Ex-Rangers defender Gordan Petrić reveals skin cancer scare during spell in Scotland

Former Rangers, Hearts and Dundee United defender Gordan Petrić has revealed for the first time he battled skin cancer during the latter years of his playing career and insists he has made a full recovery.

The ex-Serbian international, who was named manager of Partizan Belgrade in his homeland last August after spells as general secretary and vice-president at the club, spent eight years in Scotland as well as a stint at Crystal Palace before deciding to hang up his boots at the age of just 31.

The nine-in-a-row icon has now admitted his decision to retire prematurely was due to his cancer diagnosis after he started to feel unwell during his final season at Tynecastle in 2001.

Petrić said: “At the age of 31, I found out in Scotland I had melanoma. I underwent interferon therapy. The doctors told me I could keep playing but that I felt tired all the time.

“I had maybe five more years of my career ahead of me and I already had a familiy. I decided to retire and fight my cancer. It takes time to mentally collect yourself and prepare for what awaits you. I made the decision to stop stressing myself for the sake of my health and my loved ones.

“I had check-ups every six months and since the melanoma hadn’t come back after five years it was over. I had offers to get back to football but I wanted a break. I basically rested for five years and walked a lot, got into nature, enjoyed the solitude and listened to the birds. But I needed to get back into football and here I am now at Partizan.”

Petrić is not the only player of his era to suffer a serious illness as he highlighted the number of Old Firm stars to have fought a health condition.

The former centre-half questioned: “Why did it happen to me? I can’t explain. In that period when I played, nine players from Celtic and Rangers fell ill with some kind of cancer. I enjoyed my time in Scotland enormousl. My dream is to play Rangers in a friendly with Partizan.”