Milos Krasic has accelerated from a good player into an excellent one over the past 18 months. A left-winger with an abundance of skill, he excelled in Serbia’s run to South Africa 2010, dazzled in the UEFA Champions League with CSKA Moscow, and attracted interest from, among others, Manchester United, AC Milan and Real Madrid.
Krasic joined the youth ranks of Vojvodina in 1999, and went on to score seven goals in 77 games for them before CSKA lured him to Russia. He played a subordinate role in the army club’s capture of the UEFA Cup in 2005, and back-to-back Russia Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006.
It was in 2009 that Krasic came into his own, though. He became a go-to player for CSKA and finished the year having netted 13 times in 40 matches - and created plenty more - for the club. Arguably his finest performances came in the 2009/10 Champions League. Indeed, Krasic posted winning goals in 2-1 victories over Besiktas and Wolfsburg, was on target in a 3-3 draw away to Manchester United, and posted the opener as Leonid Slutsky’s team edged the Istanbul giants in Turkey to seal a place in knockout phase.
There, after a 1-1 draw at home to Sevilla in the first leg of their last-16 tie, CSKA were the firm favourites to bow out, but with Krasic on song, they managed a 2-1 upset in Spain to march into the quarter-finals, where Inter Milan finally brought their heroic run to an end. Still, the blond winger, who finished as the joint-second-leading marksmen in the group stage, had proved himself on the big stage.
Krasic was part of the Serbia squad at the UEFA European U-21 Championship and Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in 2004, and helped them reach the semi-finals in the former event three years later. He made his full debut in 2006 and began to hold down a first-team place in 2008.
Krasic was one of the chief heroes in Serbia’s qualification for South Africa 2010. He tormented opponents throughout and scored in the victories over Lithuania and Austria. His best display came in the 5-0 win over Romania that sealed Radomir Antic’s side a place at the FIFA World Cup™, when he set up three of their goals.
It was that type of exhibition of craft that left a throng of European giants eager to sign Krasic, who has long welcomed the possibility of pulling on the white of Real Madrid. The CSKA No17 has nonetheless stated that his focus in on helping Serbia in South Africa.
“It’s flattering to be linked with such prestigious clubs but right now I’m thinking only about CSKA and the World Cup,” he said. “Playing in the World Cup has always been a dream and I want to make sure I give a good account of myself.” |
