Forgotten ex-Liverpool star dubbed "genius" signs for his 11th professional club
Lazar Markovic once signed for Liverpool for £25m, but the well-travelled star has now joined Turkish outfit Trabzonspor - the 11th club of his nomadic career.
The Serbian was highly-rated when he moved from Benfica to Anfield in 2014, but failed to live up to expectations under Brendan Rodgers. Liverpool's investment in Markovic will go down as among the less successful transfers made during the FSG era.
Markovic played for three Premier League teams during his time in England - adding Hull and Fulham to his lengthy CV. The winger, who is not yet 30, scored just three times for the Reds in 34 games, but that doesn't mean he didn't leave his mark on some of his Liverpool team-mates.
Adam Bogdan, who was on the club's books as a goalkeeper when Jurgen Klopp first arrived previously hailed the Croatian's efforts in training. He told the Liverpool Echo when quizzed on his most impressive team-mates: “Lazar Markovic was a genius in five-a-side games. It’s really, really hard to pick one."
That genius never manifested itself on the pitch though as the Croatian, who began his career with Partizan Belgrade before moving to Portugal, continued to be loaned out by the Merseyside outfit. He played for Sporting Lisbon, Fenerbahce, Hull and Anderlecht.
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Markovic eventually left Liverpool to join Fulham permanently, but he only made a single appearance before he returned to his homeland with the club he began his career at. Back in July the winger headed to Turkey to join Gaziantep, but has since moved on once more, this time on loan.
Lazar Markovic endured an underwhelming spell at Liverpool (Getty Images)The Serbian has previously underlined his affection for the Reds, telling BEIN Sports: "I support them, of course, I watch them when I have time. I had a contract for many years there and of course, I will always watch them." He added on his two previous bosses: "Both are top coaches. You can see with Brendan at Leicester (the job he's doing) and Jurgen is something special."
Markovic will join a Trabzonspor side who are currently sat sixth in the Turkish top flight, but have genuine hopes of qualifying for Europe. They are not one of Turkey's traditionally successful sides, but they did go into the current campaign as defending champions having claimed the title last term.
The Serbian will be joined by some recognisable names, among them Marek Hamsik, who was once Napoli's record goalscorer. Former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund Marc Bartra also plies his trade in Turkey.
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