Jovica Milijić

Jovica Milijić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јовица Милијић; born 20 January 1986[1]) is a Serbian-born Maltese futsal player, currently playing for Valletta, the reigning champions of Maltese Futsal League. In 2017 he won the Malta Football Association's futsal player of the year.[2]

Jovica Milijić
Personal information
Full name Jovica Milijić
Date of birth (1986-01-20) 20 January 1986
Place of birth Knjaževac, then SFR Yugoslavia, now Serbia
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Fixo
Team information
Current team
 Valletta and national malta team
Number 5
Youth career
? – 1999 Timočanin
2000–2004 Pietà
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2007 European Pilot Academy
2007–2009 Aluserv
2008 Scandals (loan)
2009–2011 Paola Downtown
2011–2012 Naxxar Motors
2012–2013 Lija Athletic
2013–2014 Balzan
2014–15 Hamrun Spartans
2015– Valletta
International career‡
2013– Malta 19 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 March 2018
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 March 2018

Football career

Milijić made his first football steps with Timočanin in mid-1990s, becoming a member of the promising generation together with the brothers Marinković, Nebojša Marinković and Nenad Marinković.

Soon after family relocation to Malta in 1999, he joined Pietà Hotspurs, a Maltese club famous for producing talented footballers in its youth school.

Futsal career

European Pilot Academy

The first touch with futsal Milijić had in the jersey of European Pilot Academy's futsal club (formerly known as Serbia) [3] where he won his first trophy - Maltese Futsal Cup for the season 2006/07.[4] Also, Milijić was close to win his first championship as that season European Pilot Academy was a point behind the title winner Jeepers Handyman Centre.[5]

Aluserv Futsal Club

After a successful debutant season, Milijić joined newly promoted futsal top tier Aluserv.[6] The team that were made for an instant success won the league and cup [7] but were defeated in the play-off semi-final,[8] just like in the season 2008–09.[9]

Scandals

His UEFA competition debut was at 2008–09 UEFA Futsal Cup preliminary round against Slovenian 2008 champion Gorica on 23 August 2008. The match was played in Helsinki and Scandals were heavy defeated (0-11).[10]

Paola Downtowns

During his stay in Paola Downtowns, Milijić was named for the top scorer of 2010-11 Maltese Futsal First Division with 42 goals.[11] The same season he was nominated for the best futsal player but the award went in the hands of the Romanian Anton Florin.[12]

Lija Athletics

Before the start of the 2012/13 season, Lija Athletic replaced Naxxar Motors and Milijić became a captain of the newly formed club. He even scored a hattrick on his debut against Valletta (7-1).[13] Although Lija Athletic had the highest ambitions, the cup journey was ended yet in the quarter-final and play-off was missed, for the first time in Milijić's career.[14][15]

Balzan

Next season Milijić changed Lija Athletics for Balzan[16] and the first trophy came soon after. Hibernians was heavily defeated (5-1) with Milijić among the scorers.[17] That was the introduction in a very successful season where Balzan won all possible trophies.

Valletta

Milijić joined Valletta FC Futsal in June 2015 as an experienced player that has won every possible honor. [18] He was a key figure in Valletta's march to the national title.[19] His best game in the regular part of the season was in March in a derby against his ex-club Lija Athletic, when he scored four goals in a 7–4 win.[20] During the first season with Valletta he scored 18 goals in the Gatorade Futsal League.[21] Next season Milijić added 21 goals.[22]

Malta national futsal team

In 2012 Milijić became a naturalized Maltese citizen and soon after started playing for the national futsal team. He had a debut in a heavy defeat against Georgia (0-9) in UEFA Futsal Euro 2014 qualifying at home ground in Paola, Malta on January 23, 2013.[23] He was also in the starting line up against Moldova recording one more loss (1-4).[24]

In 2014 Malta played only friendly games, three of them against Gibraltar (3-4,[25] 4-2[26] and 1-0[27]) and Serbia (1-4[28]), Milijić participated in all of them scoring two goals and a few more times he was close to score hitting only the post, most notably against his homeland Serbia.

Next year Malta participated in the qualification for Euro 2016 and then the qualification for World Cup. The team lost all six games, three in each tournament, by the order: England (0-3[29]), Andorra (0-4[30]), Latvia (0-8[31]), then France (2-8[32]), Lithuania (1-2[33]) and Albania (3-6[34]). Milijić took a part in all matches and scored in the last two.

Between two tournaments, Malta went to San Marino and recorded two wins (5-1 and 5-3)[35] with Milijić in the squad. He earned two more caps next year against the same national team, this time in Paola (4-0[36] and 2-2[37]).

At the beginning of the last year, with Milijić in the starting five, Malta lost all three games in UEFA Futsal Euro 2018 qualifying tournament held in Bulgaria, against England (1-6[38]), Bulgaria (1-6[39]) and Albania (2-3[40]).

Since his debut five years ago, Milijić has not missed any national team match, recording 19 caps and 4 goals in total.

International caps
National teamYearCompetitive Friendly Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Malta 201320 0 0 2 0
201400 4 2 4 2
201562 2 0 8 2
201600 2 0 2 0
201730 0 0 3 0
Total 112 8 2 19 4

International goals

Scores and results list Malta's goal tally first

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 9 January 2014Tercentenary Sports Centre, Gibraltar Gibraltar
1–1
3–4
 Friendly
2 11 January 2014Tercentenary Sports Centre, Gibraltar Gibraltar
3–1
4-2
 Friendly
3 23 October 2015Kaunas Sports Hall, Kaunas, Lithuania Lithuania
1–0
1–2
 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification (UEFA)
4 25 October 2015Kaunas Sports Hall, Kaunas, Lithuania Scotland
3–6
3–6

Personal life

Besides his mother tongue, Serbian, Milijić speaks four other languages: English, Maltese, Italian and Russian.

Honours

Club

European Pilot Academy

Maltese Futsal Cup: 2006-07 [41]

Aluserv

Maltese Futsal Cup: 2007-08

References
  1. "Night to remember for Milijic". fma.com.mt (in Maltese). Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  2. "Hibernians midfielder Bjorn Kristensen wins MFA Footballer of the Year award". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  3. "Maltese Futsal League is over". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  4. "MLT Futsal Cup 06-07". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  5. "MLT Futsal Play-Off 06-07". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. "MLT First Division 07-08 Aluserv". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  7. "MLT Futsal Play-Off 07-08". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  8. "MLT Futsal Play-Off 07-08". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  9. "MLT Futsal Play-Off 08-09". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  10. "Quick Profile". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  11. "Roderick Briffa wins Footballer of the Year Award". www.maltatoday.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  12. "Finalists announced for the GO Malta Football Awards - 10th edition". sportinmalta.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  13. "Title hopefuls Lija, Hibs make flying start". timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  14. "Maltese Futsal First Division 2012/13". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  15. "MLT FMA Futsal Cup 12-13". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  16. "FMA Super Cup Final". fma.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  17. "Balzan Super Cup Winners". fma.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  18. "Id-difensur internazzjonali Malti Jovica Milijic jingħaqad ma' Valletta Futsal". netnews.com.mt (in Maltese). Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  19. "Night to remember for Milijic". fma.com.mt (in Maltese). Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  20. "Four goal Milijic steals the show, Vital win for Sirens". fma.com.mt (in Maltese). Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  21. "Night to remember for Milijic". fma.com.mt (in Maltese). Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  22. "Top Scorers 2016-17" (PDF). fma.com.mt (in Maltese). Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  23. "Quick Profile". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  24. "Moldova-Malta 4-1". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  25. "Gibraltar upset Malta". fma.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  26. "Malta wins in Gibraltar". fma.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  27. "Malta brimming with pride after Gibraltar win". fma.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  28. "Serbia beat host team Malta in the inaugural match". fma.com.mt. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  29. "Malta-England 0-3". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  30. "Malta-Andora 0-4". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  31. "Malta-Latvia 0-8". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  32. "Malta-France 2-8". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  33. "Lithuania-Malta 2-1". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  34. "Malta-Albania 3-6". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  35. "AMICHEVOLI INTERNAZIONALI NAZIONALE FUTSAL SAN MARINO – MALTA". fsgc.sm (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  36. "FUTSAL – AMICHEVOLE INTERNAZIONALE CON MALTA". fsgc.sm (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  37. "NAZIONALE FUTSAL AMICHEVOLE MALTA – SAN MARINO 2-2". fsgc.sm (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  38. "England-Malta 6-1". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  39. "Bulgaria-Malta 6-1". uefa.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  40. "Malta-Albania 2-3". Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  41. "MLT Futsal Cup 06-07". futsalplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
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