Zvezda's amazing generation 2005!

Jovan Mijatović is the first guy born in 2005 to borrow the equipment of the first team of Crvena zvezda. The strong attacker hinted that he would be an excellent centre-forward while still in the company of experienced specialist Slađan Nikolić, which was immediately recognized by the leaders of our club. The popular Beckham "skipped" junior football, and at the age of only 17, he showed rapid progress playing in the First League of Serbia, as he scored as many as five goals in just eight games.

It didn't take long for him to establish himself at the foot of the north stand of the Maracana, given that he immediately made his debut on the international stage. Last season, he played in 17 matches, scoring a goal and an assist. He is decorated with an extremely strong left-footed shot, sharp duel play, football intelligence, execution and combativeness. He scored one goal in the preparation phase against Selection Užice, which was also the first goal of Crvena Zvezda in the 2023/24 season.

In the past month, Jovan Šljivić and Kosta Nedeljković charmed the star football public with their skill on the field.

The native of Kruševlja is exactly the profile of a player who is a fan favorite and someone who can bring the audience to their feet with just one move. Such adrenaline can only be brought by masters with the ball at their feet. While we watched the diminutive midfielder in the Serbian Cadet League, we heard many times that such a talented footballer had not been seen for a long time. In addition to the gift he carries with him, the boy who passed almost all the junior categories of our club is a perfect example of a player off the field. Always measured, smiling and a true worker on the field.

At the start of this year's season, on June 19, Šljivić pledged his loyalty to the red and white colors and embarked very successfully on new triumphs with his beloved team. He recorded an assist against Banja Luka's Borc, while a volley "torn" the net of Nefchi at the "Pari Cup" in Russia and was the scorer in a convincing victory for Red Star.

That Zvezda keeps its treasure is evidenced by Kosta Nedeljkovic, who extended the cooperation with our club for another three years. Just by the fact that he is performing in a deficit position, one would think that the door to success is open for him, however, the guy born on December 16, 2005 reached the first team only and exclusively with talent, hard work and phenomenal playing predispositions. Just 365 days ago, he was training with the Zvezda youth team, and now he is a standard first-team player who competes for a place on the field on an equal footing with much more experienced players.

Racing dominant - Nedeljković sprinted along the right sideline in the junior national championship, and he showed phenomenal performances in the Youth Champions League when he was constantly "breathing down the neck" of fast-footed wings and also the first team of the Dutch AZ Alkamar. Then, in Marko Neđić's company, he shook the nets and assisted in the second-ranked competition in our country, and in addition, he managed to develop a maximum running speed of 36.4 kilometers per hour, which is the world's parameters. Thanks to his positioning on the field, precise passing game, accuracy during sliding starts, but also spectacular offensive characteristics, Nedeljković is exactly the right back profile designed for the most serious competitions. We are sure that he will leave a deep mark in the Red Star jersey.

Observing the development path of the three first team members of Crvena Zvezda, who were the champions of the Serbian Cadet League until just a year ago, there is incredible satisfaction, because they have already won the first trophy in the senior team of Zvezda.

Also, the class of 2005 is most reminiscent of the famous generation of 1984, which consisted of Boško Janković, Dušan Basta, Dejan Milovanović, Marko Perović, Dragan Mrđa. We believe that many successes are just ahead of the offspring of our Youth School, who could surpass the performance of the above-mentioned celebrated players of our club.

As a reminder, the performance of Mijatović, Šljivić and Nedeljković at the end of the Serbian Cadet League in 2022:

Šljivić: 26 games, 9 goals, 14 assists.

Mijatović: 19 games, 12 goals, 7 assists.

Nedeljkovic: 26 games, 4 assists.