The striker wasn’t the biggest name to join the Middle Eastern footballing revolution, but his performances in the Gulf have been scintillating
When the Saudi Pro League kickstarted their plans for footballing domination last summer, they initially seemed to be targeting a certain profile of player. Namely, those approaching the twilights of their careers who were conscious that paydays like this were in diminishing supply. The likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Jordan Henderson were just three examples.
However, as the transfer window progressed, the Pro League’s other objectives became clearer. If they wished to properly disrupt the established footballing order, they needed to pluck players away from the biggest leagues in the land when they were still at their peaks.
Nothing typified this aim more than Al-Hilal’s protracted pursuit of Aleksandar Mitrovic. During the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, the Serbian had scored 14 times in just 24 appearances, a tally that would have been even greater if he had not received a lengthy ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh during an FA Cup quarter-final. If he was to leave Craven Cottage, one would have expected a top-tier Premier League club to be his destination.
Instead, Mitrovic would wind up in Saudi Arabia, with this decision and his agitation for the transfer being roundly criticised in the British media. Indeed, upon its completion, Cottagers boss Marco Silva admitted: “It is not the ideal scenario, not because he received an offer. It is all the situation about himself. He is not working properly with his team-mates, and when I say it is not the ideal scenario, this is the situation.”
Mitrovic, though, has never been one to shy away from confrontation, and he has fully owned his decision – as well as taking the Pro League by storm – in the months that have followed.
Refusing to go quietly
Mitrovic’s first swipe back at his detractors came in September. In an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport, the striker said: “When I received the offer from Al-Hilal, I talked about it with my family, giving up was impossible. I have no nostalgia for England, I played many years there.”
Then came the spiciest line of all: “I’m happy to have finally arrived at a top club, Al-Hilal is a bit like Real Madrid in Europe.” For fans of Newcastle and Fulham, this jibe would have stung, and Mitrovic has continued to strike a defiant tone whenever he’s been quizzed by the Western media about his decision to move to Saudi Arabia.
More recently, he told Sky News: “After seven years in England, I think the first thing was the sun. I never had summer sun in my life. It’s been different you know, different culture, different football, the mentality of people as well, but so far I’m really happy. My family is happy. The club is amazing so far it’s a great experience and looking forward to more years.”
“The people here are crazy about football, but you have a bit more privacy here,” he added. “We live on a compound, we’re a little bit more isolated and people from Europe and around the world live there. The life is really nice. You wake up, have breakfast, a little workout, then recovery in the pool in the sun.”
Electric form
The financial aspect of the move cannot be ignored, of course. It’s been reported that Mitrovic is earning in excess of £400,000 ($507,000) at Al-Hilal. But unlike some of his other former Premier League contemporaries, he certainly cannot be accused of simply kicking back and picking up his pay check.
After scoring on his debut against Al-Raed, Mitrovic wrote his name into Al-Hilal folklore a few weeks later. Rivals Al-Ittihad were his side’s opponents and he struck three times – including one ridiculous volley – in a dramatic 4-3 victory that set the tone for an amazing season.
A wonder strike from Aleksandar Mitrovic 🤯 #yallaRSL #RoshnSaudiLeague pic.twitter.com/aWWixN9uy4
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) September 1, 2023
Scoring the winner in a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej in mid-October then instigated a startling 10-game scoring run for Mitrovic. This included a fine brace in a victory against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, which helped Al-Hilal pull well clear at the top of the table.
And Mitrovic and Co refused to relent as the campaign progressed. He eventually finished with an outstanding 28 goals in as many Saudi Pro League matches as Al-Hilal went the entire season undefeated.
His fine form extended to other competitions, too. Mitrovic was consistently decisive in his side’s run to the King’s Cup final, and had he not been absent for the AFC Champions League semi-finals against Al-Ain, you would have fancied them to be in with a shot of winning that trophy as well.
His end-of-season stats made for mightily impressive reading. When all was said and done, Mitrovic contributed 40 goals and eight assists in only 43 appearances in all competitions.
Outshining bigger names
These contributions are made all the more impressive when you consider how badly some of the Saudi Pro League’s other big-name arrivals struggled in their new surroundings. Before the season kicked off, it would have taken someone brave to predict Mitrovic outscoring the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner. But that’s exactly what happened.
While Mitrovic was banging them in with metronomic regularity, Benzema’s season was characterised by underperformance and punctuated by dressing-room controversy. Sadio Mane – one of Al-Nassr’s marquee buys – fell way short of the Serbian’s standards too, managing a fraction of his goal contributions, while Riyad Mahrez only scored twice in his final 11 Saudi Pro League games of the season. Roberto Firmino, meanwhile, fared so poorly that Al-Ahli were trying to dispose of him in January, while Neymar – his Al-Hilal team-mate – has barely played after suffering an ACL injury.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo, who has embraced life in Saudi Arabia like few other foreign imports, could be argued to have enjoyed a weaker season than Mitrovic. Yes, a late surge may have been enough to secure Ronaldo the Golden Boot, but the ex-Real Madrid man was left inconsolable on the field after Al-Hilal ended their chances of silverware on penalties in the King’s Cup final.
Incredible international record
All of this means that Mitrovic will be charging towards Euro 2024 with a head of steam. This was typified in Serbia’s final warm-up game before the tournament against Sweden, when he netted his side’s second goal in a 3-0 victory with his final touch of the game.
Scoring for his country has rarely been an issue for Mitrovic. Even when his club form has faltered, he’s remained reliable. Overall, he boasts 58 goals from just 91 caps, giving him a better international strike rate than Lautaro Martinez, Robert Lewandowski and Alvaro Morata.
He has a point to prove at this tournament, too. This is Serbia’s first Euros since gaining independence, but at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Mitrovic could not prevent his side crashing out at the group stages despite scoring three times across the two tournaments.
Serbia’s key man
And if Serbia are to buck that trend in Germany, Mitrovic’s performances will be key. Under the leadership of head coach Dragan Stojkovic, who took over in March 2021, it’s probably fair to say that the nation has underperformed.
In qualification for this tournament, they were far from convincing. Placed in a ludicrously weak group alongside Hungary, Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria, an underwhelming draw against the latter – who finished bottom of the pile – finally sealed second spot and automatic progression.
Criticism of the coach has been rife, with Manchester United icon Nemanja Vidic even publicly questioning whether Stojkovic was justifying his salary back in November 2023. If he is to keep his job, Mitrovic needs to turn up.
Tactically, Serbia have a few possibilities, though they’re most likely to set up in a 3-4-2-1. Despite the presence of £63m ($80m) Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, Mitrovic looks poised to lead the line on his own, with Dusan Tadic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic playing in advanced midfield roles behind him. A solid stream of crosses should also come from left wing-back Filip Kostic, who once racked up 17 Bundesliga assists in a single season during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Can he haunt England?
Thanks to the top-heavy nature of their squad, Serbia tend to be fairly open and attacking. England – one of Serbia’s group-stage opponents alongside Slovenia and Denmark – might be licking their lips at this prospect, given their recent issues with breaking down low blocks.
Then again, Mitrovic’s presence might just throw a spanner in the works. Not only is he in lethal form, the Three Lions’ backline will head into their opening game under significant pressure. Thanks to the absence of Harry Maguire and the shaky fitness of Luke Shaw, it’s unclear which players Gareth Southgate will be selecting.
As a result, whoever is chosen will be placed under a microscope. Mitrovic – who will be well acquainted with the England defence due to his time in the Premier League – will be looking to seize upon any moments of uncertainty in Gelsenkirchen. And it’s imperative the Three Lions do not underestimate the threat of one of world football’s most unrelenting goal-scorers if they are to get off to a strong start this summer.
