Image source, Getty Images
Slobodan Maricic, Journalist, BBC Serbia
Even though he became the most expensive Serbian goalkeeper in history, Djordje Petrovic is still a relatively unknown name in his homeland. In fact, there’s hardly anyone who would recognise him on the street.
Players who have never played for one of the two Belgrade giants, Red Star or Partizan, are never really under the spotlight.
Petrovic played for Cukaricki, a club from the capital Belgrade, which usually finishes in the top-half of the Serbian top tier, but has a notably smaller fanbase.
As a young keeper at Cukaricki, he patiently waited for his opportunity, was loaned out to a lower division club, and finally got a chance to defend the net. He used every opportunity given to him by his beloved club, collecting 78 appearances for Cukaricki overall.
Despite reported interest from at least one of the Belgrade rivals, Petrovic stayed at the club which became a regular participant in European competitions.
Last year, the 23-year-old made headlines when he signed for New England Revolution and went over to the US.
In Serbia, the MLS is not as popular as the European leagues because football lovers struggle to watch the games due to the time zone difference.
Petrovic quickly became one of the best goalkeepers in the US and even participated in the All-star game against Arsenal.
The goalkeeper also added two appearances to his name for the Serbian national team, both of which were in friendlies.
His former coaches are praising his physique, saying that he has great aerial ability and that he is not afraid to leave his line. They also highlight one-on-one situations as his speciality, as well as penalties.
Now he is coming to Stamford Bridge for £12.5m, plus £1.5m in add-ons, and he will compete with Robert Sanchez for the number-one shirt.
After a long and bumpy road to London, one thing is for certain – he is up for a challenge.
