Goran Pandev played for Lazio from 2004 to 2009.
Pandev was one of the most interesting players in the early years of Claudio Lotito’s presidency.
Born in Strumica, North Macedonia, on July 27, 1983, Pandev spent his early football career in the local FK Belasica until at 18 he joined Inter. In 2001-2002 he won the Torneo di Viareggio and the Primavera Championship. The next year he was loaned to Spezia in Serie C1 and in the following season he played for Ancona in Serie A.
Pandev was jointly owned by Udinese and Inter at this point, and the Milanese team gave Lazio their share as partial payment in the Dejan Stankovic deal. It took him a year to become a regular player in the first 11 and under Delio Rossi he became Tommaso Rocchi’s ideal attacking partner. Together they were one of the best scoring duos in Serie A. He reached double figures for four consecutive years showing a constant improvement.
With Lazio he won the Coppa Italia in 2008 and was top scorer for that year’s competition. This was when the problems start.
Lazio had spent quite a lot of money for their then standards to keep him, but he refused to renew his contract. In the meantime he claimed he was injured. He really wanted to go back to Inter and he pushed Lotito for a sale. Big mistake, never try to put Lotito in a corner.
The Lazio President threatened to leave him in the stands until the expiry of the contract and Pandev took Lazio to court. He won, joined Inter (surprise, surprise) as a free agent, and was one of the protagonists of Inter’s Triplete (Champions League, Scudetto and Coppa Italia).
He played one further year at Inter, and scored in the final of the 2010 World Fifa Club World Cup (the former Intercontinental Cup), before joining Napoli, first on loan for a year and then definitively. In 2014-2015 he was sold to Galatasaray. He stayed in Turkey for just a year before joining Genoa. He played in Liguria for five and a half years before joining Parma in January 2022 in Serie B.
After Lazio his goals were far and few between, but he continued to a charismatic player for all of his clubs.
In September 2022 he announced that the 2022-23 season will be his last.
He played 191 games for Lazio (159 in Serie A, 18 in Coppa Italia, 4 in Uefa Cup, 3 in Intertoto and 7 in Champions League) and scored 64 goals (48 in Serie A, 10 in Coppa Italia, 5 in Champions League and 1 in Uefa Cup).
He is considered a legend in North Macedonia and has played 122 times for his national team with 38 goals. He scored the first North Macedonia goal ever in a European Championship in 2021.
Pandev is among the most hated former players, the tifosi have booed him ever since he left and he has done nothing to make peace. It also does not help that he keeps scoring against us.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | UEFA Cup | Intertoto |
2004-05 | 30 (4) | 25 (3) | 1 | - | 4 (1) | - |
2005-06 | 41 (12) | 35 (11) | 3 (1) | - | - | 3 |
2006-07 | 39 (14) | 36 (11) | 3 (3) | - | - | - |
2007-08 | 44 (19) | 32 (14) | 5 | 7 (5) | - | - |
2008-09 | 37 (15) | 31 (9) | 6 (6) | - | - | - |
Total | 191 (64) | 159 (48) | 18 (10) | 7 (5) | 4 (1) | 3 |
Sources
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