‘Future stars of Serbia’ — Jovan Milošević (VfB Stuttgart)
One of the sensations of the U17 European Championship in 2022, where he was a key component in a Serbia side that reached the semi’s. Nobody could’ve predicted the turbulent season that would follow. However, with a €1.2 million (Transfermarkt) move to VfB Stuttgart, Milošević has hit greener pastures in his career and an exciting new chapter awaits.
The young forward was born in Čačak, where he played for local side Borac when he was scouted by Vojvodina Novi Sad at a youth tournament. His definite breakthrough came at the U17 Euro, where Milošević scored 5 goals in 5 matches and became top scorer of the tournament. It wasn’t just goals, however, that helped him make a name for himself. He stood out with his intelligence, leadership qualities and constant sacrifice for the team.
After that tournament, many predicted a great future for Milošević, starting with his next season at Vojvodina, but things panned out differently. As so often, contract issues were at the root of the problem and Vojvodina decided to go with the most drastic measure, of dropping him from the squad. Jovan lost a large chunk of his season because of it. However, after his move to VfB Stuttgart was finalized and a new coach arrived, he was brought back into the first team.
His redemption came against one of Serbia’s two biggest sides — Partizan. In what was only his 6th start in senior football — as a 17-year-old — he scored two memorable goals. The match ended 2–2, but Milošević had properly introduced himself to the Serbian football public and it had also served as a goodbye: ‘It was incredible. That match, those goals, they have a special meaning to me. In a way, that was my goodbye to Vojvodina, a club that brought me a lot of beautiful things and also taught me some life lessons.’
During the winter break of the 2022/23 season, news was made official that Milošević would join VfB Stuttgart the following summer, when he would turn 18. It’s been a couple of months now, since he joined the Bundesliga outfit. Enough time to gather some impressions: ‘Generally everything has been quite alright. It’s very different from Novi Sad and all that I’m familiar with. I’m still adapting and getting to know the city. But so far I’m satisfied with how it’s going, though I also remain cautious.’
VfB Stuttgart made the news last year, not just by barely staying up in the Bundesliga, but also for being the second-youngest side in the European top 5 leagues. Milošević is another fine example of that transfer policy. For now, he’s staying in Stuttgart: ‘They told me I’ll remain here, with the first team. I’ll be patient and fight for my chance. It’s too early to speak about starting, but of course that’s my goal and I’ll do everything to prove my worth.’
Internationally, Milošević is expected to continue his journey with his former U17 side, now U19s. Still coached by Radovan Krivokapić, they’ll be entering the Euro qualifiers this fall. Milošević looks forward to it: ‘Of course I’m excited by that prospect. We have a great generation and I’m hopeful we can at least repeat our achievement of last time around, and why not even improve it and bring home the trophy!’
However, if Milošević starts getting regular minutes at VfB Stuttgart, it wouldn’t be unthinkable for him to either skip a generation or even be considered as a candidate for Serbia’s senior national team. Milošević, though, isn’t preoccupied with such a scenario yet. ‘I don’t want to rush anything. That sounds like the dream we all dream of. For now, I’m just taking it step by step.’
With Serbia’s incredible depth at the striker position, it’s good to know that Milošević sees himself in a different role. ‘I like to play as a shadow striker, or just behind the striker. It gives me more space to operate in. And with a good striker and team around me, it opens up all kind of avenues for combinations and creativity.’
When asked about possible idols or players he looks up to, he’s quick to point out that he always focuses on being himself, but he does have favourite players and a team: ‘Messi, of course. I’ve been a Barcelona-fan as long as I can remember. When it comes to Serbian players, Čumić, Mitrović, Tadić and Kostić are just a few I rate highly.’
Milošević combines a well-rounded skill-set with a grounded and hard-working mentality. A recipe for success. His adventure in Germany is hopefully only the start of a long and beautiful career, in which he’ll without doubt become a key player for Serbia. Asked about his biggest dreams in football, he’s clear: ‘To win the Champions League and a major trophy with my country.’
