Nenad Stojković

A defender with midfielder instincts, Stojkovi? offered Partizan and later French football a refined version of the Yugoslav libero/centre-back tradition. He could step out cleanly, organise possession from deep and defend through anticipation rather than only through contact, which, miracolo, is still legal football. His later success in France, including a Coupe de France win with Monaco and promotion work with Montpellier, fits a player whose intelligence travelled well across systems.