Former Liverpool wonderkid now unemployed after Lionel Messi comparisons
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Lazar Markovic was once regarded as one of the most talented young soccer players in Europe, but his career has taken a different path since his move to LiverpoolLazar Markovic during a Liverpool training session(Image: Getty Images)Years after falling short of expectations at Anfield, former Liverpool prospect Lazar Markovic finds himself without a club once again.The Serbian, who was once compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by a Premier League manager, never fulfilled his early promise. Now aged 32, Markovic is back searching for a new team after his departure from Apollon Limassol was confirmed following the expiry of his one-year deal.The winger has turned out for four different clubs over the past four years since joining Gaziantep in the summer of 2022, and is even considered by Liverpool CEO Michael Edwards to be his biggest transfer blunder at Anfield.It marks a stark fall from grace for a player who appeared destined for greatness after his £20 million ($27 million) move to Anfield from Benfica during Brendan Rodgers' tenure in 2014.Former Premier League boss Avram Grant even drew parallels between Markovic and footballing icons Ronaldo and Messi, such was the promise he displayed as a teenager.Speaking about the then-emerging talent, ex-Chelsea and West Ham manager Grant was full of praise for the player.
Having played a role in his development at Partizan Belgrade before his switch to Benfica, the seasoned coach was glowing in his assessment.Markovic failed to make the grade at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)Grant said of his former charge at the time: "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."In the end, Markovic registered merely three goals across 34 senior outings for the Reds throughout his five-year tenure on Merseyside.Within that timeframe, he had loan spells at Fenerbahce, Sporting, Hull, and Anderlecht before completing a free transfer to Fulham in January 2019.Dr. Ian Graham, Liverpool's former director of research, documented in his publication, 'How to Win the Premier League: The Inside Story of Football's Data Revolution,' that CEO Edwards regarded recruiting Markovic as his most significant mistake.After signing for Fulham halfway through the 2018/19 campaign, Markovic proved unable to obtain a permanent deal at Craven Cottage.
He then returned to Belgrade with Partizan that summer, where he experienced a brief revival over the next three seasons.He subsequently joined Gaziantep in 2022 before moving on loan to Trabzonspor the following year. A solitary campaign ensued with Baniyas in the United Arab Emirates after putting pen to paper in 2024, before another single-season spell in Cyprus with Limassol.Markovic registered just two goals and two assists in 22 appearances for Limassol, who concluded the season third in the First Division.Should he continue his playing career, his next transfer would mark the sixth free move of his professional journey, a remarkable trajectory for a player who was once mentioned alongside some of soccer's most illustrious talents.