Nenad Krstičić

Early career and cancer diagnosis

Krstičić began his career at OFK Beograd and joined Sampdoria on 1 September 2008 at the insisting of Giuseppe Marotta, who believed the 17-year-old was one of the most talented players he had ever brought to the club. While playing for the youth team, he played in the 2011 Torneo di Viareggio as one of the allowed over-age players. He suffered a knee injury and had surgery performed to correct his meniscus injury, after which doctors unexpectedly diagnosed him with Burkitt's lymphoma and allegedly told Krstičić he had 48 hours to live. Luckily, Sampdoria's medical staff was able to reverse the cancer growth and Krstičić lived on to play football, although the condition was a great setback in his career. Over the course of his cancer episode, Krstičić lost 55 pounds and his blood was compromised. Krstičić finally made his debut for Sampdoria in a UEFA Europa League match against Debrecen on 16 December 2010. On 2 December 2012, he scored his first goal for Sampdoria against Fiorentina. On 2 February 2015, Krstičić was signed by Bologna in a temporary deal. The club also signed Júnior Costa and Daniele Gastaldello from the Genoese club outright. However, Krstičić was injured in March. His contract with Sampdoria was terminated on 18 July 2016.

Alavés

On 25 July 2016, Krstičić signed for La Liga side Alavés on a free transfer. Fellow countryman Aleksandar Katai, who also suffered from a serious illness earlier in his career,…

Krstičić made his debut for Serbia on 6 February 2013 in a friendly match against Cyprus at age 22. He earned a total of 4 caps (no goals) and his final international was a November 2017 friendly match away against China.

Club

As of match played 1 June 2023

International

As of 10 November 2017

Club

Red Star Belgrade

Serbian SuperLiga: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23 Serbian Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23

Individual

Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2017–18