A youth product atPartizan, he turned professional after a loan atTeleoptik, and was a regular as they won theSerbian SuperLiga in his first season. At the age of 18, Mitrović was named among the top 10 talents under the age of 19 in Europe by a selection ofUEFA reporters.[3] He then joinedAnderlecht for a club record €5 million, and scored 44 goals in 90 games across all competitions in a two-season spell. He won theBelgian Pro League in his first campaign at the club, and was theleague's top scorer in his second. In 2015, he moved toNewcastle United for £13 million. In 2018, he was loaned toFulham, and joined them permanently after helping them achieve promotion to the Premier League. He scored over 100 goals across his six seasons at the club.
Born inSmederevo, Mitrović came toPartizan and went through the youth system of the club. Before being promoted to the first team, he made his senior debut with their affiliated sideTeleoptik in the2011–12 season, scoring seven goals in 25 league matches.[5]
On 27 June 2012, Mitrović signed his first professional contract with Partizan, on a four-year contract.[6] He made his official debut for the club in aChampions Leaguequalifier against Maltese sideValletta, scoring a goal nine minutes after coming on as a substitute.[7] On 23 August 2012, Mitrović scored a header againstTromsø in theEuropa Leagueplay-off round. Three days later, he scored his firstleague goal in a home fixture againstJagodina. On 17 November 2012, Mitrović scored the opening goal in his first everEternal derby, which Partizan eventually lost 3–2. Five days later, he also scored in a 1–1 away draw with Azerbaijani sideNeftchi Baku during the Europa Leaguegroup stage.[8] By the end of his debut season, Mitrović was Partizan's top scorer in all competitions with 15 goals in 36 appearances even though he was one of the youngest players of the team.[9] Due to his displays, he earned a place in Jelen SuperLiga's Team of the Season selection.[10] Additionally, Serbian sports portalMozzart Sport rated Mitrović third out of the 25 best players in the national league for that season.[11]
On 12 August 2013, after much speculation, it was announced that Mitrović was sold toAnderlecht and that he would join the Belgian club on 30 August at the request of the player and his family.[12] The transfer fee was €5 million,[13] which is Anderlecht's record signing fee. On 1 September, Mitrović provided two assists on his debut for the club after coming on as a substitute at the beginning of the second half in a league match againstZulte Waregem.[14]
Mitrović began the2014–15 season by scoring in Anderlecht's 2–1Super Cup defeat ofK.S.C. Lokeren.[18] On 5 November 2014, in theChampions League Group D againstArsenal, he scored the equaliser in the 90th minute, completing Anderlecht's comeback from 3–0 to 3–3.[19] Overall, he scored 20 goals in the Pro League, making him the competition's top scorer, and 28 in all competitions.[17] On 22 March 2015, he scored the team's only goal in the 2–1Belgian Cup Final loss toClub Brugge in Brussels.[20]
On 21 July 2015, Mitrović joinedNewcastle United on a five-year contract for a reported £13 million, saying he hoped to be able to play like club legendAlan Shearer.[21][22] He made his debut on 9 August as Newcastle began the season with a 2–2 draw againstSouthampton atSt James' Park, playing the final 15 minutes in place ofPapiss Cissé. He was booked 22 seconds into his debut for a foul onMatt Targett.[23] Twenty days later, he was sent off in the 15th minute of a 1–0 home defeat to Arsenal for a foul onFrancis Coquelin.[24] On 3 October, Mitrović scored his first Newcastle goal away toManchester City, opening the scoring in a 6–1 loss.[25]
On 20 March 2016, he headed the equaliser in a 1–1 draw against arch-rivalsSunderland in theTyne–Wear derby. Mitrović was booked for taking off his shirt in celebration,[26] and a fan who ran onto the pitch to celebrate with him was given a banning order.[27] On 2 April, Mitrović scored two goals, one from apenalty, in a 3–2 defeat toNorwich City.[28] On the final day of the season, and with Newcastle United already relegated, Mitrović scored the second goal in a 5–1 win over third-place Tottenham Hotspur, but was also sent off for a shin-high challenge onKyle Walker.[29] He became the sixth player in Premier League history to score a goal, assist a goal and get sent off in the same match.[30]
After being suspended for the first four matches of the season as punishment for that red card,[31] Mitrović made his season debut in theEFL Cup againstCheltenham on 23 August, but was forced off with a head injury in the first half.[32] As a result, Mitrović had to wait until 13 September to make hisChampionship debut, scoring his first goal of the2016–17 season atQueens Park Rangers, with the fifth goal in a 6–0 win.[33] On 25 October, he bagged a brace and an assist in a 6–0 win overPreston North End, as theMagpies advanced to the EFL Cupquarter-finals.[34][35] That weekend, Mitrović received his first league start since the match atDeepdale, and against the same opposition, he again scored a brace in a 2–1 win.[36] Despite losing playing time to summer signingDwight Gayle, Mitrović remained positive, saying "maybe last season I played more, but we are in good shape", as Newcastle arrived at the top of the table on 18 October.[37]
On 7 January 2017, Mitrović started theFA Cup third round match againstBirmingham City, but was injured in the buildup to the opening goal, scored byDaryl Murphy.[38] On 11 February, Mitrović scored the only goal in a win overWolverhampton Wanderers. However, he was substituted at half-time as a precaution, as he had been booked earlier in the match and could have been sent off for a challenge onCarl Ikeme.[39] On 30 August, he was suspended for three matches, after an elbow to the head of West Ham'sManuel Lanzini was picked up by television cameras.[40] On 21 October, Mitrović returned to the matchday squad in an eventual 1–0 win overCrystal Palace, having been left out for the previous two matches after his suspension. He came on as a 78th-minute substitute forJoselu to what was described as a "still surprising heroes welcome", but his first touch almost allowed Palace'sRuben Loftus-Cheek to take the lead for the visitors.[41][42] In mid-December, Mitrović was ruled out with a back injury,[43] which would sideline him for rest of the month and the following January. Towards the end of December, Mitrović stated in the Serbian sports dailyŽurnal that he expected to leave the club in the January transfer window "to find the best solution for my career".[44]
On 1 February 2018, Mitrović joinedChampionship clubFulham on loan until the end of the season.[45] In the build up to deadline day, Mitrović was poised to joinBordeaux and then former club Anderlecht, but both moves broke down, and after a discussion with their manager, the fellow SerbSlaviša Jokanović onSnapchat, he decided to join Fulham.[46] On 3 February, Mitrović made his debut for the West London club in a 2–0 win overNottingham Forest, and almost scored, but his headed effort was cleared off the line byJoe Worrall. On 21 February, Mitrović scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw withBristol City,[47] kickstarting a run of form which saw him score six goals in four matches. In the six matches played by Fulham in April, Mitrović scored five times, including winning goals againstSheffield Wednesday and Sunderland.[48][49] Due to his prolific run of form in March and April, he was the back-to-back Championship Player of the Month.[50][51]
Mitrović finished the season with 12 goals, four behind top scorerRyan Sessegnon, as Fulham missed out on automatic promotion on the final day, losing 3–1 to Birmingham City; their first league loss of the calendar year.[52] The goal against Sunderland would prove to be his last for the club in his loan spell, as he did not score in the play-offs, but he did start in theplay-off final, with Fulham beating Aston Villa 1–0.[53]
On 30 July, Mitrović signed for Fulham permanently for an initial fee of £22 million, potentially rising to £27 million.[54][55] He signed a five-year contract lasting to June 2023.[56] On 18 August, he scored the equaliser in an eventual 3–1 loss toTottenham Hotspur, with an inventive header from a low cross by Sessegnon.[57] Mitrović scored three goals in Fulham's next two matches againstBurnley andBrighton & Hove Albion, although it was his handball which resulted in a penalty for the latter side, converted byGlenn Murray.[58][59] On 24 November, andClaudio Ranieri's first match in charge, Mitrović scored a brace in a 3–2 win overSouthampton, ending a run of six league matches without a goal.[60] On 29 December, againstHuddersfield Town, Mitrović argued withAboubakar Kamara over taking a penalty; Kamara's effort was saved byJonas Lössl. Eight minutes later, he scored the only goal of the match.[61] While Ranieri was angered by Kamara's decision to take the penalty, Mitrović was more forgiving of the Frenchman, referring to a similar incident he had while playing forNewcastle United.[62] In January 2019, Kamara had another altercation with Mitrović during a yoga session at the club's training ground, leading to a series of events which saw the Frenchman leave the club on loan.[63][64] On 29 January, Mitrović scored a brace against Brighton & Hove Albion. His second goal was his tenth of the season, and in doing so, he beat his previous best of nine goals in the Premier League. It was also his twentieth Premier League goal, and at that point, he had scored five goals each under the stewardship of his last four managers inMcClaren,Benítez, Jokanović and Ranieri.[65] However, he would not score again until winning and converting a penalty againstAFC Bournemouth on 20 April, but by then, Fulham had been relegated from the Premier League.[66]
On 9 July, he signed a new five-year contract, extending the deal until June 2024.[67] Mitrović began the season in fine form, scoring five goals in six matches.[68] In October, he went on another scoring run with six goals in five matches, including a hat-trick againstLuton Town.[69] He was later named Championship Player of the Month, tying the record with former teammateDwight Gayle.[70] He kept scoring throughout November and December,[71][72] but on 11 January 2020, in a match againstHull City, he damaged his ankle ligaments and was ruled out for two to three weeks.[73] He returned on 1 February against Huddersfield Town and scored Fulham's third goal in a 3–2 home win.[74] This kickstarted another scoring run during the month, culminating with a stoppage-time winner overSwansea City, despite having his penalty saved byFreddie Woodman in the 89th minute.[75] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Mitrović did not play for Fulham until the Championship resumed in June, and would be retrospectively banned for three matches for elbowingBen White in the club's 3–0 loss toLeeds United.[76][77] On 10 July, Mitrović returned to the team, winning and converting a penalty in a 2–0 win overCardiff City.[78] On 18 July, Mitrović scored twice and assisted forBobby Decordova-Reid, in a 5–3 win over Sheffield Wednesday, to keep Fulham's slim hopes of automatic promotion alive.[79] Like the 2018–19 season, the club missed out on the final day, drawing 1–1 withWigan Athletic.[80] Mitrović finished the season with twenty-six goals, alongsideBrentford'sOllie Watkins; he won the physical version of the award as he scored the same number of goals in fewer minutes than Watkins.[81] He did not appear in either legs of the play-off semi-final, but he played a part in theplay-off final, providing the assist forJoe Bryan's second goal in Fulham's extra-time win over Brentford.[82] On 3 September, he was named the Player of the Season by the club's supporters.[83]
Mitrović scored his first goals of the season in a 4–3 defeat to Leeds on 19 September 2020,[84] but went on a scoring drought that lasted until April 2021, in a 3–1 defeat toAston Villa.[85] The previous October, he had the opportunity to convert a penalty againstSheffield United, but hit his effort off the crossbar. Later in the match, he conceded a penalty when he tackledJack Robinson, resulting inBilly Sharp scoring the equaliser.[86] Mitrović spent much of the season in and out of the squad, missing matches due to tactical changes (where he was kept out byIvan Cavaleiro andAdemola Lookman),[87] various injuries,[88][89] as well as testing positive forCOVID-19.[90]
Following Fulham's return to the Championship, Mitrović was reinstated into the starting line-up by new managerMarco Silva, and in August, he scored four goals in four consecutive matches.[91] Towards the end of the month, he again extended his contract, with it lasting until the summer of 2026.[92] On 29 September 2021, Mitrović scored his first hat-trick of the season, in a 3–1 home win overSwansea City, with all three goals coming in the first half of the game.[93] His stellar start to the season continued into October as he scored eight goals, including another hat-trick, this time againstWest Bromwich Albion winning the Player of the Month award for his efforts.[94]
Mitrović scored his third hat-trick of the season in an emphatic 6–2 home win overBristol City on 15 January 2022, taking his goal tally to 27 league goals in just 24 games.[95] On 12 February, Mitrović scored his 31st goal of the season with the only goal in a victory overHull City, equalling the record for the most goals in a Championship season set byIvan Toney the previous year with 16 matches still to play.[96][97] He broke this record nine days later, scoring his 32nd and 33rd goals of the season in a 2–1 home win overPeterborough United.[98]
On 19 April 2022, Mitrović scored his 39th and 40th league goals of the campaign in a 3–0 home win overPreston North End. The result confirmed Fulham's promotion back to the Premier League.[99] On 24 April, Mitrović was votedEFL Championship Player of the Season at the annualEFL Awards. He was also named in the Team of the Season, alongside Fulham teammatesTosin Adarabioyo,Antonee Robinson andHarry Wilson.
In a 7–0 win againstLuton Town on 2 May, Mitrović scored two goals to equal and then break the record ofGuy Whittingham for the highest scoring English league season in the current 46 game format by scoring 43 goals in a season. The win also confirmed Fulham as the Championship winners.[100][101]
On 6 August 2022, in Fulham's first match of the2022–23 Premier League season, Mitrović scored both goals in a 2–2 home draw againstLiverpool.[102][103] He scored a 90th-minute winner in a 3–2 home win overBrentford on 20 August.[104] He scored in a 2–1 defeat to Arsenal on 27 August, which was his 100th goal for Fulham while also beating his goal tally from the entire2020–21 season in just four games.[105] Mitrović scored his fifth goal of the season in a 2–1 home win overBrighton & Hove Albion, and four days later scored his sixth goal in six Premier League games in a 2–1 away defeat atTottenham Hotspur.[106][107] After picking up an injury on international duty with Serbia, Mitrović was only able to manage 37 minutes before being substituted forCarlos Vinícius.[108] Mitrović returned to the Fulham team after missing one game; a 3–1 away loss at West Ham United, and scored a penalty to equalise in a 2–2 draw with fellow newly promotedAFC Bournemouth, and scored in the next two consecutive games, a 3–0 and 3–2 wins overAston Villa andLeeds United respectively. Mitrović missed the last two Premier League games before theWorld Cup break, which Fulham lost 2–1 in both games, to thetwo Manchester clubs.
Following the World Cup break, Mitrović continued his fine goalscoring form, scoring in a 3–0 away win at Crystal Palace, before missing a 96th-minute penalty in a 2–1 win overSouthampton. He ended 2022 scoring 31 goals in 35 games across theEFL Championship andPremier League and started 2023 in the same fashion, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 away win atLeicester, helping Fulham to their third consecutive Premier League win for the first time since 2009, although his fifth yellow card, picked up for a second-half foul onHarvey Barnes, ruled him out for the Cottagers' game againstChelsea later that month.[109]
On 19 March, in Fulham'sFA Cup quarter-final match against Manchester United, Mitrović was sent off after arguing with and pushing the referee,Chris Kavanagh, following a handball decision that saw teammateWillian and managerMarco Silva both sent off. The red cards proved to be the game's turning point, as Fulham were 1–0 up at the time. United scored from the penalty that was given for Willian's handball and went on to win 3–1.[110][111] He was charged with violent and improper conduct by theFootball Association,[112] and on 4 April, he received an eight-game ban. The Football Association appealed the decision on the grounds that the punishment was not harsh enough given Mitrovic's conduct,[113] but the FA's appeal was rejected.[114]
On 19 August 2023, Mitrović joined Saudi clubAl Hilal from Fulham for a club record transfer fee of £50m.[115] Five days later, he scored a goal on his debut in a 4–0 win overAl Raed.[116] On 1 September, he scored his first hat-trick at the club in a 4–3 away win overAl-Ittihad.[117] On 23 October 2023, Mitrović scored his firstAFC Champions League hat-trick against Indian side,Mumbai City in a massive 6–0 home win.[118] Mitrovic scored 40 goals in 43 games in his first season at Al Hilal.[119]
With four goals, Mitrović was the top scorer of theSerbian national team in their successful qualifying campaign for the2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. On 3 July 2012, the opening day of the final tournament, he was sent off during a match againstFrance U19, which caused him to miss the rest of the competition due to suspension. On 26 March 2013, Mitrović scored two goals in a friendly forSerbia's U21 team againstBulgaria U21.[122]
Mitrović was called up by Serbia U19 coachLjubinko Drulović for two qualification matches for the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship taking place after his debut with the senior national side against Belgium.[123] Mitrović was also a member of the squad that traveled toLithuania for the final tournament, where he established himself as one of the key players in Serbia's U19 team which won the competition for the first time in the history of Serbian football. He contributed by scoring a goal and providing two assists during the contest (including one in the final match against France U19).[124] Mitrović was also named the tournament's Golden Player for his performances.[125]
In the2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Mitrović scored three goals in two matches to ensure Serbia were still in contention toqualify from their group. On 9 October 2016, he scored a brace in a 3–2 win againstAustria,[130] and on 12 November, he scored the equaliser againstWales in a 1–1 draw.[131] He continued this scoring run in 2017, with goals againstGeorgia,[132] Wales,[133] andMoldova,[134] putting him ahead of teammateDušan Tadić as the group's top goalscorer.
In May 2018, he was named in Serbia's preliminary squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia,[135] and on 1 June, made the final23-man squad.[136] Prior to the tournament, Mitrović scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 win overBolivia.[137] On 22 June, he scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 loss toSwitzerland.[138] He was also involved in a penalty claim when Swiss defendersStephan Lichtsteiner andFabian Schär dragged him to the ground in the box, but refereeFelix Brych turned down the appeal.[139] He played all three group stage matches.[140][141][142]
On 12 November 2020, in aEuro 2020 qualifying play-off againstScotland that ended in a 1–1 draw afterextra time, Mitrović went on to take Serbia's fifth penalty and missed it as thepenalty shoot-out ended 5–4 in Scotland's favour, thus denying his national team qualification for thetournament.[148] On 27 March 2021, he scored Serbia's first goal in a 2–2 draw withPortugal, thereby surpassing the previous record of 38 goals byStjepan Bobek, and becoming thehighest goalscorer in the history of the national side.[149]
Mitrović was part of the Serbia squad forUEFA Euro 2024 and started as a captain in the team's opening match of the tournament againstEngland, ending in the 1–0 loss for the Serbs inGelsenkirchen.[156]
On 10 June 2025, he recorded the fourth international hat-trick of his career in a2026 FIFA World Cup qualification againstAndorra inLeskovac. That match also marked his 100th appearance for the Serbia national team.[157]
^Rutzler, Peter (31 January 2021)."Fulham's striker hunt was fruitless, so Mitrovic will have huge role in run-in".The Athletic. Retrieved29 September 2021.After a run of starts at the beginning of the campaign, the 26-year-old has since featured in a little over 150 minutes of top-flight action, making just one league start since the team's defeat by West Ham United on November 7. He has missed three games through injury but has had to watch on from the sidelines while Ivan Cavaleiro — who is not a natural No 9 — has led the Fulham attack.
^Србија – Хрватска 1:1 (0:0) (in Serbian). Football Association of Serbia. 6 September 2013. Archived fromthe original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved7 September 2013.
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