Birmingham City struck pure gold with £6m transfer agreement | OneFootball

Zigic underwhelmed and yet became a cult hero; Birmingham City struck pure gold with the signing of Nikola Zigic from Valencia.

Opinions among neutral observers may differ, but Nikola Zigic carved out cult-hero status at Birmingham City.

In the summer of 2010, Birmingham completed the signing of Serbia international striker Zigic for a fee believed to be in the region of £6 million from La Liga giants Valencia.

The towering 6'8" forward immediately drew headlines after arriving in English football, his imposing frame sparking hopes that manager Alex McLeish could guide Birmingham City back into contention for the Premier League’s European qualification places.

In Žigić’s debut season, Birmingham secured a route into Europe by defeating Arsenal in the League Cup final.

However, that triumph was overshadowed by the club’s relegation from the top flight in the same campaign.

Even so, and despite several largely disappointing seasons in the Championship that followed, Žigić stayed loyal to Birmingham, gradually earning cult-hero status among the supporters.

Zigic became a fan favourite at Birmingham

In the season in which City were relegated on the final day of the season with a 2-1 loss at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur, Zigic was part of a large group of new signings who didn’t quite hit the heights that were expected of them.

However, for Zigic, that was only an initial underperformance as he grew into a striker that would become a menace for defenders in the Championship, and one that Blues’ supporters took to.

The big Serb was hounded by injuries on a regular basis during his eventual five-year stint at St Andrew's, but when fully fit and available, his height and quality proved to be extremely difficult to live with.

Hitting 11 goals in just 20 starts in the 2011/12 Championship campaign, as Birmingham suffered defeat in the play-off semi-finals, Zigic grew into a player beloved by supporters.

Regular attempts to move him on were made as Birmingham’s financial issues mounted, but Zigic opted to remain a Birmingham player, and he eventually became imperative to ensuring they avoided sliding down into the third-tier.

That was best showcased during his run into the team towards the end of the 2013/14 season, where Birmingham staved off relegation on the final day of the campaign, coming from 2-0 down late on to share a 2-2 draw away at Bolton Wanderers.

In that game, Zigic began the comeback when he notched a 78th-minute header that was eventually followed by Paul Caddis’ equaliser deep into second-half stoppage-time.

He had arrived as a player who could perhaps spearhead Birmingham’s ascent up the Premier League table, having finished ninth in the year before he arrived, but ended up as a symbol of fight and determination, leading the charge to ensure they avoided the ignominy of Championship relegation.

Remembered fondly at Birmingham without hitting the heights

His frame inevitably caused defences problems throughout his time at City, and there is a widely held view that had he been able to stay fit for the entirety of his first season at the club, then relegation might never have happened.

Off-the-field, there were criticisms labelled against him for his high wages and reluctance to leave, whilst Lee Clark also publicly admonished his performance in a training session, perhaps highlighting that he wasn’t always of the requisite quality.

The criticism of that requisite quality, though, was never matched by a criticism of his endeavour and effort, which remained obvious throughout, as shown by his desire and performance in that famous draw at Bolton.

Even after his first departure from the club, after spending a few months without a new contract, he rejoined Birmingham on reduced terms for the 2014/15 season, again showing that he was thought of well by the club and supporters.

For £6 million, Birmingham may well have wanted more from Zigic, but the Serbian managed to provide memories and genuinely crucial moments that may well have prevented genuine turmoil. With hindsight, they hit the bullseye with him and remember the Serb fondly enough.