Dušan Tadić - Player of the Week

Tadic makes history!

Dusan Tadic scored the winning goal against Manchester United to give Southampton their first-ever Premier League win at Old Trafford. The two teams appeared relatively happy with a 0-0 draw, until Tadic was introduced as a substitiute in the 63rd minute. Within 5 minutes, the Serbian winger had given the Saints the lead, when he finished a great move. Tadic played a delightful ball into the path of teammate Graziano Pelle, who hit the post, but Tadic was the calmest man on the pitch, as he hit the ball past David De Gea into the Manchester Utd goal. It was Southampton's first victory at Old Trafford in 27 years and sent them above the Red Devils into third place in the Premier League table. People are now asking: who can stop Southampton qualifying for the Champions League for the first-ever time?

"It was a beautiful day and we're really happy."  Dusan Tadic.

Where's your shirt, Dusan?

Tadic nearly didn't get on the Old Trafford pitch to score his goal. When the Southampton manager, Ronald Koeman, called Tadic to get ready to come on, Tadic couldn't find his shirt; he had left it in the dressing room at half-time! After scoring his goal, Tadic lost his shirt once again, this time he took off his shirt as part of his goal celebrations. Koeman was less happy with the automatic yellow card he received for removing his shirt, as he was worried that a second yellow card for Tadic may have changed the result of the match.

"There was no shirt, I'd left it in the dressing room. When you score you don't think about what you do. Normally I don't take my shirt off."  Dusan Tadic.

What do we know about Dusan Tadic?

Dusan Tadic was born in Bačka Topola, a small town in the north of Serbia, in 1988. Tadic played at his hometown club, TSC Bačka Topola as a youth player before moving to FK Vojvodina, which is based in Novi Sad, the second largest city in Serbia. After four successful seasons with Vojvodina, Tadic was spotted by Groningen, who play in the Dutch top division, and signed for around £1 million in 2010. At Groningen, he really made a name for himself as a creative player and in the 2010/11 season, he had the third highest number of assists in all of Europe. In 2012, he joined FC Twente for around £7 million and scored 28 goals in only 66 appearances as well as finishing with the most assists in the Dutch league in 2013/14.

"He's a great player. I know him very well from Holland, where he had a great season last year."  Ronald Koeman (Southampton manager) talking about Tadic in August 2014.

How is Tadic getting on at Southampton?

Tadic was Ronald Koeman's first signing as Southampton manager, when he paid FC Twente £10.9 million for the the winger, and he has been a big part in Southampton's surprise challenge to finish in the Champions League places. Tadic has 8 assists to his name already this season and only Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea and Gylfi Sigurdsson at Swansea City have more. Tadic has also developed a fantastic partnership with Southampton's Italian striker, Graziano Pelle, who is the main beneficiary of Tadic's assists. Both players were playing in Holland last season, Pelle at Feyenoord, with Koeman as his manager, and Tadic at FC Twente. It appears that Koeman's knowledge of Dutch football is having a big impact at Southampton.

"I think we understand each other. He is a really good player and it's a pleasure to play with him." Tadic talking about Graziano Pelle.

Is Tadic the only Serbian in the Premier League?

Dusan Tadic has won 29 caps (January 2015) for Serbia and scored 6 goals, and is now a regular starter for the national side. Tadic, however, is not the only Serbian to be currently playing in the Premier League. There is Matic at Chelsea, Kolarov at Manchester City and Markovic at Liverpool, but probably the most well-known Serbian in the Premier League is Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. Ivanovic has made nearly 300 appearances for the London club since arriving in 2008. Ivanovic has won the Premier League, three FA Cups, the Europa League and Champions League during his time with the Blues. However, he is not the Serbian with the most trophies in Premier League history, that's Nemanja Vidic. During 9 years with Manchester United, Vidic won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, the Champions League and the FIFA World Club Cup.

Watch Tadic's post-match interview on Southampton's official website.

What did you understand?

Did you know......?

• In 2013/14, Tadic scored 16 goals and made 14 assists in only 33 games for FC Twente.. 
• He made his debut for FC Twente against his former team, FC Groningen, and scored twice!
• Southampton beat Sunderland 8-0 earlier this season, and Tadic got an incredible 4 assists!.
• Southampton's last win at Old Trafford was in January 1988 (2-0).
• !n 1996, Southampton beat Manchester United 6-3 at The Dell, which was the name for their old stadium.