Marko Nikolić gave a lengthy interview on the show “Super Indirektno kod Popa i Milana,” where he talked about everyone and everything. The Serbian coach discussed which player he would sign for AEK from Partizan, highlighting Jović and Vida, and described the unique atmosphere created in Nea Filadelfia when the yellow-and-blacks take the field.
He was also asked about the Serbian national team, emphasizing that it is the greatest honor for any player to wear the national jersey, citing as examples the Croatian players at AEK, Domagoj Vida and Lovro Mayer, as well as Vedran Čorluka, with whom he had worked in the past.
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In fact, he didn’t shy away from answering a question about whether he would take the helm of the Serbian national team, emphasizing that he would love to do so at some point in the future!
“At AEK, I have Domagoj Vida and Lovro Mayer, and in the past I had Vedran Čorluka. And I know how they feel about being called up to the national team, how they check to see if they’re on the roster… For them, it’s a matter of life and death—in the most positive sense! That’s what we need to build here, too. I was just talking today with my friend, Bato Mirković—from a young age, kids need to learn that there’s nothing more sacred than the Serbian national team jersey!
When you hear “Boze pravde,” you have to give it your all out there on the field! You may not have the best skills, but you have to leave everything on the field. “That has to be the letter ‘A’ in the national team’s alphabet!” he said initially, and was then asked if he sees himself on Serbia’s bench in the future:
“Sometime in the future, yes! There’s no greater honor than being the coach of your country’s national team. I’ve coached the U-19 national team in the past, and there’s no better feeling than hearing the national anthem. But that’s not the issue right now! We need to support Veliko because he’s earned it. He’s a serious, dedicated coach, and he approaches his work in a way that’s unusual by our standards.
Maybe some things about how things work here slipped past him a bit because he was away for so long, but I can see that he’s starting to understand more and more now. We have the quality to give anyone a run for their money, even the world’s top teams. “Let’s support Paunović ahead of the Nations League so he can make us happy!” Nikolić said.
*photo source: KYPE
