Next up in our alphabetical world tour is Montenegro. Montenegro was previously a part of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro before becoming an independent nation in 2007, and since then, four players have represented Montenegro in the Premier League.
First Player – Stefan Savic (Manchester City; 2011-12)
Joining Manchester City as a 20-year-old, Stefan Savic became the first Montenegrin to play in the Premier League in 2011.
Savic joined a cohort of defenders including Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure, featuring infrequently and often struggling to establish himself in a game.
Despite contributing to City’s incredible 2011/12 title win with 11 league appearances, Savic left City after just one season, moving to Fiorentina. He currently plays for Atletico Madrid and has won 52 caps for Montenegro.
Records
- Most appearances – Stevan Jovetic (30)
- First appearance – Stefan Savic (MAN CITY 4-0 Swansea, August 15th 2011)
- Most goals – Stevan Jovetic (5)
- First goal – Stefan Savic (Blackburn 0-4 MAN CITY, October 1st 2011)
Other Players
Just over a month after Savić became the first Premier League Montenegrin, Simon Vukčević made his league debut for Blackburn to become the second. While both players left after a single season, their fates were very different as Savić won the league and Vukčević suffered relegation.
The other two Montenegrins to feature in the Premier League both joined in the summer of 2013. Like Savić and Vukčević before them, Stevan Jovetić won the league and Elsad Zverotić suffered relegation in their first seasons in England, with Manchester City and Fulham respectively.
Trivia
- All four Montenegrin Premier League players are among the six most capped players in the history of the Montenegro national team.
- Every Montenegrin to play in the Premier League has either won the title or been relegated.
- Elsad Zverotić won a cap for Switzerland’s under 18 side in 2004, before electing to play for Montenegro after the country joined FIFA.
