He didn’t get a proper chance in Sparta, but then Mihailo Ristić made it in France and caught the eye of Benfica!

Mihailo Ristić is a 26-year-old versatile Serbian footballer. He can play as a left-back, left midfielder or central midfielder. Ristić has also had a stint at Sparta Prague, but he certainly doesn’t remember that one too well. After that, the Serbian international made his mark in France and headed to Benfica.

On 31 January 2018, Sparta Prague announced a loan signing, which was Ristić. He was then coming on a one-year loan from Krasnodar. The then 22-year-old versatile footballer seemed to be an interesting player who had a bright future ahead of him.

But Ristić stumbled at Sparta. He played only 4 games during the entire away season, which lasted until 31 December 2018. In these 4 games, he also spent only 37 minutes on the pitch. After the end of the away match, the Serbian returned to Krasnodar.

Despite a very unsuccessful guest stint at Sparta, where he practically did not play, Montpellier was not afraid to pay the Russian club 600 thousand euros for him on January 12, 2019. At the French club, he quickly became a key player in the starting lineup.

During this stint, he played a total of 99 games for Montpellier, scoring 3 goals and notching 7 assists. He was mostly used as a left-back and left midfielder. His performances have also earned him a certain reputation in the world.

It was thanks to this that Benfica lured him into their ranks, acquiring him as a free agent on 26 May 2022, as Ristić’s contract in France was coming to an end. The Bijeljina native signed a four-year contract with his new club. He will be joined at the club by, among others, new arrival Alexander Bah from Slavia.

Benfica, under the 45-year-old coach Nélson Veríssimo, most often play a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formation. The coach will therefore be able to take advantage of Ristić’s versatility and use him in both formations. Either as a left-back or a left midfielder.

If necessary, the coach can also change the formation during the match to 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 and Ristić will easily adapt to it. Moreover, due to the fact that he also played as a central midfielder, his technique is of a high level, which certainly pleases his new coach as well.

Source: Transfermarkt, Benfica Lisbon