Vladan Bubanja: In Croatia, everything is at a higher level

Sutjeska was without several important players this summer, and one of those who left the championship team is Vladan Bubanja. The midfielder scored seven goals in the domestic championship last season, played the best season of his career in Nikšić, won the cup and then signed for Lokomotiva Zagreb.

In the capital of Croatia, Bubanja initially got his chance from the bench, but he patiently waited and waited for the right chance, so now he is a standard first-team player. In the last six matches, he was in the starting line-up five times and played 90 minutes in all five. And the reward for good games came on Saturday when he scored the first goal in the Croatian Football League (HNL) and brought the popular "lokos" victory against Osijek. Lokomotiva, after losing to Dinamo in the previous round, returned to the winning track and with 22 points occupies the seventh position in the table.

- The goal means a lot to me. I hope this is just the beginning and I will continue with games like this. Impressions are excellent. Osijek is a team with a lot of quality and experienced players, and we entered the game in the right way from the first minute. We imposed our rhythm, left Osijek without serious chances and deservedly won. We are growing as a team, we are playing better and better - said Bubanja for "Vijesti".

The start of the season in Croatia was not easy, nor was everything ideal. But the period of adaptation has passed and the game of Lokomotive cannot be imagined without the 23-year-old from Nikšić.

- At first it wasn't as I imagined, it wasn't great. I was coming off the bench, but I trained even harder and fought. Now I'm standard in the starting line-up. I'm happy with my games, but I can always do better and I'm working towards that.

Moving from Montenegrin to the Croatian league is a big step forward in the career of any footballer, including Bubanja.

- The Croatian league is strong. There are Dinamo, Hajduk and Osijek, Rijeka is also a quality team. I would not neglect the other teams, who also have a certain quality, which is evident from round to round. Every round brings a surprise - the championship is strong and interesting to follow - said Bubanja.

Needless to say, how much better quality Croatian club football is than Montenegrin. After all, HNL teams are participants in European competitions, Dinamo plays in the Champions League, sells players for tens of millions of euros...

- It's quite a big difference. Starting with infrastructure. The courts are in good condition at each club. There is a big difference when it comes to matches, aggressiveness in matches. Everything is at a much higher level - says Bubanja, who has adapted to life in Croatia:

- I got used to it quickly. I'm having a great time in Zagreb.

Bubanja follows Sutjeska and hopes that the people of Nikšić will defend the title.

- When I have time, I watch the matches. So far, the results are good and I hope that the people of Nikšić will remain in the position they are currently in - concluded Bubanja.

It marked the weekend

Bubanja marked the previous weekend when it comes to the performance of Montenegrin internationals, so the website Sofascore rated it with 7,7.

In second place is Atletika stopper Stefan Savić (7,7). The Mojkovo player missed the previous three matches of the "colćoneros" in La Liga, and on Saturday he played 1 minutes in the draw with Getafe (1:90).

After Savić, the player from Gorica, Momčilo Raspopović (7,1), follows. He received a yellow card, was replaced at halftime, and his team lost at home to Šibenik 3:0, so it was nailed to the last place in the HNL table with only nine points.

The fourth is Ilija Vukotić (6,9), who played 86 minutes in Boavista's draw with Santa Clara (2:2). Boavista tied three matches without defeat in Primera.

The fifth best-rated Montenegrin international is goalkeeper Matija Šarkić (6,8). His Stoke lost away to Luton 1:0 in the 30th round of the Championship.