What became of Zigic? The giant '9' that conquered LaLiga

On a day like today, 40 years ago In the Backa Topola municipality of the city of Vojvodina in Serbia, one of the most charismatic strikers remembered in the 21st century in Spanish football was born. Nikola Zigic is on his birthday, already retired from football, but with a strong link to the country where he spent the best years of his sports career. He hung up his boots after the 2014-15 season, when he wore the Birmingham shirt and decided to return to Spain to settle in Valencia, where he still maintains contact with people close to the club.

In fact, the Serbian forward has been part of the Valencian veteran team and the Association of Footballers of the entity. To this day, he has put aside his union with the Che team and has taken his first step in his possible career as a coach. The Serbian national team, led by Ljubisa Tumbakovic, hired him as an assistant in March 2019. Luka Jovic, without going any further, receives in each international break the advice of what was a tank of the areas and a physical marvel that gave many joys to Racing and Valencia himself.

On a personal level, Zigic stays out of the media life. It hardly goes through the media and does not have social networks or, at least, not publicly. Those who know him define him as a man who he likes to joke and waver, friendly and somewhat reserved in the face of fame. He himself already revealed his plans for the future as soon as he landed in Spain back in 2006: “I want to have a family, have children and lead a normal lifeEven so, his love for football has come to remain linked to him, despite being already in the second row when the camera starts recording.

He tried … in Third Division!

Zigic left Birmingham at the age of 35 to end his sports career. However, something inside told him that he still had the body to continue enjoying the beautiful game. Not at the elite level, after being a substitute in his last stage in England, but, why not, in non-professional football categories. And so, He was on test at Torre Levante, at that time of the Third Division of Spanish football. He trained for a few weeks, at an average of three sessions, to see his feelings and make sure he was still at the level to compete. Finally, despite the good intentions of both parties, the Serbian forward did not establish himself in the club and he definitely said goodbye to the competitive level.

However, he did play later with Valencia veterans, with whom he showed that he had not lost his scoring nose. Throughout his career, Zigic scored a total of 89 goals in 288 games played. Paradoxically, despite being 2.02 meters tall, he was never a superb header. His length, of course, allowed him to score with the 'head', but he was not a specialist. Rather, He took advantage of his size to get spaces in the area, disturb the set pieces or win aerial fights and thus initiate offensive plays. He shone more by intelligence than by auction and always forced to have two rivals pending of him in strategy plays.

The most famous 'no-penalty' in history

Surely, graphical tests are not necessary to remember which play is being referred to. More than ten years have passed since then, but on Twitter and other social networks it is still remembered as if it were yesterday. Back on April 8, 2010, Valencia and Atlético de Madrid faced each other in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals.. In the first leg they signed a tie at two. In the decisive duel, therefore, the visitors needed to score at Vicente Calderón. And they made merits to achieve it. De Gea was superb with decisive stops to David Navarro and Zigic in the final stretch of the duel.

But the goalkeeper's stretches fell into oblivion, when Juanito shamelessly grabbed Zigic's shirt, before the astonished gaze of everyone present. Of all except the collegiate Florian Meyer, which pointed out absolutely nothing. The play, difficult to see due to the noise formed inside the area, left no doubts at the moment in which the Serbian striker did not believe what had happened, stretching his arms and with the shirt completely torn. Even Juanito had no qualms about admitting that he had held the Valencia footballer.

“That penalty would have been whistled by everyone, even the Calderón people. The shirt always travels with me and I will keep it for a lifetime. Someday I will frame it and when I am old I will remind my grandchildren of the story of that torn shirt that was useless. I will remember that I was able to play in a semi-final of the Europa League, which Atlético won in the end. It could have been us, “the Serbian giant later recalled. And so it was. Later, those of Quique Sánchez Flores eliminated Liverpool and overthrew Fulham in the final to be crowned champions of the second maximum continental competition.

Look if it has rained since then, that not even Simeone directed the mattresses. But that's how football is and that's how the average fan's image will always be of a striker who was much more on the national scene than a torn shirt. On his 40th birthday, a multitude of followers have congratulated him by attaching the aforementioned photograph. For more inri, Valencia himself he also did it, with an accompanying text: “Surely he still remembers this action against Atlético in the quarterfinals of the Europa League. And you?“.

The mythical Sharpener Duo

In summer 2006, a Zigic tired of Serbian football came to Santander to wear the Racing shirt. The attacker acknowledged that it was difficult for him to enjoy himself in his native country, due to the lower incidence of sport in the day-to-day life and the lack of public in the stadiums. He was taking a giant step, never better said, in his career. In Spain, he soon won the affection of everyone. In the first place, due to his particular physique, unique in the entire championship. And then for their performance, forming together with Munitis an iconic couple in El Sardinero.

Both were leading Racing from different heights. Munitis, with his approximate 1.70, was one of the shortest players in the entire championship. Zigic, with his 2.02, was the biggest. Unforgettable those celebrations in which the '10' hit a boat to catch up with the Serbian and hug him to celebrate a goal. For obvious reasons, they were nicknamed the 'Pencil Sharpener Duo'. The nickname evolved to give a more football touch to the 'Sharpener Duo'. Far from staying in a 'comical' couple, both were pure chemistry on the pitch. When one assisted the other, the other assisted one. They knew how to read their partner's game wonderfully and formed a lethal tandem. The tenth place signed by the Cantabrian team demonstrates this.

It soon caught the attention of clubs on the continent. Zigic, happy in Spain, wanted to continue. Valencia took it, where he spent the 2007-08 season and half of the 2008-09 season, before returning to Santander. In Mestalla he did not show his highest level, which he did in his second stage at Racing. 13 goals in 19 games, of course, they endorse it. And that was worth to him to regain the opportunity of the Che entity, where he was already closer than what was expected of him. In the 2010-11 campaign he was transferred to Birmingham, where he lived his last five years of sports career. After starring in 2013-14, she lost prominence and decided to end an iconic career.

So much so that today, on another anniversary for him, he felt the love and support of a country that saw him shine as a footballer. From AS, we join those congratulations. Of course, they are not a simple memory. Zigic has not said his last word in football and who knows if he will one day become a Serbian coach or a top-level coach. For the moment, he settles for attend Tumbakovic and to work conscientiously so that Luka Jovic once again feels the confidence that made him an elite striker at Eintracht Frankfurt.