East Bengal: Who Is Aleksandar Pantic? Serbian Defender Named Jose Pardo’s Replacement

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East Bengal won their first-ever trophy after 12 long years of waiting when they won the Kalinga Super Cup in January. However, since then, the Red and Gold Brigade cannot seem to catch a break in the Indian Super League.

Since coming back to the second half of the ISL 2023-24, they have not won any of the three matches they have played. Additionally, they have now lost their centre-back Jose Pardo for the rest of the season with an injury.

With that, the player and the club have also mutually agreed to part ways. Hence, East Bengal had a gap in their list of foreign players which the management acted swiftly to fill up. They have recruited the Serbian centre-back, Aleksander Pantic.

Who is Aleksander Pantic?

Aleksander Pantic is a 31-year-old defender who has represented his nation in the U-19 and U-21 teams. He has also played in La Liga for four seasons for clubs, like Villarreal, Cordoba, Eibar, and Alaves. He has also played in other top European leagues.

He has played for the Serbian SuperLiga side Red Star Belgrade and Ukrainian Premier League side Dynamo Kyiv. In his club career, he appeared once in a Europa League match and in three Europa League Qualifying matches.

Talking about his arrival at the club, Pantic said, “It gives me immense pleasure to join a legendary club like East Bengal. The club has had many wonderful moments this season and I want to do my best to make our fans happier. I am grateful to Coach Carles and the East Bengal management for giving me this opportunity. Joy East Bengal!”

Talking about their new star, coach Carles said, “In Pantić we have a player with huge experience of playing for top European clubs like Villarreal, Dynamo Kyiv, and Red Star Belgrade. I know him from my stint in Cypriot football, and it’s very good for us that he was playing for Doxa just until the last transfer window.”