A MATHEMATICIAN THAT NEVER WAS, AS FAST AS MBAPPÉ AND PIXI’S JOKER: Who is the footballer that amazed Serbia?
The Verona footballer, currently on loan at Belgian side Leuven, turned the tide in the second Nations League play-off match.
Some new faces in the Serbian national football team, as a sign of fresh winds. One of those who has rightfully earned the label of “Pixi’s son” is Stefan Mitrović, a 22-year-old who dazzled in the two-legged tie against Austria in the play-offs for survival in the Nations League.
His name on Dragan Stojković’s squad list came as a big surprise. Almost no one had faith in the young man—but Pixi did, and in doing so showed he is a coach who knows how to sense a player’s potential, and prepare him mentally and pedagogically for matches. Last summer, Stefan Mitrović moved from Verona to Belgium, joining the Leuven team to get more playing time. And it was the right decision. The Belgian league suits him; he’s played 20 matches across all competitions for his club, scoring two goals and providing one assist. This did not go unnoticed by Dragan Stojković and Stevan Stojanović.
And Stefan Mitrović knew how to return that trust. In the first match in Austria, he was a breath of fresh air down the left flank, coming on for Veljko Birmančević. In the second leg at the Marakana, he was fouled in the incident that led to Austria being reduced to ten men. In addition, he wreaked havoc down the left wing, and it’s a real shame he didn’t cap off a one-on-one chance with a goal. This young man is characterised by incredible speed and unpredictable dribbling. He’s like lightning. It’s worth mentioning that his top speed is 36 kilometres per hour. For comparison, Kylian Mbappé runs at 38 km/h.
It’s also worth noting that Stefan Mitrović made his debut for Serbia under Dragan Stojković Pixi. It was in the Nations League on 24 September 2022, against Sweden (4–1), when he came on for Dušan Tadić in the 84th minute. Since then, he’s made six appearances for the Eagles. And had it not been for Stojković’s vision, Stefan Mitrović could very easily have ended up playing for Canada, the country where he grew up, fell in love with football, and even featured for their youth national team. The Canadians were serious in their interest, offering the moon and stars, but in the end it was his heart and the upbringing from his parents that made the decision easy. And not to forget the advice from Red Star, which Mitrović has mentioned on several occasions.
“I really didn’t expect the call-up to the Serbian national team. Everything happened so quickly — signing for Red Star, then calls from both Serbia and Canada. It was a huge decision. What tipped the scales was that Serbia gave me the opportunity to become a professional footballer. And when Pixi calls, that’s not something you turn down,” Mitrović revealed two years ago, adding how much Red Star had helped him along the way:
“I’m overjoyed, because being called up to the Serbian national team is the fulfilment of a childhood dream. This is one of the happiest days of my life, along with the day I signed for Red Star. Thanks also to the club’s management, who spent a lot of time talking to me and advising me to accept Serbia’s call-up, even though I had the option to play for Canada.”.
That season, Stefan Mitrović was fantastic in Red Star’s shirt. He lit up Serbian pitches and impressed in the Europa League, especially with his performance against Ferencváros. And it was all under Dejan Stanković and his colleague Miloš Milojević, who had tried to bring him to Swedish side Malmö six months earlier. It was Deki who, near the end of the 2022 transfer window, persuaded director Zvezdan Terzić to pay €500,000 to Radnički Niš and bring him to the Marakana. Even back then, Dejan Stanković had drawn Dragan Stojković’s attention to Stefan Mitrović, with whom the national coach reportedly fell in love “at first touch”.
“Mister (Dejan Stanković – ed.) is the greatest name in Serbian football for me. I’m truly happy he saw something in me and wanted me to come to Red Star. Ronaldo was my idol, but I always watched Red Star. I used to watch them with my friends at a café in Canada. After a Red Star match, Dejan came up to me and asked if I wanted to join the club. I nodded. He said: ‘Do you promise?’ I simply replied: ‘I promise’,” Mitrović revealed.
It’s a real shame that Stefan Mitrović remained somewhat unfulfilled in the red-and-white shirt, although he did have several excellent performances under Barak Bachar in the Champions League. Though once seen as a future star asset for the club, his form began to fade at the Marakana, and trust in him dwindled. Last winter, the club sold him to Verona for €1.3 million and 20 percent of any future transfer, even though only a season earlier his market value had been €5 million. He was once compared to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but… he didn’t quite adapt in Italy, and the move to Belgium turned out to be the best decision. There, he shone brightly, especially in matches against Brugge, Anderlecht, and Standard, where he showed his immense potential.
Interestingly, Mitrović never neglected school for football. He’s an excellent mathematician and once said he enjoyed working with polynomials more than geometry.
In the winter of 2023, Stefan Mitrović was at the peak of his form, and at that time he was being followed by Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, and Hertha. The latter two clubs sent offers worth €5 million to Red Star, but these were rejected. Red Star director Zvezdan Terzić had his sights set on negotiating with Barcelona, as did Stefan’s father, Ivan Mitrović. It has always been Stefan’s dream to try his luck in Spain. Time is on his side—there’s no need to rush.
As a boy, Stefan Mitrović was scouted by Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon. He went on trial at both clubs, but he was only 13 at the time, and didn’t want to be separated from his parents, so he stayed in Canada. He also had spells at Perugia in Italy and Lierse in Belgium. But it was his return to Serbia and move to Niš at the age of 17 that changed everything—because in Serbia, he felt at home. He went on trial at Radnički, impressed everyone, and immediately earned a contract. It was veteran coach Milorad Kosanović who gave him his first chance, throwing him into the fire straight away, and that too on his debut—against Red Star.
