Qualifying for the European Championship with the Montenegrin youth national team would be the crowning glory of his career and a dream come true for Marko Perović, the whirlwind winger of Spanish club Almeria.
The Montenegrin U19 national team begins the elite round of European Championship qualifiers in Georgia tomorrow, with the goal of becoming the first team in the history of Montenegrin football to qualify for a major competition.
The rivals of Nenad Vukčević's team are Slovakia, Poland and host Georgia, and only the first-place team from the group will qualify for the final tournament hosted by Romania.
Three football players with international experience, namely Perović and Vasilije Adžić (Juventus) and the long-time Bodin Tomašević (Bologna), two more with experience playing in regional giants - Marko Tadić (Partizan) and Vuk Vlahović (Dinamo), along with players who are maturing in our First or Second League - are the forces with which the new coach is going to face the Slovaks, Poles and the host Georgia.
"We are optimistic and I think our optimism has real basis," Marko Perović tells "Vijesti".
"This generation has already been close to qualifying for the European Championship twice. We were just a few minutes away from that in the cadet competition two years ago, and only one match was played in the elite youth tournament. This is the third chance for a large number of players on this team and we want to take advantage of it. We can no longer say that we don't have experience."
Another reason for optimism are the matches our team has already played against its rivals in the group.
"We beat Poland 3:0 in the cadet competition at the elite round tournament, most of the players from that Polish team are still here. We played a friendly double-header with Slovakia, twice 1:1, and also with Georgia, we won 2:1 and played 1:1. In a way, we know our rivals, we have already had the opportunity to meet them all, but also to outplay them, which is also one of the reasons for optimism," continues Perović.
The third is international experience, especially Vaslij Adžić. Adžić had the opportunity to debut in Serie A and the Champions League, Perović has playing time in Almeria, a team that is fighting for entry into La Liga.
"We have collected some minutes in good leagues and I hope we will have the opportunity to show that by helping the team achieve historic success. For me, and for all my teammates, qualifying for the European Championship would be a dream come true and the crowning achievement of my career so far."
The fact that he is, to some extent, imposing additional pressure on himself with optimistic statements is not a problem for Perović.
"Pressure is normal in football, and if you can't handle it, you're not fit for this sport. I like playing with pressure, I'm getting used to it day by day. There's no pressure if we don't succeed, that's sport and life goes on. But it's sport to believe, to be optimistic, and in this case I think our optimism has real basis. We just need to run out onto the pitch and show it."
Our team will play its first match in the tournament tomorrow at 11 am local time against Slovakia.
I chose the right club, the right country, I hope I can grow in La Liga too
Almeria is fighting for promotion to La Liga 2 (Primera) in Spain's La Liga 1, the popular Segunda, and Marko Perović has already made seven appearances, five in the championship and two in the Cup.
"In a way, it's also confirmation that I chose the right country, the right club, because when I first arrived I was initially planned for the youth team, but I was very quickly transferred to the first team," says Perović.
His official debut, in November last year against Cordoba, when he almost scored with his first touch with the ball, was greeted with enthusiasm from the local Andalusian media, as well as praise from coach Rubio.
"Of course I had some nervousness, but the real sporting kind that disappears the moment you touch the ball for the first time. My first touch could have been a goal, it was a little short, but the compliments from the coach were welcome, they gave me extra confidence to work and train."
Perović also has someone to learn from, including elite teammates - Sergio Arribas played for Real, striker Leo Baptistao for Atletico Madrid.
"They are great aces and it's good to have them as teammates. And you can see why they were part of the big, biggest teams. Arribas is distinguished by his lucidity, you can see that there are no others like him, Baptistao is killer."
In Spain, fast football is played - for Perović, who grew up in Buducnost and then played in Jezero, it is a big change.
"A change that suits me," he says with a smile.
"The game is fast, the courts are fast, I would say it's not just a change compared to Montenegro, because in Spain the game is faster than anywhere else. But I'm getting used to it day by day, it's not something I didn't expect."
Almeria, a city in the south of Spain, bathed in sun, scorching Andalusia...
"I like the climate and the life, I have everything I need. We are fighting to get into La Liga, our slightly weaker form has contributed to a small drop in the table, but all the teams are within a point or two. The championship is long, longer than any other, I believe we will fight until the end and that we will succeed. It would be better for me, and I would like to, to grow up in Liga 1," concluded Perović.
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