Andrija Maksimović

Andrija Maksimović (Serbian Cyrillic: Андрија "Меси" Максимовић; born 5 June 2007) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Red Star Belgrade and the Serbia national team.

Early life

Maksimović was born in 2007 in Novi Pazar, Serbia. He first played football for FK Pazar Juniors, and played for OFK Vlada Dimitrijević before joining Red Star Youth academy.

Club career

Grafičar Beograd

In summer 2023, Maksimović was sent on dual registration from Red Star Belgrade to Grafičar Beograd. On 11 August 2023, he made his professional debut at the age of 16 years, 2 months, and 5 days in the Serbian First League match against FK Jedinstvo Ub – whilst scoring his first professional goal as well.

Red Star Belgrade

On 5 September 2023, Maksimović signed a contract extension with Red Star Belgrade, and was placed on the B list for the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League group stage. On 6 December, he made his first team debut at the age of 16 years, 6 months, and 1 day in the Serbian Cup match against FK Radnički Niš.

On 23 September 2024, Maksimović made his professional Eternal derby debut as a starter at the age of 17 years, 3 months and 18 days in the Serbian SuperLiga match against Partizan Belgrade, and he assisted Silas Katompa Mvumpa's goal, becoming the youngest assistant in the Eternal derby. On 27 September, he extended his contract with Red Star Belgrade until 2027. On 1 October, Maksimović made his UEFA Champions League debut at the age of 17 years, 3 months and 26 days in the league phase match against Inter Milan.

On 12 April 2025, Maksimović scored his first goal in the Eternal derby at the age of 17 years, 10 months and 7 days in the Serbian SuperLiga match against Partizan Belgrade – becoming the youngest scorer in the Eternal derby.

International career

On 12 October 2024, Maksimović made his debut for the Serbia national team at the age of 17 years, 4 months, and 7 days (17 years and 129 days) in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A Group 4 match against Switzerland, breaking the previous record for the youngest player to play for the Serbia national team in an official match, set by Mitar Mrkela on 17 November 1982 at the age of 17 years, 4 months, and 7 days (17 years and 130 days) in the UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying against Bulgaria during the former Yugoslavia national team era. He came off as a substitute to Aleksandar Mitrović in the 74th minute, as Serbia won 2–0.

Style of play

Maksimović is a midfielder known for his dribbling ability.

Personal life

Maksimović is the son of Serbian footballer Mirko Maksimović. He earned the nickname "Mesi" (Serbian Cyrillic: "Меси") due to his resemblance to Lionel Messi with his distinctive long hair as a child. On 15 October 2024, Maksimović was named for The Guardian's Next Generation 2024.