Ivanovic

General data

Branislav Ivanović (Serbian: Бранислав Ивановић), (Sremska Mitrovica, former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 22 February 1984), is a Serbian footballer. He currently serves as defense and campaigning at Chelsea FC of the English Premier League.

Career

Ivanović began his football career in his hometown with FK Srem, before transferring to OFK Belgrade in December 2003.

After playing for three years in the Serbian Superliga, was signed by Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia in January 2006. Coached by countryman Slavoljub Muslin, Ivanovic made 28 appearances for the team and made 2 runs in his first season. Solo was replaced 2 times during the season and contributed largely to Lokomotiv Moscow will fight first in the Ruussian Premier League, although the team failed to devote champion. Ivanović sealed a place in the Selection of Serbia during their stay in Russia.

The following season, Ivanović, already a key player in the team, made 26 league appearances and scored 3 touchdowns. During his time at Lokomotiv Moscow, his only achievement is the Cup of Russia, achieved in 2007.

On 15 January 2008, Chelsea confirmed on its website that it had reached a deal with Lokomotiv Moscow for hire Ivanović, paying a sum of £ 9 million. Subject to the agreement of personal terms and the approval a doctor, Lokomotiv Moscow announced that Ivanovic would be transferred to Chelsea for an amount of € 13 million (£ 9,700,000). According to the club, the transfer was the most expensive in the history of Russian football. Ivanović was signed for a period of three and half years.

Although he arrived with high expectations, Ivanovic could not make a single appearance for Chelsea throughout the remainder of the 2007-08 season because it did not include in the plans of then coach Avram Grant. However, played some games with the reserves team.

After seeing no activity throughout the summer of 2008, it became linked to the abandonment of Chelsea as it was intended by clubs like AC Milan or Juventus. However, he won the confidence of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari who said that Ivanovic would have a place in the first team.

More than eight months after becoming a Chelsea player, Ivanovic made his debut with the team on 24 September 2008 in a League Cup match against Portsmouth. In that game had an excellent performance and his team came out victorious 4-0. Later he made his Premier League debut against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on October 5, game that Chelsea won 2-0. Ivanović played a total of 9 games in the 2008-09 season under the leadership of Scolari.

In the January transfer window of 2009, Ivanović was linked with a team of Italian Serie A, Fiorentina. On 27 January, Ivanovic's agent Vlado Borozan confirmed they were in negotiations with Italian club. However, on 1 February, Fiorentina's Italian manager Ernesto Broseti confirmed that Chelsea was not ready to sell Ivanovic and likely to remain in London, which we eventually did.

After Scolari Chelsea fired and hired Guus Hiddink, Ivanović was taken into account since the new coach was hired, because while Hiddink was the coach of Team Russia and knew to Ivanović perfection as games saw the Russian Premier League to select players who were selected to play in Russian. On April 4, 2009 Ivanovic made his first appearance with the team in a Premier League match against Newcastle United, after 3 months of not seeing activity. In that game victorious Chelsea 2-0. After that game, Ivanovic is taken into account in all following matches.

Ivanović their first 2 runs scored for Chelsea in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League match against Liverpool at Anfield, contributing largely to that Chelsea visistante be imposed as 3.1, then liquidate series at Stamford Bridge in a dramatic draw at 4-4, to qualify for the semifinals with a 7-5 aggregate score. 

National team

Ivanović was part of the selection of Serbia and Montenegro Under-21 that contested the Under-21 Championship 2006 held in Portugal, where he made 4 appearances and scored 1 goal. A Ivanović was assigned the captain's badge during the competition. It was included in the Selection of Serbia U-21 that contested the Under-21 Championship 2007 held in the Netherlands, where he finished as runner-up Serbia tournament.

Ivanovic debuted in the selection of Serbia and Montenegro on 8 June 2005 in a friendly against Italy, entering as a 77th minute substitute for Marko Basa. Ivanović scored his first international goal on 12 September 2007 with the selection of Serbia, list Selection Portugal in Lisbon. The recording was of great importance, since Serbia was down in the score 1-0 and Ivanovic was commissioned to tie the game with a free kick in 88th minute to seal the tie. This match was part of qualifying for Euro 2008. At the end Serbia failed to qualify for competition.

Despite not being taken into account by Chelsea from the outset, Ivanovic remained instrumental in the selection of Serbia for the qualifiers to World Cup South Africa 2010, as it had the full confidence of the coach Radomir selected Antic.