Dejan Savićević
Attacking Midfielder / Second Striker · Red Star Belgrade · Montenegro
About Dejan Savićević
Dejan Savićević — 'Il Genio' (The Genius), Fabio Capello's nickname for him — is the most naturally gifted Yugoslav/Montenegrin player in history. He won three Yugoslav league titles with Red Star Belgrade (SRB), won the Champions League in 1991, and won the Serie A title and Champions League with AC Milan in 1994. In the 1994 Champions League final against Barcelona (ESP), he lobbed Andoni Zubizarreta from outside the box in the first half — the goal that established Milan (ITA)'s 4-0 demolition.
Dejan Savićević's story
The Lob
Champions League Final. Athens (GRE). May 18, 1994. AC Milan vs Barcelona (ESP). 44th minute. Zvonimir Boban played the ball to Savićević near the right side of the penalty area. Savićević, without hesitation, looked up and saw Zubizarreta slightly off his line. He lifted the ball — a delicate, precise lob — that arced over the goalkeeper and into the net. Milan (ITA) led 2-0 at half-time. They won 4-0. The lob is considered the finest individual moment in a Champions League final.
Il Genio
Fabio Capello managed Savićević at AC Milan and called him 'Il Genio' — The Genius. Coming from Capello — a manager who prized tactical discipline and rarely publicly praised individuals — the label was extraordinary. Capello later said: 'I have managed the best players in the world. Savićević is the most naturally gifted. His brain processes football differently from other players. He sees things before they happen.' The nickname has remained the primary description of Savićević's ability.
Two Champions Leagues
Savićević is one of a small number of players to win the Champions League with two clubs — Red Star Belgrade (SRB) in 1991 (defeating Marseille (FRA) on penalties) and AC Milan in 1994. The 1991 Red Star squad included Prosinečki, Mihajlović, and Pančev — one of the finest Yugoslav club sides ever assembled. The 1994 Milan (ITA) squad included Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta, and Boban. He was the creative heart of both.
Did you know?
- 🎩 He lobbed Barcelona goalkeeper Zubizarreta from outside the penalty area in the 1994 Champions League final — the most technically audacious goal in the history of the match — as part of Milan's 4-0 demolition.
- 🏆 He won the Champions League with two clubs — Red Star Belgrade (1991) and AC Milan (1994) — one of only a handful of players to achieve this across clubs from the Eastern and Western halves of Europe.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married; has children. He settled in Montenegro and remains deeply revered at Red Star Belgrade, the club where he shone brightest.
- 🌟 Zvonimir Boban, who played with him at Milan, said: 'Dejan Savićević is the most naturally gifted player I ever played with. The things he could do in training — the things he did in the 1994 final — they were not from this world.'
- 📊 He scored 188 career goals from attacking midfield in 512 appearances — a return that reflects a player who combined the creativity of a playmaker with the goalscoring instinct of a striker.
- 🇾🇺 He made 56 international appearances for Yugoslavia — scoring 20 goals — representing his country at the 1990 World Cup, where Yugoslavia reached the quarter-final before losing to Argentina on penalties.
- ⚽ His nine years at Red Star Belgrade (1983-1992) produced 92 goals and 88 assists — establishing him as the finest Yugoslav attacking midfielder of his generation before his move to Italy.
- 🎨 His dribbling technique — featuring sudden directional changes using both feet and a characteristic body sway that left defenders stationary — was identified by Fabio Capello as technically uncoachable: a natural gift that could not be taught.
- 💼 After retiring, he became President of the Football Federation of Serbia and Montenegro, later Montenegro's Football Federation — one of the most influential post-career transitions in Balkan football administration.
Honours
- UEFA Champions League x2: Red Star Belgrade (1991) and AC Milan (1994)
- Serie A: AC Milan (1993)
- Yugoslav League x3: Red Star Belgrade
- 1994 Champions League Final Lob: Lobbed Zubizarreta from outside the box in the 4-0 destruction of Barcelona
- Nicknamed Il Genio by Fabio Capello: Capello, who worked with the world's finest players, singled out Savićević as uniquely gifted
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