“I think that with my quality I can help the club to win many more trophies,” said Nemanja Motika last February at his presentation at Red Star Belgrade. Although the 19-year-old, who was signed by FC Bayern, won the league and cup double with his new club, the attacker could not yet justify the 2.5 million euro transfer fee – criticism within the club is also growing louder.
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“He is one of our most talented players with a Serbian passport,” said managing director Zvezdan Terzic (quoted via “table football“) in a speech at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade about Motika, who has only played 315 minutes for Red Star in 16 mostly short appearances to date and scored once. In the current season there are only two substitutions in the cup and European cup. “If you ask me if I’m happy with him, the answer is no. He has to ask himself in which direction his career should develop,” Terzic openly admitted.
The Belgrade official criticized Motika’s attitude. It must be clear to the Serbian U21 international that “the expectations of a player who came from FC Bayern are greater than what he has shown so far. He has to seize every opportunity to offer himself – in every training session and at the youth academy. He came from Germany and thought everyone in Serbia would kneel before him. He needs to mature.”
Ex-Bayern talent Motika will not be written off, “but has to change”
Born in Berlin, he is still under contract in Belgrade until the beginning of 2026, and the Munich team is said to have secured a buyback option and a resale participation for their talent. Despite the difficult situation, Terzic Motika doesn’t want to give up just yet. “We believe in him and are in no hurry, but he has to change,” the 56-year-old made clear.
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21 – Nemanya Motika | Red Star | Market value: 1.2 million euros
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