Delibasic bound for Benfica
Monday, January 31, 2005
Article summary
Serbo-Montenegrin striker Andrija Delibasic has joined SL Benfica on loan from RCD Mallorca until the summer.
Article body
Serbo-Montenegrin striker Andrija Delibasic has joined SL Benfica on loan from RCD Mallorca until the end of the season.
Year in Spain
The 23-year-old forward moved to Spain in January last year and scored four goals in 14 Primera División starts for Mallorca in 2003/04. However, although he has managed three goals in five league starts this season, his opportunities have been limited under new Mallorca coach Héctor Cúper.
Scoring target
"Playing for Benfica is the same as playing for Real Madrid [CF] or [FC] Barcelona," Delibasic said on his arrival in Lisbon. "I am a goalscorer and I hope to do a lot of that here." Before joining Mallorca, Delibasic spent four years with Partizan, where he scored 47 goals in 100 league matches.
Under-21 success
For Partizan, he found the net against two of Benfica's biggest rivals, FC Porto in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League and Sporting CFP in the previous year's UEFA Cup competition. Last summer, meanwhile, Delibasic was part of the Serbia and Montenegro team who finished runners-up to Italy in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.