Mateja Kežman

Mateja Kežman

Personal information
Full name	Mateja Kežman
Date of birth	12 April 1979 (1979-04-12) (age 31)
Place of birth	Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain
Number	14
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–1997	Radnički Pirot	17	(11)
1997–1998	Loznica	13	(5)
1998	Sartid Smederevo	14	(4)
1998–2000	Partizan	54	(33)
2000–2004	PSV Eindhoven	122	(105)
2004–2005	Chelsea	25	(4)
2005–2006	Atlético Madrid	30	(8)
2006–2009	Fenerbahçe	46	(20)
2008–2009	→ Paris Saint-Germain (loan)	21	(3)
2009–	Paris Saint-Germain	13	(2)
2009	→ Zenit Saint Petersburg (loan)	10	(2)
National team
2000–2006	Serbia and Montenegro	49	(17)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:38, 4 August 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Mateja Kežman (Serbian: Матеја Кежман; born 12 April 1979 in Belgrade) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.

Club career

Kežman made his name at Partizan in his homeland before moving to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven for €8 million in 2000. In his debut season, he was the top scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie, scoring 24 goals in 33 games. He also picked up the nickname 'Batman' because the famous theme song was played at the Philips Stadion every time he scored. Kežman and Arjen Robben gained the epithet 'Batman and Robben', a pun on 'Batman and Robin'.

Kežman went on to score 81 goals over the following three seasons with PSV, achieving the record as the first Dutch league player to score more league goals than games played in consecutive seasons, before finally moving for £5.3 million to English side Chelsea in the summer of 2004. Although he scored the winning goal in the 2005 Carling Cup final against Liverpool (with Chelsea winning 3–2 after extra time), he failed to make an impact with the London club and started only 14 games. He left for Atlético Madrid after just one season with Chelsea who made a minor profit on his transfer^[2].

After a short spell in Madrid, he moved once again to Fenerbahçe for $9.75m in August 2006 on a four year contract. He won the Turkish Super League with Fenerbahçe in their centennial year^[3].

On 19 August 2008, Kežman agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain on loan with a purchase option of €4 million plus €1 million that Kežman himself had to pay to Fenerbahçe upon leaving^[4].

On 30 August 2009, Zenit Saint Petersburg loaned the striker from Paris Saint-Germain for free with a purchase option for an undisclosed fee^[5]. He scored two goals for Zenit helping the team to finish 3rd in the Russian Premier League, but the Russian side decided not to retain his services ^[6].

International career

Kežman marked his international debut for FR Yugoslavia during March 2000 just short of his 21st birthday with a goal against China in a friendly match as part of the preparations for UEFA Euro 2000. Head coach Vujadin Boškov included him in the final 23-man roster that he took to Belgium and Holland. Despite being the fourth attacking option behind Savo Milošević, Darko Kovačević and Predrag Mijatović, 21-year-old Kežman got his chance as substitute late in the group match versus Norway. However, after being on the pitch for about 90 seconds, he was sent off following a rash tackle on Erik Mykland.

Right after Euro 2000, FR Yugoslavia got a new head coach Ilija Petković under whose tenure Kežman secured a place in the team. Kežman led Serbia and Montenegro's scoring during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifications with 5 goals, including the only goal in the final game against Bosnia and Herzegovina which in turn allowed Serbia and Montenegro to qualify directly, having come first in their group. During the competition, he was sent off in a group match against Argentina by referee Roberto Rosetti.

Despite being such a prolific striker for PSV he never reached the same heights for Serbia. He has managed 17 goals in 49 caps for Serbia and Montenegro^[7].

Since his sending off against Argentina in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he has not been called up to any of Serbia's friendlies nor did he participate in any of the qualification games for the UEFA Euro 2008.

Career statistics

Kežman playing for Fenerbahçe in 2008

Honours

Club

Partizan

• Yugoslav First League: 1998–99

PSV Eindhoven

• Eredivisie: 2000–01, 2002–03
• Johan Cruijff Shield: 2000, 2001, 2003

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2004–05
• Football League Cup: 2005

Fenerbahçe

• Turkish Super League: 2006–07
• Turkish Super Cup: 2007

Paris Saint-Germain

• French Cup: 2009–10

Individual

• Yugoslav First League Top Scorer: 2000
• Yugoslav Footballer of the Year: 2000
• Eredivisie Top Scorer: 2001, 2003, 2004
• UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 2004^[9][10]
• Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2003

References

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• Mateja Kežman at reprezentacija.rs
• Mateja Kežman French league stats at LFP.fr (French)

FR Yugoslavia squad – UEFA Euro 2000 1 Korać • 2 Dudić • 3 Đorović • 4 Jokanović • 5 Đukić • 6 D. Stanković • 7 Jugović • 8 Mijatović • 9 Milošević • 10 Stojković • 11 Mihajlović • 12 Cicović • 13 Komljenović • 14 Saveljić • 15 Bunjevčević • 16 Govedarica • 17 Drulović • 18 Kovačević • 19 J. Stanković • 20 Kežman • 21 Nađ • 22 Kralj • Coach: Boškov

Serbia and Montenegro squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Jevrić • 2 Ergić • 3 Dragutinović • 4 Duljaj • 5 Vidić • 6 Gavrančić • 7 Koroman • 8 Kežman • 9 Milošević (c) • 10 Stanković • 11 P. Đorđević • 12 Kovačević • 13 Basta • 14 N. Đorđević • 15 Dudić • 16 D. Petković • 17 Nađ • 18 Vukić • 19 Žigić • 20 Krstajić • 21 Ljuboja • 22 Ilić • 23 Stojković • Coach: I. Petković