Branislav Ivanovic is a professional football player, born on February 22, 1984 in Sremska Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia. He was in the Serbian squad that went to Portugal to play in the 2006 U-21 Championships, where he made four appearances and scored one goal for the side. During this tournament he was given the captains armband and was the captain of the side since then.
Regarded as one of Serbia's best young players, Branislav Ivanovic was named in the Union of European Fooball Associations (UEFA) ‘Team of the Tournament’ during the 2007 U-21 Championships held in the Netherlands, where his team finished as runners-up.
On June 8, 2005, Branislav Ivanovic won his first cap for Serbia and Montenegro in a friendly against Italy that was held in Toronto, Canada. On September 12, 2007, he scored his first international goal in a game against Portugal in Lisbon. As of 2008, he has won 13 caps for his national side and has one goal to hios credit. Even though he plays in the central defense position along with Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic, he can also play as a right-back or as a defensive midfielder, whenever the need arises.
During the early days of his career, Branislav Ivanovic played for FC Sremska Mitrovica in his home town, following which, he moved to OFK Beograd in 2003. After three years of playing in the Serbian Superliga, he was signed by FC Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006 and was a key member of the team that lifted the Russian Cup in 2007.
On January 16, 2008, Branislav Ivanovic signed a three year deal with English football club Chelsea. The deal was approximately worth £9.7 million and was the largest deal in the Russian football history. Soon after sealing the deal, Branislav Ivanovic stated that it was his dream to play in the same team with Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
