Euro 2020 – who is North Macedonia's captain, Goran Pandev?

Goran Pandev
(Image credit: PA)

Goran Pandev will be the North Macedonia captain at Euro 2020, which begins in Rome on June 11.

The veteran attacker has won 117 caps for his country since making his debut against Turkey in a World Cup qualifier back in June 2001.

Pandev first came to prominence at Lazio, where he won the Coppa Italia in 2009, beating Sampdoria on penalties.

He moved on to Inter Milan that summer and won the treble under Jose Mourinho in a remarkable first season.

Although he was rarely a regular, Pandev did start in the Champions League final as the Nerazzurri beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Bernabeu.

With the exception of a disappointing spell at Galatasaray, the 37-year-old has been in Serie A ever since, playing for Napoli and now Genoa.

Pandev has been with the club for the last six years and continues to perform at a high level even as he enters the twilight of his career.

He remains the star of the North Macedonia side too, with more goals and caps than any other player in the country’s history.

The most recent of his 37 international goals came in a shock 2-1 win away to Germany last month at the start of World Cup qualification.

Pandev put North Macedonia ahead on the stroke of half time, only for Ilkay Gundogan to equalise, but Eljif Elmas’ late goal gave them a famous win.

Igor Angelovski’s side will rely heavily on Pandev’s quality and composure as they compete in a first major tournament.

North Macedonia have been drawn in Group C alongside the Netherlands, Ukraine and Austria, and will be doing all they can to upset the odds.

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