Marko Zivanovic

Marko Živanović arrived at Zhetysu the way many free agents do at Kazakh clubs: on trial, without a contract waiting for him. The Serbian forward joined the club on a free transfer after passing that trial period, and he did not need long to make his mark, scoring on his debut soon after signing.

Before that move, Živanović had built his game in Serbian football with FK Omladinac Novi Banovci, and his path also took him through Montenegro, where he turned out for FK Arsenal Tivat and FK Petrovac. That stretch abroad, followed by a return to trial for a place at a Kazakhstan Premier League side, marks him out as a forward who had to work his way into a first-team shirt rather than arrive with a reputation attached.

At 190cm and playing off his right foot, Živanović fits the profile clubs look for in a centre-forward, and Zhetysu handed him the number 27 shirt. The goal on debut gave an early sign of what the club hoped they were getting when they took him on trial rather than a finished transfer.