Matija Popović

Matija Popović was born in Altötting, Germany, and represents Serbia at international level, having come through the country's U17, U19 and U21 sides. He started out at FK Vojvodina before spending several years in the Partizan youth setup, where he never made a senior appearance but won the Kadetska liga in the 2022/23 season, scoring 20 goals in 24 matches. That form was enough to see him named on The Guardian's 'Next Generation 2023' list. At the 2023 European U17 Championship he played every match for Serbia as they reached the quarter-finals, setting up three goals along the way.

In January 2024 he moved to Napoli, spending the rest of that season on loan at Monza without featuring for the first team. He then returned to Napoli's Under-20 side, where he scored 11 goals in 26 appearances between the summer of 2024 and September 2025.

Popović joined CSKA Moscow on a free transfer in September 2025, signing until 2028, with Napoli retaining a 10% sell-on clause. His first goal for the club came in the Russian Cup against Dynamo Makhachkala, and he was voted CSKA's best player for November and December by fans and experts. He opened his account in the Russian Premier League against Krylya Sovetov the following August, having by then made 15 league appearances for the club.