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New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Nottingham Forest's player of the season: Nikola Milenkovic
There was a moment early in the season at Stamford Bridge when — amid all the ceremony and pomp that comes before a modern Premier League game — Nikola Milenkovic stood perfectly still. With the two teams lined up and waiting to exchange handshakes, many players shuffled from foot to foot or fidgeted nervously. The big Serbian, however, stared straight ahead of him, his face a mask of pure focus. Stoic. Calm. Ready. Advertisement It is a moment that still stands out. This was precisely the attitude and demeanour that has helped him to flourish at Nottingham Forest. Milenkovic grew up playing football on the streets of Serbia, at a time when the Balkan War of the 1990s was not too distant a memory. He still has the Manchester United shirt he wore on many of those days, which carries the name of his idol, Nemanja Vidic. It is easy, but also entirely justified, to make comparisons between the two men. Like Vidic at Old Trafford — where he made 300 appearances between 2006 and 2014 — Milenkovic has already established himself as a transformative figure in a red shirt. His presence has made the entire Forest defence even stronger and more disciplined. Goalkeeper Matz Sels, who shared the Golden Glove award with Arsenal's David Raya, after keeping 13 clean sheets, and the other three members of that back four, Murillo, Ola Aina and Neco Williams, were all among the other credible contenders for the player of the season award at Forest. The 20-goal striker Chris Wood, winger Anthony Elanga, and creative heartbeats Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson could also have been spoken about as being in contention. But nobody else has quite had the same impact on the side as Milenkovic. 'Nikola has done great,' said Nuno Espirito Santo in his press conference after the final day defeat to Chelsea. 'Credit to him. Since he arrived, he has made a big impact on the team, not only on the games, but with his presence and leadership. But for me, it is not a player of the season, it should be the team of the season.' Like Vidic, Milenkovic is a powerful, no-nonsense defender. He is also the captain of his national side. Ryan Yates, the Forest club captain, has described him as being a 'warrior and a leader — exactly what you would expect', in a previous interview with The Athletic. Advertisement Murillo had already made a positive impact last season. But the arrival of Milenkovic, 27, seems to have helped the Brazilian to take another step forward. The duo have quickly forged one of the most formidable partnerships in the Premier League. Milenkovic cost around £11million ($14.9m) when he joined from Fiorentina last summer, and they each represent some of the best business Forest have done in the modern era. Milenkovic has scored five goals this season, four of which came in victories — away at Old Trafford, Portman Road and the London Stadium, and at the City Ground against Aston Villa. But it has been at the back where he has made the biggest difference. Last season, Forest conceded 22 goals from set-piece situations. This time, with Milenkovic in their ranks, they have conceded nine — only five teams have conceded fewer goals from corners and free kicks. At the other end, Forest have scored 17 times from set pieces, which is the most in the top flight this season. That is not down to Milenkovic alone, but his 6ft 5in frame has unquestionably been a factor, with the former Partizan player having also provided two assists. Milenkovic has won 71.63 per cent of his aerial duels this season — 101 of the 141 he has contested. Among Premier League first-team regulars, James Tarkowski of Everton has the best percentage, at 74.64. Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk has a percentage of 72.12. As Nuno pointed out, the player of the season award could reasonably have been renamed the 'team of the season award' during a campaign in which Forest followed up back-to-back fights against relegation by pushing for Champions League qualification. But it is the Conference League that they will compete in from next August — a competition that Milenkovic knows well, having twice reached the final with Fiorentina (2023 and 2024). Advertisement The Italian side were beaten by Olympiacos in Athens last May, but Milenkovic produced a performance that helped to persuade Evangelos Marinakis, the figurehead at both Olympiacos and Forest, that he was a player worth signing. A year later, it feels like an astute investment.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Leny Yoro wants to achieve big things with Man United
Leny Yoro said that he wants to achieve the same thing like Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, to win trophies with the Red Devils following their victory over Athletic Club in the Europa League second leg.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
No-nonsense Wanderers defender ready for ALM finals war
Shirt tucked in, socks rolled up high, and boasting an unquenchable thirst for smashing strikers, Western Sydney defender Anthony Pantazopoulos sounds like a footballer from a bygone era. That's before you even start to discuss the no-nonsense centre back's party trick where he launches goalkicks downfield to cause havoc for opposing defenders. And while those might all seem like traits from a time when the beautiful game was slightly more rudimentary, there is little doubt that Pantazopoulos has proven he belongs at A-League Men level after a breakout campaign. Able to play with boot feet, the 22-year-old has made himself a cornerstone of the Wanderers' defence en route to Saturday's elimination final with Melbourne Victory. Pantazopoulos helped the Wanderers finish the regular season in fourth spot on the table, scoring in last Saturday's 3-1 win over Macarthur FC to extend the club's unbeaten run to 11 games. But there's little question as to what gives the defender, who grew up idolising Manchester United's Serbian hardnut Nemanja Vidic, the most satisfaction. "I get more of a thrill out of going through someone," Pantazopoulos told AAP. "I'm happy for the team if I score, but personally, there's nothing better than crunching someone, I really thrive off it. "I played a few years in the NPL where the centre backs are old school and I learned stuff off them so I don't feel 22, I feel like a 36-year-old. "If I play a striker who wants body contact in the first few minutes, then I'm the happiest man alive and I go; 'We're on for a war here', that gets me going." It's not just at the back that the defender has made an impact, with the Wanderers discovering midway through this season that Pantazopoulos had a hidden talent - a rocket launcher of a right foot that can hoof a ball downfield and cause nightmares for rival defenders. One was measured travelling 75 metres and another led directly to a goal in a win over Central Coast earlier this year. A perfect start for @wswanderersfc as Zac Sapsford strolls into an open goal! ❤️🖤Watch #CCMvWSW live now on 10 Bold & Paramount+. — Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) February 22, 2025 "It's a little bit of a weapon now … it's either going to go behind the defence for one of our forwards to run onto or it can just cause chaos," Pantazopoulos said. "(As a defender) the worst thing is when you're having to turn and chase a ball behind, so I can't imagine what it feels like for other centre backs to deal with." The defender reckons he can find the same range on his left foot, too. "My dad used to take me down to the park and tell me I could only use my left foot and if I used my right we'd be going home," Pantazopoulos said. "Since then it's been natural, I never have to think about what foot I'm using." Just 24 games into an ALM career, Pantazopoulos' form was recognised with a maiden Olyroos call-up in March. It's a marked turnaround from last season when he felt like giving the game away, crediting new Wanderers coach Alen Stajcic and his parents for giving him the confidence to keep going. "Last year if I made one mistake, I'd be gone for the rest of the session or the game and I wasn't able to get out of my own head because I'd be thinking, 'I'm never going to play again'," Pantazopoulos said. "But I got over that barrier and when Staj wanted me to sign here again I was so happy. "Representing the country was something I'd dreamt of ... I know how proud my family is and that drives me on."
