Mijat Gacinovic

The mere mention of Mijat Gacinovic's name is enough to bring every Eintracht Frankfurt fan out in goosebumps. After all, there is only one memory that could possibly spring to mind: Berlin, the DFB Cup final, injury time, the run from his own half, the cool finish to secure victory and then the trophy being paraded around the Olympiastadion. 

Gacinovic's stunning solo effort in additional time to complete a 3-1 win against Bayern Munich in the DFB Cup final in May 2018 ensured a place in Eintracht folklore for the hard-working young Serbian. He joins Jan-Aage Fjörtoft, whose chip against Kaiserslautern in 1999 sealed survival, and Alexander Schur, whose 2003 header against Reutlingen confirmed promotion, in the club history books. 

A model professional, Gacinovic is always eager to learn – both off and on the field. The midfielder has worked on his German to the extent that he now speaks it almost flawlessly, while his on-field improvements have been just as commendable: Gacinovic has come on leaps and bounds in all facets of the game – technique, work ethic, speed and positional versatility – since arriving in Frankfurt from Vojvodina in 2015. 

Speaking of versatility, Gacinovic was asked time and again during 2018/19 pre-season what was his preferred position. At no stage did he offer a precise answer. Former coach Armin Veh saw the Serbian as a left-winger, Niko Kovac often employed him in holding midfield, while new coach Adi Hütter views Gacinovic as an attacking midfielder. From breaking up the play to creating it, Gacinovic is capable of thriving in any role in the centre of the park, although – in typical fashion – continues to demand improvement from himself. "I can and intend to improve myself in every area," he has said. 

One such area he openly admits that he is still working to improve is dealing with career setbacks, such as when he did not make the final cut for the Serbia squad ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. After taking a couple of days to get over the initial disappointment, Gacinovic "tried to make the best of it" and went on holiday with the aim of hitting the ground running with the Eagles the following season. 

History suggests that, in Gacinovic's case, improvement will happen swiftly; after all, it has already. Take, for example, when he arrived at Eintracht in 2015 and was not the most imposing character. That has since changed – both literally and figuratively – as the Novi Sad native has grown in stature. Now strong in the tackle and increasingly assuming more responsibility on the field, Gacinovic has become indispensable to Eintracht.