi. He also scored seven times in 41 appearances as his new team finished fifth and qualified for the play-offs, only to miss out on a place in the Europa League by losing to ADO Den Haag on penalties in the final. Tadić matched his seven-goal haul in the 2011/12 season to earn a move to FC Twente, who were then managed by Englishman Steve McClaren.
He marked his league debut for his new club by scoring twice in a 4-1 win over his former side, Groningen. Future Spurs player Nacer Chadli scored Twente’s other two, while Leandro Bacuna – now with Aston Villa – netted for the opponents. Former Saints man Tim Sparv was also in the Groningen side that day.
Making his name for Serbia
It was in the 2012/13 season that Tadić would cement his place on the international stage, having only picked up one further cap in the three years following his debut in 2008. He would mark his eighth cap with his first international goal, scoring in a 6-1 win over Wales in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in September 2012.
Twente finished sixth in the Eredivisie table that season, with Tadić enjoying his most prosperous campaign yet, netting 16 goals in 51 appearances. He set up 15 goals, putting him second in the season’s assist table.
It was the 2013/14 season, though, that would be the Serbian’s best so far. He opened the campaign by scoring two penalties in a 4-1 away win over Ronald Koeman’s Feyenoord, and would help Twente finish third in the table and qualify for the Europa League after a one-year absence from European competition.
Tadić again scored 16 goals, the fourth-highest total in the division, and topped the league’s assist chart with 14. He also continued to pick up international caps and goals for his native Serbia with whom he had scored six times in 25 appearances prior to his move here.
Debut season
Tadić was a breath of fresh air on arrival in the Premier League, supplying seven assists as well as scoring four goals, including the winner in a memorable victory at Manchester United in January 2015.
His second season with the club was even better, as he picked up 13 assists in all competitions as Saints finished sixth in the Premier League. A fine campaign was rewarded with a new four-year contract ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.
Commenti
Posta un commento