Goran Pandev

Goran Pandev (Macedonian: Горан Пандев, pronounced (listen); born 27 July 1983) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Parma.

After establishing himself at Lazio, Pandev moved to Inter Milan in early 2010. While playing for the Nerazzurri, Pandev collected a host of honours including winning the Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League in 2010 as part of a treble for the club. On 22 April 2021, he became the first Macedonian to score 100 goals in one of the top five European football leagues. He was the captain of the North Macedonia national team until deciding to retire from international football in 2021, following UEFA Euro 2020. He is the country's all-time top scorer with 38 goals.

Pandev made his senior debut for Macedonia in a June 2001 FIFA World Cup qualification match away against Turkey. With two goals against Spain on 12 August 2009, he became the national team's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Gjorgji Hristov.

He intended to retire from international football in 2015, but was persuaded to keep playing by national manager Igor Angelovski. Pandev earned his 100th cap in a 3–1 home win over Latvia in UEFA Euro 2020 qualification in March 2019. He scored the team's only goal in North Macedonia's 1–0 Euro 2020 play-off victory over Georgia in November 2020, which saw his nation qualify for a major international tournament for the very first time. In the tournament he scored North Macedonia's first ever goal at a major tournament, pouncing on a mistake to score in an open net in a 3–1 defeat to Austria at Euro 2020 in the nation's competition debut, making him the second-oldest scorer in the finals of a European Championship, only behind Ivica Vastić. On 21 June 2021, he played his last match for his national team against the Netherlands in the last group stage match of the Euro 2020.