New Delhi: Standing at a height of 2.02m and weighing in at 90kg, Nikola Zigic is a defender’s nightmare.
A centre-forward in the traditional mould, Zigic’s main strength lies in his heading ability, but he has gradually developed his all-round game and is now one of the finest strikers in Europe.
For a man of his size, he also possesses a surprising turn of speed, which means he can operate as a lone target man feeding off crosses from the wings, or in tandem with a second striker.
This versatility is a blessing for both Walter Zenga and Ilija Petkovic, his managers at club and international level respectively, who can adopt differing formations depending on the opposition, secure in the knowledge that Zigic will produce the goods up front.
Zigic made his international debut in March 2004, in a friendly against Norway in Belgrade.
He scored his first international goal in his second appearance, against Italy in Toronto, in June 2005.
He appeared in four of 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers without scoring, but Petkovic showed great faith in the striker, bringing him on at the most critical juncture of the campaign, during the second half of the crucial away game against Spain in Madrid.
In the final qualifying match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, it was again Zigic who set up Kezman for the historic goal which confirmed Serbia and Montenegro's place at Germany 2006.
The striker is idolised in his homeland, and was voted Serbia and Montenegro's Player of the Year in both 2003 and 2005.
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