Former Jorge Jesus prospect at Benfica heads to... Cyprus | OneFootball

Lazar Markovic is the latest addition to Apollon Limassol, of Cyprus. The Serbian winger was once one of the great promises of European football when, in 2013/14, he shone at the service of Benfica, with Jorge Jesus in command. After his time at Luz, he never managed to meet expectations and, after stints at some clubs, today, at 31, he arrives at a peripheral league.

Lazar Markovic arrived at Benfica in 2013, coming from Partizan, labeled as one of the great promises of Serbian football. In just one season, he confirmed all the potential he had and, in 49 games wearing the eagle on his chest, he scored seven goals and made six assists. The quality of the winger caught the eyes of Europe and Liverpool, the following summer, bought the player's pass for 25 million euros.

In his first season at Liverpool, the Serbian was bet on 34 times and scored just three goals. The poor performance compared to the investment, earned him a loan to Fenerbahçe without much success and, the following season, he returned to Portugal, this time on the other side of the Segunda Circular to represent Sporting, which had Jorge Jesus in command, the coach who bet on Markovic at Benfica.

Markovic never managed to succeed at any club he passed through in Europe, at least until 2019, when he returned to Partizan, the Serbian club that formed the player. There, he still managed to show some performance, but always far from that seen at Luz, when the winger was still a young man who excited with speed and technique.

He went through Turkish football and, last season, played for Baniyas, of the United Arab Emirates. Now, in 2025, Lazar Markovic has signed a contract with Apollon Limassol, of Cyprus, at the age of 31 and, theoretically, at a stage where he could still be performing, considering what was his potential and the expectations placed on his football, when he was still a young promise shining at Luz.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.