Nikon ‘El Maestro’ Jevtic – Prodigious Anglo-Serbian talent looking for a break

Born in Belgrade in 1993 as Nikon Jevtic, he moved with his family to England as a child until the age of nine, as a result of his father’s work commitments. It was during this time that he gained a British passport. His father’s job meant that he moved around Europe as he grew up, heading first to Austria, where he signed up as a boy for one of the biggest clubs in the country, Austria Vienna.

A move to Germany saw the legend of El Maestro really start to take off, backed by reports of how, as a 10 year old playing for Stuttgart, he scored six goals against their Under 15 side.

It was not until he moved to Spain at the age of 12 and played for Valencia that the name Nikon Jevtic was being dubbed as the next ‘wonderkid’ and ‘the saviour of Serbian football’. It was at this point in his young life that a YouTube video of Nikon caused a global stir (see below).

After the clips went viral, he was linked with every major club including Manchester United and Real Madrid. German newspaper ‘BILD’ reported that Alex Ferguson watched the video and thought it was a joke, but then attempted to sign him before he signed for German giants Schalke. Jevtic though ended up under contract until the age of 16 with the German side.

Schalke decided not to give him a professional contract though, which saw El Maestro move back to Austria and back to his first club, Austria Vienna. He flourished in the Under 17′s, scoring 15 goals in as many games, following it up the next season with the Under 18′s, with whom he scored eight goals in 15 games. This suggested that he was far greater than the standard he was playing at; however he was never promoted to the first team.

It was not until the start of this season that Nikon signed his first professional contract, leaving Austria Vienna and joining Wiener Neustadt in the Austrian Bundesliga. However his time there was short-lived. He only played 20 minutes before being released from his contract in September. Nikon had posted racist lyrics on YouTube and in his words, “The media made a big deal out of it.”

Unfortunately this was a big opportunity lost for him to finally make a mark in a league where he can progress.

After being released by Wiener Neustadt, he trained alone and with his brother. His brother is currently a coach with Hannover 96 and has been a big influence on his life. In fact it was he who suggested he change his name to include his nickname, El Maestro. Nikon’s British passport was changed so that it was incorporated.

On the 30th December, Nikon joined former Hungarian giants Ujpest FC, who are currently struggling in the top division, sitting fourth from bottom. He gave an interview to their official site in which he said ”I’m a central midfielder, but it doesn’t matter to me whether I have to attack or defend. My strength is that I am capable of scoring goals in this position. I have not yet thought of the future. Currently Újpest is the only thing that counts. I would like to become an important member of Újpest, as well as play as much as possible and start building my career. I am familiar with Újpest’s history and know that the club has great traditions.”

It remains to be seen whether he will ever fulfil his amazing potential, but at 19 he still has the time. He has both Serbian and British passports so who knows, he may thrive in a struggling Ujpest team and earn a bigger move. With a name like he has, he certainly has a lot to live up to.