Two symbols of the Montenegrin national team, boys who left an indelible mark on the national team's success, will be rivals in the VTB league next season - after Bojan Dubljević signed for Zenit, joined him in Russia Nikola Ivanovic, who signed a one-year contract with the debutant in one of the strongest competitions in Europe, Runa.
The club from Moscow finished second in the Russian Super League last season, earning the right to play in a higher tier. He proved that he does not want to be just a mere participant by hiring a Turkish expert Etrugrul Erdogan, who managed Fenerbahçe, Turk Telekom, Istanbul, Galatasaray and Poland's Sljonsk, and the first big reinforcement for the VTB league is the 29-year-old from Podgorica.
There was no hint that the experienced playmaker would go to the biggest country in the world. In the spring, it was expected that he would extend his contract with Red Star, then he called him Zvezdan Mitrovic to Galatasaray, and the closest to his signing was Brescia and it seemed that he had one foot in the country where he already wore the Orlandina jersey. It was mentioned that CSKA also wanted him, but the offer of another club from Moscow decided, which was significantly better than all the others.
- There were several options, but Runa called and sent an excellent offer, so we agreed very easily. I didn't know much about that club, but I got very good information about the whole organization from our people who worked in Russia. It is an extremely stable club and I am happy to go there. An additional plus is that I will be in Moscow and be part of a new basketball project in that metropolis - said Ivanovic, who will make his debut for the new club on October 1 in front of his fans against Avtodor.
The former idol of Buducnost Volija fans became persona non grata in Podgorica in the summer of 2021, when he decided to move to Crvena zvezda. In two seasons with Belgrade, he won five trophies, but at the end of his term he did not play much, because they had the advantage Facundo Campazo, Port of Vildosa, Stefan Markovic...
- I spent the best two years in Zvezda, there were many successes and titles. It was a little more difficult for me after the injury last season, but I remained on excellent terms with everyone. It was a beautiful experience for me and my family. Sometime in March-April, I talked to the coach Duško Ivanovic around the extension of cooperation, when they wanted to leave a lot of local players, but the circumstances were such that the best solution was for me to leave. After all, after 15 years in the Balkans, it's time for something new.
This will be the third departure of Ivanovic "over the branch". In the 2016/2017 season. first played for AEK Athens, who then loaned him to Orlandina, before returning to Buducnost and writing history with a key role in winning the ABA League.
- In Italy I played quite correctly, but for Greece it was perhaps a little too early for me. Now I am a different player and person than I was then, I have much more experience, and I will have a significantly different role in Rooney. I want to play in the VTB league for a long time, I hope it will be a success story.
He will travel to Moscow on August 3, after the match against France in Montpellier, and two days later he will undergo medical examinations.
- I spoke with the coach and the sports director, who explained what was expected of me. Runa is in the VTB league for the first time and has great ambitions, he wants to make the best possible impression, I hope we will succeed in that. A coach who led some of the biggest Turkish teams came, this is certainly proof that they want big things - concluded Ivanovic.
We can reach the second stage, but it will not be easy for us
Due to an Achilles tendon injury, Ivanovic did not play at last year's Eurobasket, when he was brilliantly replaced by Kendrick Perry. The new player of the Moscow Runa is now ready and will be one of the biggest assets of the "reds" at Mundobasket, where Boško Radović's team will try to win one of the first two places in group D, in the competition of Lithuania, Mexico and Egypt, which would enter the top 16 selection in the world.
- We have been training for seven or eight days, only Kendrick is left to come. Vučević and Dubljević joined us and I think we have the quality for the second phase. There is a lot of talk about how we should reach it, I agree with that, but I don't think it will be that easy. We will have good tests until the championship itself, maybe one in Manila right before the start, and I believe we can do something nice - Ivanović points out.
The first game, against Mexico on August 25, could be crucial for the main stage. Rivals, however, are not being thought about yet.
- We did not set out to prepare for anyone in particular, we are working on what we can show. Whatever happens in that first game, it won't be the end of the world, but it would certainly be a lot easier for us if we won.
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