Goran Pandev (born July 27, 1983 in Strumica, Macedonia), is a football striker from the Republic of Macedonia who plays for Italian Serie A club, S.S. Lazio. He is also considered as a star key-player of the Macedonia national football team and one of the more celebrated in his homeland.
Pandev began his football career as a 16-year-old, with Belasica, the club with which he progressed through the youth academy. He only spent one season in the local Prva Liga though, before being signed by major Italian Serie A club Internazionale in the summer of 2001. Inter sent young Pandev on loan to Spezia, where he was a regular in Serie C1. The following year, he was again sent on loan, this time to newly promoted Ancona. Despite the Dorici having a nightmare of a season, the worst of any club in Serie A history, Pandev made twenty appearances and scored one goal, gaining valuable experience. In 2004, Serbian star Dejan Stanković was signed by Inter from Lazio and Pandev was sent to the capital in exchange on a co-ownership deal. Pandev impressed in his first year at Lazio, as he made 29 appearances, scoring 3 goals including a memorable effort away to Juventus where he beat Fabio Cannavaro, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta, before beating Gianluigi Buffon with an angled shot. The following season, Delio Rossi was appointed manager of Lazio, and Pandev began to form a deadly strike partnership with Tommaso Rocchi. Lazio opted to purchase Pandev's full contract in the summer of 2006, bidding around 4 million euro for Udinese's share in the contract, which they had bought from Inter. In 2007-08, Pandev began to attract attention from some of Europe's greatest clubs, especially after a fine performance in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid in which he scored twice. Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea FC and Tottenham all showed keen interest, however Pandev decided to remain in Rome, until his contract expires in 2010. On the 11 January 2009 he scored his first hat-trick in Serie A against Reggina.
Pandev is the star player of the Macedonia,and is widely considered to be one of the two best players the country has produced alongside former Yugoslavia and Red Star Belgrade great Darko Pančev. Pandev so far, has won 37 caps for his country and scored 13 goals, and is the man who is currently leading a hard but not impossible charge for Macedonia to reach their first ever FIFA World Cup.
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