Branislav Ivanović (; born 22 February 1984) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays for English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. He is the most capped player in the history of the Serbian national team, earning over 100 caps and scoring 13 goals. In January 2008, he was signed by Premier League side Chelsea for a £9 million fee. He won nine major honours with Chelsea, including three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. He returned to Russia in February 2017, joining Zenit on a free transfer. He has not played a competitive game for the Blues since November 2014.
About Branislav Ivanović in brief
Branislav Ivanović (; born 22 February 1984) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays for English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. A versatile defender, he plays as a right back, although he can also play as a centre back. He began his career with hometown club FK Srem, before moving to OFK Beograd. In January 2008, he was signed by Premier League side Chelsea for a £9 million fee. He won nine major honours with Chelsea, including three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. He returned to Russia in February 2017, joining Zenit on a free transfer. He is the most capped player in the history of the Serbian national team, earning over 100 caps and scoring 13 goals. He represented the nation at their first international tournament as an independent country, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and was appointed captain of the national team in 2012. He was also captain until just prior to the 2018 World Cup where he also represented Serbia. He has been named in the PFA Team of the Year twice, as well as the Premier League Team of The Year once and the FA Cup Team of Year once. He also won the Russian Cup with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2007, winning his first honour, the 2007 Russian Cup. He made 377 appearances and scored 34 goals for Chelsea, making him one of only five foreign players to appear in over 300 matches for the club and putting him behind only John Terry in terms of goals scored by a defender for Chelsea.
Despite the substantial price tag, he did not make a first team appearance for Chelsea during the 2007–08 Premier League season under manager Avram Grant. The reason given by the club was a lack of fitness as a result of the Russian Premier League’s conclusion. By the end of the season, he made two appearances for reserve side Avram Avram Nouble on the back of the bench. He played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid in May 2014. In June 2014, he signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea where he was given the number 2 shirt. Despite wearing the number 3 shirt, he has not played a competitive game for the Blues since November 2014. His father Rade played for local team FK Srem as a defender, and his father also played for AC Milan, Ajax, Juventus and Internazionale in the 1990s and early 2000s. He moved to OFK Beograd in January 2004, following in his father’s footsteps. In December 2003, he joined the First League of Serbia and Montenegro, in what was then the First League of Serbia and Montenegro. After two years of playing in Serbia’s top division, he moved to top division side OFK Olympic City of Belgrade, where he made his professional debut and his performances began to attract attention from Serbia’s First League clubs.
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