Marko Pantelic is a 31 year old Serbian international striker, currently plying his trade in the Dutch Eredivisie with Ajax on a one year contract which runs out in the summer. In recent days, he has been linked with a move to Liverpool as the Reds look for some bargain deals around Europe to shore up the weak numbers that they currently have up front. So who is Pantelic?
A journeyman, the Serb started off his career in Greece with Iraklis Thessaloniki after his father moved there for a job when Marko was 14. He had already been a rising star back in Red Star Belgrade’s youth team, and he was quickly snapped up by Iraklis, breaking into the first team during the 1996-1997 season. After an impressive start to his time in Greece, he was spotted by scouts from Paris St-Germain and he was snapped up at the age of 17 by the French club. The move would however be the start of an unhappy period in the career of Pantelic, where he moved to subsequent clubs where his services weren’t needed.
After failing to break into the PSG team, he was loaned out to Lausanne in Switzerland where he scored regularly. Mainly due to these performances, he was transferred to Celta Vigo in Spain in 1999. He however did not play a single league game during his year in Spain and was loaned out to Austrian club Sturm Graz and Yverdon Sport for two subsequent seasons. Pantelic’s career had seemingly stalled and he returned to Serbia in 2002, still only aged 24, with a big job on his hands to revitalise his failing fortunes.
It was a move that paid off though, and after initially being written off, he won his spurs at Obilic Belgrade and Smederevo before earning a big money move back to his first club Red Star Belgrade mid-season in 2004. In 44 league appearances for Red Star, he scored an impressive 26 goals, and his performances did not go unnoticed around Europe. He was picked up initially on loan by Hertha Berlin before signing permanently the following season, scoring regularly in the Bundesliga with at least double figures every campaign for the German club. It was his second longest spell at any one club, 4 seasons in total, but he was once again on the move last summer.
Pantelic, now 30, refused to sign a new contract at Hertha and was released as a free agent. On September 1st, he signed for Ajax on a free transfer on a one year deal. He has subsequently had one of his most successful seasons, scoring 20 goals alongside prolific strike partner Luis Suarez as Ajax came within a point of FC Twente for the Dutch league title. In total, Ajax scored a colossal 106 goals in just 34 matches, averaging 3 per game and losing only 3 league matches in the process. They are certainly impressive stats, and ones that Pantelic played a critical part in, but the question remains would he be another Mateja Kezman if he moved from the Dutch league to England? Kezman was far younger than Pantelic when he moved to Chelsea back in 2004 after scoring 105 league goals in 122 appearances for PSV, but one thing is for certain, they are two different styles of player.
Pantelic is far stronger in the air than Kezman was. His physical presence maybe one of the prime aspects Rafa Benitez would be looking at in a new striker, and certainly the Serb would fit the bill. Pantelic has also been described as a flair player, skilful on the ball, good dribbling skills and very good in front of goal, he would certainly bring something different to the Liverpool attack. But why you ask, was he only picked up by Ajax last summer if he was so good? Like all freebies, it comes with a catch.
On the pitch he is prone to showboating while he can also be too selfish in front of goal if the better option on is to pass. Off the pitch, the 31 year old has also been known to clash with managers, must notably with former Hertha boss Lucien Favre, and once, while playing for Yverdon in Switzerland, he went AWOL for three weeks without any contact with the club.
Like everything though, it is a risk, but he has had a great season at Ajax, and there will be many clubs around Europe, including in the Premier League, that will be hoping to sign the striker.
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We would wish he is like Mateja Kezman!
Marko Pantelic is one of the worst strikers i ever watched. He played 31 game for national team and scored 5 goals. In the last 15 games he scored only two goals for national team, one in friendly against Algeria, and one against Romania in the win of 5:0. He is useless.