A sky-high flight, then a head-butt and a shot that left goalkeepers with fewer chances than when someone catches a volley with their foot. Goals were his trademark Ante Drobnjak, and not just with his head - he shook the nets in various ways, wherever he went and played...
And, he came to Titograd in 1987 as a very young man from Jedinstvo and his native Bijelo Polje - he immediately fell in love with Buducnost and the blue and white colors forever.
- Even today, I follow every Buducnost match played in Podgorica, I simply love it, because Buducnost gave us all a lot, and we gave back as much as we could. When you love something, you don't leave it easily - says Drobnjak for "Vijesti", a man who is a playing legend of the Podgorica centenary team, and who returned to the club several times after his career.
The move from Jedinstvo to Buducnost was a big step - from a club that played in the Montenegrin league to a team that was a formidable rival to everyone in the First League of the greater Yugoslavia.
- Very early on, as a youth, I played for the first team of Jedinstvo, but somehow I imposed myself, I scored a lot of goals and in 1987 I received two calls - from Buducnost and Crvena zvezda. I decided on Buducnost because of my brother (Branislav Drobnjak, also the legend you read about on the occasion of the Century of the Future) so that he could go abroad without compensation, but I was also young, Podgorica was close and there was a greater possibility that I would immediately play for Buducnost - Drobnjak recalled.
Was it a good decision?
- You never know what would happen, but I believe it was a good move.
Big Four teams favorite "victims"
In the capital of Montenegro, he was welcomed by the brilliant generation of the Future.
- Predrag Mijatovic and I arrived in the same year, and Buducnost had a really good team and I had a lot of competition - he was already there Željko Janović"During my first year, I waited for a chance from the bench, and when I came on, I took advantage of a lot of situations. I also remember my first goal against Rad on the road," says Drobnjak.
He was already a regular in his second year, followed by the army and then two more seasons in Buducnost.
- I did what was asked of me, I scored goals, I worked hard and during that period, the future was a dream for all of us. We died on the field and that is the difference compared to today's football.
13
goals scored by Anto Drobnjak for Budućnost in the 1990/1991 season. It will be remembered that he was the club's top scorer in the last SFRY season
The greats of Yugoslav football - Partizan, Red Star, Dinamo and Hajduk - were his favorite "victims".
- Yes, I scored in the last two seasons in the league of the great Yugoslavia, so I was lucky enough to score goals against teams from the "big four". I took advantage of the trust they gave me as a young player and I hope I have repaid our fans and the people at the club in the best way possible. In the season when he led us Gano Ceric, during the first 10 matches we played against those four big teams and I scored against practically all of them.
A goal that is special for Ant came against the "big four".
- The most beautiful goal was against Red Star - it was a cross from the right, and I caught the ball as I fell and beat the goalkeeper. That was Red Star's generation that later became European champions - explained Drobnjak.
Špaco was a genius, we all loved him and it was hard when he left.
One coach had a great influence on the careers of many Buducnost players, including Anto Drobnjak.
- That is Stanko Spaco Poklepovic"He trained me the most. That man was a genius, he came from Split - we all loved him and it was hard for everyone when he left. He knew how to create an atmosphere, he had a lot of knowledge and we really learned a lot from him," Drobnjak pointed out.
He played with many masters, but who were the greatest?
- Masters are those who have succeeded the most, and these are Dejan Savicevic and Predrag Mijatović. There were many other players who were useful to the team - such as Branko Brnović, Niša Saveljića, Miodrag Bozovic... It was a very talented team and I think that the period I played in was the most successful in the club's history when you look at the careers those players, who later became national team players, had. In addition, Budućnost was in the middle of the table, and under Ćerić we were sharing first place with Red Star after 10 rounds.
The Miracle with Lance and the World Cup of Injustice
From Podgorica, his journey took him to Belgrade, Corsica, northern France, and later to Japan...
- I regret not playing in Europe with Red Star due to sanctions, but I did my part, I won the Cup and was the team's top scorer. I spent the best three years of my career in Bastia, and then I chose Lens over Marseille and made the right decision - says Anto.
Thanks to his goals (he was the team's top scorer), Lens became French champions for the first and only time to date in 1998.
- The team that was 14th in the table a year ago has written the most beautiful page in its history to date - it became champion, played in the League Cup final and the Cup semi-finals. Now they are leaders again and I hope they can hold on this year, although it will be difficult next to Paris Saint-Germain.
Even today, Lance has one Montenegrin on the team - Andrija Bulatović, the great hope of our football.
- He is my cousin's child, I recommended him and told them he was a real gem. They scouted him, and he has proven himself in the best possible way and is doing well.
Drobnjak scored 14 goals during the championship year in Lens, and on the scorers list ahead of him were only Stefan Givarš, David Trezeguet i Viktor IkpebaHowever, even that was not enough to make it into the Yugoslavia squad for the World Cup, which was played in France, and the match between the "blues" and Germany was held at "his" "Bolear" stadium.
- There were complications, it was not known who was drinking and who was paying, who was being brought in and who was being "set up"... Honor to the exceptions, but three or four players went to the championship only to be sold. I passed the qualifications with that team, was the top scorer of the French champions, and one World Cup match was also played in Lens - it seemed there was no doubt whether I would go - says Anto.
He endured great injustice with dignity.
- I found out about everything just the day before I left for the World Cup, it was very unfair, the injustice towards me hit me at that moment, but God is great and I continued my career successfully and ended it properly. It is difficult to succeed in football despite a lot of adversity, but I am a happy man, I have a wonderful family and I have always done everything to be fair - said Drobnjak.
It wasn't easy to watch Future this fall.
Apart from on the field, Anto Drobnjak has shown his commitment to Budućnost in other roles, such as being the club's sports director for several periods, and briefly a coach.
As he already said, he still doesn't miss his beloved club's matches, even though there wasn't much joy.
- It wasn't easy to watch, the autumn part was a disaster. I'm watching how Buducnost will get out of it, I hope that bringing in Miodrag Božović and Nenad Maslovar is a good move. We should all hope for better days, because Podgorica and Buducnost deserve good results, especially now when it's easiest to get to the group stage in Europe - Drobnjak emphasized.
Drobnjak's two teams: It's a shame I won't mention some of them
Like most legends who participated in the "Vijesti" series, when choosing the ideal team of the Future of All Time, Anto Drobnjak decided on two teams.
- A hundred years is a long time, how many great players have passed through that time, so it's a shame that I won't mention some people, and some I don't know, I haven't watched... And if we were to choose 30, we would probably make a mistake. That's why I decided to make a team of players I played with and a team of those I remember a little and heard stories about.
First team: Dragoje Leković - Željko Petrović, Nisa Saveljić, Miodrag Božović, Branislav Drobnjak, Dragoljub Brnović - Branko Brnović, Dejan Vukićević, Predrag Mijatović, Dejan Savicevic - Željko Janović.
Second team: Branislav Djukanovic - Dusko Vlaisavljevic, Slavko Vlahovic, Vojislav Vukcevic, Zoran Vorotovic - Petar Ljumovic, Dragan Vujovic, Zoran Batrovic, Ante Mirocevic - Mojas Radonjic, Zarko Vukcevic.
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