Slovan Bratislava caught a striker from Atlético Madrid. Will he make it in the new jersey?

The management of Slovan Bratislava brought in a striker with a very interesting past. Twenty-four-year-old Serbian Ivan Šaponjić, whom Slovan acquired from Atlético Madrid for three years, should now be scoring goals. Will he make it in the new jersey?

He started football at home. Specifically in the Serbian team Zlatar Nova Varoš. He also wore the jersey of Užice or the famous Partizan, for which he made his debut at the age of 16. He scored four goals in the 2014/15 competition season at the age of seventeen and contributed to winning the championship title.

As far as his national team experience is concerned, he can boast, for example, a World Under-20 Championship title. In the U-15 to U-21 categories, he has a total of 42 accurate shots in sixty-one matches.

In 2016, Portuguese side Benfica expressed interest in his services. There, Šaponjić, as a reserve team player, collected a total of sixty-eight starts with a record of fourteen goals and two assists. During his time in Portugal, he was also a guest at the Belgian SV Zulte Waregem, where he scored seven goals in thirty-nine games.

His potential drew the attention of the scouts of Spanish Atlético Madrid and he has already reported there as a new signing in the summer of 2019. In hindsight, it can be said that it was not an entirely happy engagement.

In total, he only appeared in five games there. He didn’t make his mark in the scoring department. His subsequent loan spell at Cadiz didn’t help his career either. He now comes to Slovan Bratislava to restart his career.

“I’m very happy that I became a Slovan player. I really like the ambitions of the club, its background, history and the stadium, which gave me a great first impression. I can’t wait to wear the jersey for the first time in front of the fans. I want to stay in Slovan as long as possible, I want to help it to titles and success.

I’ve talked to the people at the club and the head coach and I’m looking forward to the new challenge. I bring good experience from Spain, now I need good training sessions, match practice and the highest possible playing minutes to show what I have in me,” Šaponjić told the club’s website after signing the contract.

“We want to restart his career together. We succeeded with Andraz Sporar, and I believe we can now write a nice story as well. I am convinced that Ivan has great quality and still hides a lot of potential, which he will show in time,” said club director Ivan Kmotrík Jr.

Source:: ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Transfermarkt