10 things you need to know about Fiorentina hotshot Stevan Jovetic

Published 13:13 30/09/09

Fiorentina v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League

Liverpool fans will probably know as much as they need to about Serbian wunderkind Stevan Jovetic following his double strike in Florence last night.

But for those who want to know more about the teenager who's been dubbed the 'Montengrin Messi' and been teased for his unfortunate resemblance to Queen guitarist Brian May, here are 10 nuggets about the Fiorentina hotshot…

1) Stevan Jovetic was born on November 2, 1989 in Titograd which, since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992, has been called Podgorica, and is the capital of Montenegro.

2) When he was 11, the two-footed winger or forward, who is more comfortable on the right, joined local youth side FK Mladost. Three years later, he left for the bright lights of Belgrade to join the Partizan academy.

3) The 6ft teenager was handed his full debut when he was just 16, in a Serbian league match against Vozdovac in April 2006.

4) Over the next season, he became a vital part of the Partizan first team, despite his youth, and truly announced himself by netting his first hat-trick in a UEFA Cup qualifier against Croatian side Zrinjski in 2007.

5) Manchester United and Real Madrid headed the queue for the starlet and it was reported in October 2007 that the European giants were slugging it out for his signature, with a price tag of £7m. Dutch big-hitters Ajax, AZ Alkmaar and Heerenveen were also sniffing around, as were Italian club Sampdoria.

At the time Montenegro FA president Dejan Savicevic said: "Stevan could play at any of the biggest clubs in Europe. And I think United would get him on the cheap even for £7m."

Check out why Europe's big boys wanted him by watching footage here .

6) In order to tempt the youngster to stay, Partizan handed Jovetic the skipper's armband in January 2008 – when he was still only 18. However, they knew it wouldn't last and the precocious forward was transferred to Serie A side Fiorentina in May 2008 for a reported £7.3m.

7) Immediately thrust into the first-team limelight, Jovetic held his own. Nicknamed 'Jo-Jo' because of his cartoon-like hair, he chalked up his first goal for his new club in April 2009, a penalty against Atalanta. And he's now racking up the goals.

8) In August he neatly netted against Sporting Lisbon in a 1-1 draw in the Portuguese capital – a result that gifted Fiorentina their Champions League group place. Last night's brace against Liverpool took his tally to five for the Viola – and it looks like there'll be many, many more.

9) On the international scene, Jovetic made his bow for Montenegro in March 2007 in a friendly against Hungary. To date he has scored an impressive six goals in 11 appearances for his country.

10) His idol is Roma forward and fellow Montenegro international Mirko Vucinic, and he took over as captain of the Under-21 side from Vucinic when he was only 17.

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