Future Legend Petar Caco Ljumović: The Cup Final could have changed our careers, but it was still beautiful

He preferred assists to goals, and he often says that the Buducnost Football Club is his youth. Older football fans and Buducnost fans will surely know who he is talking about, the legend of the "blues", Petar Cac Ljumović.

A series of interviews with famous players as part of the survey "We are choosing the ideal team of the Future" began with Voje Gardašević, which marked part of the 1950s and 1960s, and Ljumović is one of those who "belonged" to the era of the 1970s and the period when the "blues" played the final of the Marshal Tito Cup against Hajduk at Belgrade's "Marakana".

When asked who the greatest legends of Buducnost are, the popular Caco didn't think much about it:

- Of the players I've had the opportunity to play with, he's unsurpassed. Ante Tonko Miročević - says Ljumović.

And in recent history?

- Dejan Savicevic, Predrag Mijatovic i Zeljko Petrovic. Dejo later proved himself in Red Star and Milan, Peđa left his mark in Real Madrid, was the director of the biggest club in the world. And Željo, my friends, played with Diego Maradona"I have no dilemma about that, although someone probably thinks differently," Ljumović points out.

Buducnost celebrated its 100th birthday this summer, "Vijesti" is choosing the ideal team - and Ljumović himself admits that it is not easy to fit all generations together, to put together the best 11, but he had no problem announcing 22 names that, in his opinion - each in their own way, whether through mastery, warrior mentality or something else - marked everything that Buducnost represents.

- Let me say in advance - don't let anyone who thinks I skipped it hold me back - says Ljumović with a smile.

So what does the ideal Buducnost team look like?

- On goal Momcilo Vujacic, right back Milutin-Mišo Folić, and the left Rajko Folic. The central defenders are Cveto Savkovic i Slavko Vlahovic. Janko Miročević I have Peđa Mijatović as the right midfielder and Tonko Miročević as the left midfielder. From the strikers I choose Dejan Savićević as the right midfielder, Dragan-Guza Vujović left and center Zeljko Janovic - says the 71-year-old legend.

Ljumović's second best team in the history of Buducnost looks like this:

- Goalkeeper Dragoje Leković, right back Dusko Vlaisavljević, left Dragoljub Brnović, and the central defenders Vojislav Vukcevic i Nisha Saveljic. Last midfielder Goran Trobok, right Željo Petrović, left Igor BurzanovićIn the attack, places are reserved for Dragomir Kovačević right, Ghana of Ceric left and center Ante Drobnjak.

Caco is one of the serious candidates to be in the ideal team as a last midfielder - he has shown a lot in that role throughout his career, and the highlight of his career and that of most from that generation could have been the final of the Marshal Tito Cup in 1977. Hajduk was better then, winning 2:0 in extra time.

- There was a lot of pressure before that final. Coach Marko Valok At that time, he wanted to isolate us from the public and everything that the match entails, so we were not accommodated in the center of Belgrade, in the “Majestic” or the “Jugoslavija” hotel, but on the outskirts - in Surčin. And we were not isolated, but we could not sleep because of the truck drivers and guests of that motel. Hajduk was strong, but we could stand up to them. I think that Valok's big problem at that time was that he did not want to change the team that had ruined his season. Drago Kovačević had problems, and this is a player who needed two good passes to score Mojaš Radonjić in the head and we score a goal. Radovan Bosković had injured his ankle, and he could run as much as he wanted. If Valok had given him a chance from the start, for example, Slavko Vlahović... Everything somehow piled up to create enormous pressure and leave us without freshness, which was especially evident in overtime.

He especially remembers the euphoria before the game.

- When I came out of the Marakana tunnel, when I saw 100 thousand people, and it seems to me that half of Montenegro was in Belgrade that day, I still can't describe that feeling. It was only when the game started, when I touched the ball for the first time and sent the pass I wanted - that I became aware that I was part of such a game, the final of Marshal Tito. If only we had won that trophy, I think the careers of many of us would have been different. But it was still beautiful, we did what we love and played for the club we love - says Ljumović.

He arrived at Budućnost in 1972 from OFK Titograd, where he began playing football in an unusual way.

- We played on the field we called Marakana, right where the TV station is now. Then Mr. Grbavcevic, who told us that the Youth Football Club Titograd was being formed. We followed him to Cvijetin brijeg, signed our names and received a navy T-shirt, blue shorts and blue sneakers from “Borovo”. It was an excellent generation, full of good players and talents, that year we were the champions of Montenegro and we were among the four teams in Yugoslavia. All of that was in 1968/69.

The coach of the Yugoslav youth national team at that time was Ante Bice Mladinic.

- He watched us live, was amazed when he saw all those stones on Cvijetin Brijeg, so we went to Split to train with Hajduk for ten days. When I stepped onto the "Mlinare" pitch, when I saw what the pitch was like... The coach told me to take off my sneakers and socks and go out barefoot for a bit to see how it was. Well, when I picked up the ball... No one taught me anything, and I knew everything - says Ljumović.

We return to Buducnost, which won entry into the elite competition in the 1974/75 season.

- I was in the army at the time, the May class. Buducnost went to Timisoara for training and the captain called me to the office and said: "The command from Belgrade called me to see what kind of soldier you are", and while we were talking, behind him you could see all the trophies we had won in football tournaments. He told me: "Have a safe journey home, Buducnost entered the First League and you got an award", even though I had three more months to serve. I went straight to Romania and to the coach Varage who knew everything about me, but told me to keep quiet and work - to wait for a chance because I came from the army, and I was joining the formed team that brought Budućnost to the elite. He also thought at the time that I was some kind of factor in the club, so he "tried" me and gave me a chance on a spoon. He knew to warm me up for 45 minutes and not to bring me in," Ljumović points out.

The autumn part of the 1975/76 season ended, and a little later Ljumović established himself in the first team and that's where his rise in the Buducnost jersey began. Everything after that is in a way history, but there is an anecdote here too:

- We had very good preparations in Žabljak and I felt that I was really ready. But, interestingly, the late Janko Miročević and I recounted this many times later. Before one match, Janko said: "Something's not right for me to go out on the pitch tomorrow", which caused a reaction from his brother Tonko, who replied: "Are you always guessing?"... The next day, as soon as the match started, Janko ran and his pleura ruptured. That's when I came in and never lost my place again. For a long time after that, I told my players that they had to be ready to play at any moment, because if they weren't, it was all in vain - concluded Ljumović, who also spent part of his career in France.

Ljumović's two best teams from Buducnost

The ideal team of Buducnost put together by Petar-Caco Ljumović:

Momcilo Vujacic - Milutin Folic, Cveto Savkovic, Slavko Vlahovic, Rajko Folic - Janko Mirocevic, Predrag Mijatovic, Tonko Mirocevic - Dejan Savicevic, Dragan-Guzo Vujovic, Zeljko Janovic;

Ljumović's second best team Buducnost:

Dragoje Lekovic - Dusko Vlaisavljevic, Vojislav Vukcevic, Nisa Saveljic, Dragoljub Brnovic - Goran Trobok, Zeljko Petrovic, Igor Burzanovic - Dragomir Kovacevic, Gano Ceric, Anto Drobnjak.