At 27, "exiled" in Greece, Jovic ultimately succumbed to temptation.

By: Han Bing On August 4, Jovic joined the Greek giant AEK Athens as a free agent, continuing his career that has struggled to find a foothold in the top five leagues, which is truly lamentable. Just last week, he was on the verge of signing with the La Liga promoted team Real Oviedo, but in the end, the 27-year-old Jovic had to settle for the Greek league. Who would have thought that six years ago, when he joined Real Madrid with much fanfare, he was considered the "next Benzema." People hoped he could replicate the success of Mihajlovic at the Bernabeu, but the result was a complete failure similar to that of the previous Serbian "prodigy," Ognjenovic.

Six years ago, at just 21, Jovic was dominating the Bundesliga and was seen by Real Madrid as the next Benzema. The young striker, who was loaned from Benfica to Frankfurt for only 200,000 euros, set the record for the youngest player to score five goals in a Bundesliga match (20 years and 300 days). The savvy Frankfurt team bought him out for 7 million euros before the loan ended and then sold him to the eager Real Madrid for a ninefold increase (63 million).

Jovic was the biggest investment in the forward line for Real Madrid since Bale in 2013, but unfortunately, he became one of the club's most failed "gamble." In his debut season at Real Madrid, it took him ten appearances to score his first goal, and he was unable to integrate into the team due to thigh and foot injuries, as well as a COVID-19 infection. With no friends in the locker room, Jovic caused a stir by leaving the team without permission to return to Belgrade, nearly landing in jail for violating local quarantine policies. In the 2020/21 season, after a second COVID-19 infection, his condition continued to decline, forcing Real Madrid to loan him back to Frankfurt. This idol of Falcao, who still sported his idol's hairstyle, saw his career plummet from there.

In the summer of 2022, Real Madrid terminated Jovic's contract three years early, even paying 5 million euros in salary for the remaining two years to send him to Fiorentina. Jovic's dream with the Galacticos ended with a dismal record of just 3 goals in 51 appearances. He failed to regain his form at his former club Frankfurt or in Serie A with Fiorentina and Milan. After parting ways with Milan this summer, Jovic received offers from leagues in the UAE, Mexico, and Turkey but chose the promoted team Oviedo in La Liga, simply because the coach was his compatriot, Pjanic. Ultimately, AEK Athens offered a higher annual salary (3 million euros), and with a coach who is also his compatriot, Nikolich, Jovic transferred to the Greek giant.

Ironically, Jovic's striking partner at AEK Athens is another example of a "high-priced low-performance" player, Martial. The French youngster, who joined Manchester United for over 50 million euros, was considered the "next Henry," but ended up being discarded by the Red Devils when his contract expired. Jovic chose AEK Athens for the higher annual salary of 3 million euros, bonuses linked to goals scored, and a signing fee of 1 million euros. Ironically, as a child, he and his father had once rejected lucrative offers from Bundesliga clubs to repay the nurturing they received from Red Star. At that time, Jovic stated that he joined Red Star not for romance but to play, yet what ultimately derailed him was his increasingly media-driven private life after joining Real Madrid...

Born into a Bosnian Serbian family, Jovic began his football career at age 5 and was scouted at age 7 to participate in Belgrade's youth league. After scoring a hat trick in his debut, his father Milan received 50 euros for each of Jovic's appearances and a commuting allowance of 2,000 dinars (about 20 euros) for traveling from their hometown to Belgrade. Jovic's football journey started off rocky, as his grandmother and sister often fell ill, forcing his father to take care of them in a hospital in Belgrade. His grandfather, who farmed for a living, tied little Jovic to his side to prevent the lively boy from getting lost.

Jovic's father Milan with his Passat car.

Fortunately, Jovic's football legend uncle Milosevic, along with stars like Stankovic and Mihajlovic, initiated a fundraising campaign to cover his sister's medical expenses. As an amateur player, his father Milan could only find time to nurture Jovic into a versatile striker. To save on accommodation costs, the father and son had to sleep in the old Passat car. His father had to repeatedly start the car to prevent his son from freezing in the cold night. The hardships Jovic endured in pursuit of his football dream as a child seem to have been forgotten now that he has become wealthy overnight as an adult.

As a child, Jovic idolized Ibrahimovic and Falcao, and he once wrote their names on his social media profile after his own. However, unlike his idols, his childhood love for high-calorie foods like chocolate, chips, and donuts, along with an uncontrollable nightlife, has remained unchecked since joining Benfica. Ultimately, the undisciplined Jovic saw his football talent completely destroyed by his desires.