P is for Prijovic
Aleksandar Prijovic signed for Derby County at 18 years old having been a fringe player at Italian club Parma, but it was in Northampton where he started to make his name.
While the St Gallen-born forward only made youth team appearances for the Rams, he agreed short-term loan spells with Yeovil Town and the Cobblers in the 2008/09 season, playing 10 times for the latter in League One.
His first start in claret and white resulted in a 4-0 victory over Stockport County, and he soon netted in consecutive matches against Southend United and Leyton Orient – his first goals in the professional game.
In February 2010, Prijovic swapped Derby with Switzerland-based team FC Sion, where he made 41 league appearances in three years. During that time, he also had loan spells at FC Lausanne-Sport, and then Tromsø IL after reportedly being recommended to the Norwegian club by now Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
In the seven years since leaving Sion, Prijovic has played professionally in Sweden, Turkey, Poland, Greece, and Saudi Arabia, making over 250 appearances collectively and netting over 120 goals. His most productive spell came over two years at top-flight Greek side PAOK, finishing the 2017/18 season as the division’s top scorer before helping his side win the league the following year.
Prijovic also made his mark on the international stage, playing for Serbia and then Switzerland at youth level before pledging his allegiance to Serbia’s senior team. After making his debut against Wales, his first international goal was a 74th-minute winner against Georgia that sealed Serbia’s place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
At the tournament, Prijović featured against Costa Rica – a significant career milestone that can sit alongside six league and cup winners’ medals that he has collected across Europe. Prijović continues to play for Al-Ittihad Club in the Saudi Professional League.
