SERBIA’S double barrelled duo have got everyone’s tongues wagging at the World Cup in Qatar.
Serbian keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, formerly of Manchester United, and Sergej – who plays for Lazio – are two of the Balkan country’s top stars.
The pair have had very different careers and have only briefly played together at club level – but they took to the pitch together as Serbia faced Brazil in their 2022 World Cup opener.
Here is all you need to know about the two stars.
Are Vanja and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic related?
Yes, Sergej and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic are brothers – and they are from a very impressive sporting family.
Both football stars were born in Spain, with Sergej born in Lleida in Catalonia, while the younger Vanja was born in Ourense in Galacia.
Their father, Nikola Milinkovic, was a professional footballer who had a journeyman career with Almaria, Chaves, Ourense and various other clubs.
Their mother, Milana Savic, was a professional basketball player – and so is their sister Jana.
Imagine the competitiveness over a game of Monopoly in that family!
What clubs do they play for?
Vanja, now 25, started his career at Vojvodina and was sold to Manchester United in 2013 for £1.5m.
He would never make a competitive appearance for United and after failing to secure a work permit, was released, moving to Lechia Gdansk before Torino swooped in a year later and signed him.
He has had loan spells at SPAL, Ascoli and is now at Standard Liege, where he plays as back-up keeper.
He has had seven appearances between the sticks for Serbia before his first World Cup game in 2022.
Sergej, 27, also played for Vojvodina, before moving to Genk in Belgium in 2014.
He then moved to Lazio in 2015, where he has played for the last seven seasons.
