North Macedonian · Strumica, North Macedonia · Born 27 July 1983The greatest player in North Macedonian history — the man who scored the goal that sent tiny North Macedonia to his first ever major tournament.
Goran Pandev was born on 27 July 1983 in Strumica, a town in what was then SR Macedonia, part of Yugoslavia, near the Bulgarian border. He joined the youth academy of local club FK Belasica at 11 and made his senior debut in 2000, spending just one season with the club before Inter Milan signed him in 2001, launching a two-decade career across some of Europe's biggest clubs. Pandev spent several seasons on loan from Inter before being included as part of the deal that brought Dejan Stanković to the Milan club in 2004, with half his rights transferring to Lazio. He became Lazio's main striker for five seasons before returning to Inter Milan in 2009, where he won a historic treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the Champions League in 2010. Pandev went on to play for Napoli, Galatasaray, and Genoa, spending seven seasons with the Italian club and becoming one of its most reliable attacking players well into his thirties. He held dual Macedonian and Italian citizenship and continued playing at a high level into his late thirties before finishing his career at Parma in 2022. Pandev captained North Macedonia for much of his international career and remains the country's all-time leading scorer with 38 goals. In 2020, he captained the national team to its first-ever qualification for a major tournament, the European Championship — a historic achievement for a country that had never previously reached a finals — before retiring from international football in 2021.
Leading North Macedonia to their first major tournament (Euro 2020)
How They Played
Clinical finisher with excellent positioning and link-up play
Lasting Impact
Greatest North Macedonian footballer and key figure in country's football development
Career Honours
- Champions League 2010 (Inter)
- Serie A 3x
- s only major tournament qualifier
- Champions League 2010
- Serie A 2006-07
- Serie A 2009-10
- Coppa Italia 2010
| Club | Period | Fee | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belasica | 1999–2001 | — | 18 | 6 |
| Inter Milan | 2001–2004 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Spezia | 2002–2003 | loan | 22 | 4 |
| Ancona | 2003–2004 | loan | 20 | 1 |
| Lazio | 2004–2009 | — | 159 | 48 |
| Inter Milan | 2009–2012 | — | 47 | 5 |
| Napoli | 2011–2012 | loan | 30 | 6 |
| Napoli | 2012–2014 | — | 62 | 13 |
| Galatasaray | 2014–2015 | — | 4 | 0 |
| Genoa | 2015–2022 | — | 176 | 28 |
| Parma | 2022–2022 | — | 11 | 1 |
 North Macedonia | — | — | 122 | 38 |
North Macedonian Athletes