DEJAN SAVICEVIC, scorer of one of the finest goals ever in a Champions League final, turns 50 today.
‘Il Genio’ — The Genius, as he was known by AC Milan fans — is generally considered the greatest players ever from his country and gave Manchester United a masterclass in the 1991 Uefa European Super Cup.
He won the European Cup twice — once with Red Star Belgrade in 1991 and again with Milan three years later after it had be rebranded to the Champions League.
And it was in the latter, against Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona Dream Team, that he truly wrote his name into the headlines.
With the Rossoneri already 2-0 ahead through a Daniele Massaro double, Savicevic chased the ball down in the left-hand corner of the pitch.
He closed down the Barcelona defender and began to run into the area.
Milan’s No.10 spotted Andoni Zubizarreta off his line and dinked the ball over the Spaniard, which found its way neatly beneath the bar.
Fabio Capello and Co. on the bench were into delirium and Savicevic ran off to celebrate with the joyous Rossoneri fans nestled away in a corner of Athens’ Olympic Stadium.
Three years earlier, he had been part of the Red Star Belgrade side — along with Vladimir Jugovic, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Darko Pancev and Robert Prosinecki — which won the country’s only-ever European Cup.
They beat a Marseille side, which boasted the likes of Chris Waddle and Jean-Pierre Papin, on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Bari.
Dear Genius, HBD!
Maybe you are getting a bit older, but don't worry: many of your⚫️ goals will never get old! pic.twitter.com/r1iWkJbyqJ
— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 15, 2016
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Savicevic would finish joint-second behind Papin in that year’s list for the Ballon d’Or.
After joining Red Star as a 21-year-old in 1988, he was promptly called up for obligatory military service.
This led to speculation it was a decision made by rivals Partizan — the Serbian club with most ties to the army — were punishing the young maestro for rejecting them.
United had won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991 and faced Savicevic and Co. in the Uefa Super Cup.
Despite Sir Alex Ferguson‘s men winning on the night through a Brian McClair goal, Red Star’s playmaker ran the show with an incredible display from central midfield.
He moved to Milan in 1992 for £9.4million in the same summer as the Rossoneri made Papin the first £10m player.
Savicevic was the playmaker in Capello’s system and developed a good understanding with Croatian, Zvonimir Boban.
He was part of the team which went a staggering 58 matches unbeaten from 1991 to 1993.
Savicevic would win three league titles with both Red Star and Milan.
His finest hour would come on May 18, 1994 where a man-of-the-match display was capped off with one of the sweetest strikes in the competition’s history.
Red Star’s former general secretary, Vladimir Cvetkovic, showered him with high praise indeed, saying: “He really was a genius. The things he did and the moves he pulled off, for example in Munich [ in the 1990-91 Europan Cup semi-finals] and Manchester, are a thing of beauty — truly unbelievable stuff.
“Kind of like what Messi is doing today, only even more stylish. Yes, Savićević was more stylish than Messi is today”
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