Players - Lazar Markovic

Lazar Markovic
Birthdate: 2 March 1994
Birthplace: Čačak, Serbia
Other clubs: Partizan (2011-13), Benfica (2013-14), Fenerbache (loan, 2015-16), Sporting Lisbon (loan, 2016-17), Hull City (loan, 2017), Anderlecht (loan 2018), Fulham (2019), Partizan Belgrade (2019-22), Gazientepspor (2022-)
Signed from: Benfica
Signed for LFC: £19.8m, 15.07.2014
International debut: 28.02.2012 vs. Armenia
International caps: 22/3 (9/1 at LFC) - 15.11.2016
Liverpool debut: 25.08.2014
Last appearance: 02.05.2015
Debut goal: 17.12.2014
Last goal: 10.02.2015
Contract expiry: 2019-01-31
Win ratio: 47.06% W:16 D:8 L:10
League games / goals / assists: 19 / 2 / 1
Total games / goals / assists: 34 / 3 / 1

Player Profile

Serbian Lazar Markovic was the fourth major signing of the summer of 2014 following on from Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Emre Can.  Despite having only passed his 20th birthday as recently as March, Marković already had valuable experience of the Champions League having played in five of Benfica’s six group games in the 2013/14 season and then playing a part in all eight of the Portuguese club’s matches after they dropped down into the Europa League. However he missed the final in Turin after being sent off in the latter stages of the semi final. 

Marković was born in the town of Čačak only a couple of years after Yugoslavia had been broken up into different countries, one of which was Serbia. As a youngster Markovic was connected to a club in the town of his birth, Borac Čačak, but as his teenage years approached he moved on to the Partizan club in the capital. Partizan nurtured him carefully but he made swift progress through the club’s junior ranks until he was given his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in the final match of the 2010/11 season. By the end of the following season he had been appearing regularly in the Serbian SuperLiga helping his club to retain the domestic championship they had won in 2011 and then win it again in 2013.

In the summer of 2013 Marković, normally described as a winger but who can cope competently being part of any forward formation, was heavily linked with Chelsea with the rumour being that he would be loaned out to Benfica. Concerned that they might only be able to use his talents for a limited period Benfica immediately moved to sign the player up for five years, but just twelve months later they were unable to turn down Liverpool's £20 million bid. In his one season there, Markovic had added a Portuguese title to the two he had won in Serbia.

Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant, who managed Markovic at Partizan, said of the player: “I can say that apart from Ronaldo and Messi, Markovic is one of the best talents I’ve ever seen at 19 years of age. It was excellent playing with this kid for six months. He has such massive potential that if he changed his attitude in training he could be one of Europe’s best players in his position. But he’s young, he’ll mature, and then nobody will be able to stop him.”

Markovic made nineteen Premier League appearances for Liverpool in 2014/15 and also played in fifteen cup-ties. But, perhaps significantly, he only played from the start in a dozen matches after New Year. The low point of his season came when he received a red card for raising his hands in the Champions League match against Basel at Anfield in December only 15 minutes after he had come on as a substitute at the start of the second half. Markovic was loaned to Fenerbache for the whole of the 2015/16 season to gain experience, without an option for the Turkish side to purchase him. After appearing fourteen times in the first half of the season, a hamstring injury ruled him out from February onwards. On the last day of the summer transfer window in 2016 Markovic joined Sporting Lisbon on a season-long loan. After just two league starts this agreement was cancelled by mutual consent on 23rd January 2017 and Markovic was back in the Premiership, joining relegation threatened Hull City on loan for the rest of the season. He had an upturn in form there, but any chance of a permanent move was scuppered as the Tigers were relegated.

With no club willing to meet Liverpool's £16 million valuation or pay a loan fee, Markovic remained at Anfield for the first half of 2017-18. Apart from being an unused substitute in a League Cup tie at Leicester, he did not feature in any other matchday squad. In January 2018 he joined Anderlecht on loan where his fitness was immediately deemed an issue. Towards the end of the season he did feature more but after a total of eight appearances both clubs were miles apart in any valuation. He featured in some pre season games in 2018-19 while players on World Cup duty had an extended break, but the door to a return to the first team fold was firmly shut as he entered the final year of his contract. His time at Liverpool finally came to an end on transfer deadline day in January 2019 when he joined Fulham on a short term deal. He played just 45 minutes of football at Craven Cottage, his one appearance as a second half substitute. It was no surprise when he was not offered an extension at the end of the season. He re-joined Partizan Belgrade for 2019/20 where an abductor injury limited his appearances, but he did manage five goals from the ten he made in the league. In 2020/21 he scored eleven times in 27 league appearances but failed to find the net the following season. After being released he joined Turkish side Gazientepspor in July 2022.  
 
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 19 6 5 4 0 34
2014-2015 19 6 5 4 0 34
2015-2016 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016-2017 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017-2018 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
3 207 Aston Villa
2 160 Chelsea
2 120 Arsenal
2 109 Bolton Wanderers
2 107 Tottenham
2 106 Manchester City
2 102 Sunderland
2 95 Basel
2 91 Real Madrid
2 83 Swansea City
1 98 Middlesbrough
1 90 Bournemouth
1 90 Burnley
1 86 AFC Wimbledon
1 68 West Ham United
1 60 Everton
1 59 Blackburn Rovers
1 46 Southampton
1 46 Crystal Palace
1 22 Manchester United
1 18 Leicester City
1 14 Hull City
1 6 QPR
Total Started/substitutions
23 Started
15 On the bench
11 Substitute
18 Substituted
Total Venue
17 Away
17 Home
Total Competition
19 Premier League
6 FA Cup
5 League Cup
4 Champions League
Total W D L Win % Manager
34 16 8 10 47.1% Brendan Rodgers
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 0 1 0 0 3
2014-2015 2 0 1 0 0 3
2015-2016 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016-2017 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017-2018 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
1 Sunderland
1 Tottenham
1 Bournemouth
Total Started/substitutions
3 Started
0 Substitute
Total Competition
2 Premier League
1 League Cup
Total Goal minute period
2 1-15 minutes
1 16-30 minutes
Total Goal origin
3 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 1 0 0 0 0 1
2014-2015 1 0 0 0 0 1
2015-2016 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016-2017 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017-2018 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Total Opponent
1 Southampton
Total Competition
1 Premier League
Total For player
1 Philippe Coutinho
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 25.08.2014 Manchester City Etihad Stadium League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 27 17.12.2014 Bournemouth Dean Court League Cup
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Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Partizan Belgrade 2010-2011 Serbia 1 1 0 1 0
Partizan Belgrade 2011-2012 Serbia 1 26 6 33 7
Partizan Belgrade 2012-2013 Serbia 1 19 7 31 7
Benfica 2013-2014 Portugal 1 26 5 49 7
Fenerbahce 2015-2016 Turkey 1 14 0 21 2
Sporting Lisbon 2016-2017 Portugal 1 6 1 14 2
Hull City 2016-2017 Premier League 12 2 14 2
Anderlecht 2017-2018 Belgium 1 8 1 8 1
Fulham 2018-2019 Premier League 1 0 1 0
Partizan Belgrade 2019-2020 Serbia 1 10 5 17 5
Partizan Belgrade 2020-2021 Serbia 1 27 11 33 11
Partizan Belgrade 2021-2022 Serbia 1 21 0 39 4
Total 171 38 261 48