Stevan Jovetic: Who is Hertha Berlin's Montenegrin striker?
Montenegro international Stevan Jovetic brings with him a wealth of experience to Hertha Berlin, as well as comparisons to some illustrious footballers such as Roberto Baggio.
bundesliga.com gets to know the former Manchester City, Inter Milan, Sevilla and Monaco striker that will now ply his trade in the German capital...
Stevan Jovetic
Age: 31
Club: Hertha Berlin
Position: Forward
Country: Montenegro (55 caps/27 goals)
Key stats
Born 2 November 1989, Jovetic rose through the ranks of iconic Serbian side FK Partizan, where he made his senior debut on 8 April 2006 at the age of 16. He scored a first professional hat-trick of his career at 17, became Partizan's youngest ever captain at 18 and won the league and cup double in 2007/08 before heading to Italian Serie A side Fiorentina in 2008.
Jovetic scored 41 times and laid on 21 assists for La Viola across four seasons in Florence. His stay at Fiorentina ended in 2013 as English Premier League outfit Manchester City came calling for the then 23-year-old. Three league strikes and two assists followed as City lifted the Premier League title in his first season, while Jovetic also scored twice more on route to lifting the League Cup trophy that same year. He went on to also represent Sevilla in La Liga, Inter Milan in Serie A and, most recently, Monaco in Ligue 1, chalking up a total of 103 career goals and 51 assists in 365 appearances at club level prior to moving to Hertha this summer.
On the international stage, Jovetic was given the first of his current 55 Montenegro caps in the 2-1 friendly win over Hungary on 24 March 2007. He opened his international account against the same opposition with a brace in a 3-3 draw on 20 September 2008 - Jovetic's third appearance for his country. The 6'0" striker was his country's top scorer in the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League C with four goals to his name and he has previously been named Montenegro's Footballer of the Year twice; in 2009 and 2015.
Plays a bit like: Roberto Baggio
Over the years, Jovetic has been likened to some serious footballers; from Baggio to Johan Cruyff, Kaka and Messi. But it is fellow former Fiorentina man Baggio that Jovetic is possibly most similar to.
Like the Italian great, Jovetic rocked up in Florence with a bouncing perm but their similarities don't end there. Jovetic, too, is a graceful, skilful forward that prefers to lead the line with more of a playmaking, collaborative approach to play, while carrying with him a clinical threat of his own in front of goal.
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Nicknamed 'Jo-Jo' by Fiorentina fans, Jovetic has been an endearing figure at every one of his previous clubs and it's easy to see why. In 2015, he paid for 22-year-old compatriot Milivoje Raicevic's knee surgery in Germany, when his club couldn't afford the treatment.
"When he heard what had happened and discovered that my club doesn’t have enough money to send me to Augsburg following a misdiagnosis in Montenegro, Jovetic called me and offered his help," said Raicevic at the time.
"He arranged for me to meet a doctor who helped him when he had the same injury [in 2010]. Jovetić covered all examination costs and also paid for surgery, which I had a few days ago in Serbia. All I can do is say many, many thanks and promise to Stevan that I will be back next season, scoring goals for him."
What they're saying
"Stevan is a classic centre-forward, who has bags of experience in Europe’s top leagues. He’s scored goals in the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and La Liga. His footballing qualities, plus his personality will help us immediately. We’re looking forward to him." - Hertha sporting director Fredi Bobic
"I like to play as an attacking midfielder, I like space and a lot of the ball." - Jovetic on his playing style
"Stevan is skilful, he’s full of running, he’s powerful, shooting comes naturally. He’s inventive and can beat a man. Jovetic is world-class." - Dejan Savicevic on his Montenegro successor
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