Peers, especially admired while wearing the Montenegro jersey, guys who shook the net of the great England... Dejan Damjanović and Andrija Delibasic have a lot in common, and now the three-month-younger one will try to continue what his former teammate started.
Dejan Boske Damjanović is officially the new sports director of the Budućnost Football Club as of today - he succeeded Delibasic, who sadly passed away on March 19th, in that position.
"We all know what happened - Andrija was like a brother to me. It's a painful topic. I'm honored to be able to inherit him and everything he started - I hope I can finish what he envisioned," Boske said at a press conference after being promoted to the new sporting director.
The great Andrija left Buducnost at the top, so Damjanović will have excellent conditions to continue his path at the new beginning of his career.
"Thank you to Budućnost and Novak Novaković (executive director) for the chance and the invitation, all of this is an honor and a privilege. I came to the biggest Montenegrin club, and the expectations are high. I hope I will be able to help from the bench, above all I hope that we will make a breakthrough in Europe. Many of my former teammates know that I never saw myself as a coach, I was more for a calling like this," Damjanović added.
Good team, good results, great potential
Buducnost dominated in Montenegro this season and won their seventh title long before the end of the championship.
"We have a good team, good results and excellent potential. I am full of life, energy, contacts, desire to work. What I had on the field, I will try to transfer to the club. I hope everything will go in the right direction. The team looks dominant, as I said, there is potential and young players. I am optimistic."
Boske doesn't hide how much his job at the new club means to him.
"Buducnost was a big club in the former Yugoslavia, it produced results and produced great players. I got a little nervous about everything, because I understand how big Buducnost is. I take all of this really seriously," the former Montenegrin striker is clear.
No one in the area has such youngsters, we have the quality for Europe
The future has a future and that is something that particularly pleases Damjanović.
"We have five youth national team players who will soon play in the historic European Championship. There is nothing like that anywhere else," the new sports director of the "blue and whites" is clear.
Montenegro has been conquered once again, is it time to make a breakthrough in Europe, after everything moved from the "dead point" last summer?
"Some things have to come together for the draw, but we look good. I can't promise anything, we know how important that draw is in Europe, and if we are not favored it will be very difficult. With our quality, we deserve a chance to fight for Europe, or rather, we have the quality to make a breakthrough in Europe," Damjanović believes, citing an example from the region.
"If Celje, with all due respect, can play in the quarterfinals of the Conference League, no one can tell me that Buducnost can't. We have the quality and desire and I hope we can achieve a historic result."
About Meridianbet First Montenegrin Football League says...
"The results degraded it, the infrastructure was very questionable, the pitches were bad, so people were skeptical, but we had good national team players from the domestic league. In the meantime, the infrastructure has improved, the Football Association wants to help all clubs so that they have pitches in optimal condition. The Montenegrin league now has an acceptable level of football, unlike before."
A foreigner only if he makes a difference
Damjanović left a big mark as a player in South Korea, especially in the Seoul jersey, and is still the top scorer in the history of the Asian Champions League.
"I won't push for Koreans (as reinforcements), a foreigner is someone who brings something extra and makes a difference. If we can't bring in a foreigner who doesn't make a difference, then we don't need them. We'll see if we can find someone who can help us on the field, but also off the field. Like we now have Grbić, Ivanović, Adžić... In any case, we have time for that. We'll sit back and see. If there's something interesting and acceptable for our budget - why not," explained Boske.
He once again turned to young players, who are increasingly making great transfers from Buducnost, such as Vasilije Adžić (Juventus), Andrija Bulatović (Lans), Bodin Tomašević (Bologna)...
"I would like to be able to keep the young players for maybe a year more, but that would be selfish. We need to be a club that will develop young players and also produce results. These guys may be the future of the national team tomorrow. These offers, like the one for Andrija Bulatović, are for the benefit of Montenegrin football. Ultimately, that is a positive image that is being sent from Montenegrin football," Damjanović concluded.
Novaković: A great name to help with all strategies
Novak Novaković, executive director of Buducnost, pointed out that a two-year contract was signed with Damjanović.
"We have a big name coming to us that we brought in to help us with all our strategies. He arrived at the ideal moment. Football is a living thing and we have to react," Novaković pointed out.
Bonus video:
