Dej's first love: I only cried for the Future

Podgorica, then Titograd, also had its own October 5th, but in the most beautiful sense of football.

The year was 1983, the legendary Miso Folić, facing an injury to the first center forward Zeljko Janovic, he decided to throw it into the fire Dejan Savićević, who had just turned 17. And Red Star was coming.

The rest is history - on his first real debut in a Buducnost jersey (his first time as a starter), Savićević pushed the ball past the goal post at the end of the match. Tomica Ivković for a 1:0 victory. And images from another time - 15 thousand fans celebrated Buducnost's victory, celebrating a new star, who was born right before their eyes.

Everything that followed, five years in the Buducnost jersey, four in Crvena zvezda, six in Milan, entered all anthologies, not only of Montenegrin and Yugoslav, but also of European and world football. A player who brought glory to Buducnost and Montenegro.

This is the Titograd story of a football genius: Future as first love.

- There were beautiful and difficult moments - he recalls, as the last of the legends in the series of interviews "we are choosing the best team of Budućnost" for the 100th anniversary of the Podgorica club.

- In the first two or three years of my existence in Buducnost, it was a tight fight for survival. We were even relegated from the league once - in 1985, almost mathematically, few people remember that. We were saved by a player from Radnički from Niš Thumbelina. We should build a monument to that man in Podgorica. He missed three penalties in three games in a row and thanks to that we stayed in the league. And when we lost to Red Star at home 2:1 a few rounds before the end, we thought we were going to be relegated, there were tears, I remember that well. It's unreal how we stayed in the league in the end, mostly thanks to Palčić.

Three years of struggle, and then a renaissance: with Milan Živadinović, 1986.

- The next two years were very nice, a year with Živadinović, a year with Špac Poklepović. Unfortunately, neither of them are alive - but it was a real pleasure, especially with Živadinović. We were bad for the first few rounds, and then we suddenly took off and were the hit of the championship. I definitely established myself that year and only then did I see, in my third season, that I would be a good player. Not exactly that I would reach the level that I reached, but that I would be good - it was clear. We grew up as a generation, brothers Brnović, I, he was Guzo Vujovic that first year with Živadinović, later he came Zeljo PetrovicHe was Bodo Drobnjak senior, Slavko Vlahovic, Stanisavljevic, Pesterac, Daca Mugosa... We had a good team and we could play, we were not inferior even against stronger teams, we knew how to match them.

Savićević remembers the detail that makes him feel the most guilty.

- Semi-final of the Yugoslav Cup against Rijeka in 1987. In the second leg in Titograd, the famous referee gave us a good game. Zoran Petrovic, who then 'massacred' Rijeka in the final against Hajduk. We could have played that final with Hajduk - and maybe it was decided at a higher level that Hajduk had to win, who knows. But it's a shame how Petrović refereed. Grandpa Hadziosmanovic broke through on the flank and crossed, the ball went through the legs of the Rijeka player and, after he slipped, he stopped it with his hand that was left behind. And Petrović does not call a penalty. And he had already called one that Martać missed - actually Ravnic saved, but this was also a penalty. That game is something my generation regrets the most, even though I was younger myself.

Dejo remembers the games against Partizan, who Budućnost loved to play against at the time, and he also remembers the "black beast", Red Star.

- We had great results against Partizan, disastrous against Red Star - we couldn't beat them. We might have beaten them once in the Cup and that was it. We weren't lucky, but against Partizan - in the five years I was at Buducnost, we only lost once in Titograd 3:0, when Djukanovic defended for them. And never against Red Star - except for my debut on October 5, 1983.

Playing for the Future - Fulfilling Dreams.

- All the children from Podgorica still want to play for Buducnost. And only at that time - football players were very popular, public figures. Back then, 90 percent of people didn't know who the Prime Minister was, who the Chief of Police was, or who the Minister was, and today they are the main figures. Back then, they were football players, actors. It was a completely different environment, approach to life, view of values ​​and everything else. To be a first team player for Buducnost back then - there was no one who didn't know you. There was little media, and the stadiums were full. Against Rijeka - eight thousand, Red Star and Partizan, a holiday - 15 thousand. So when Sarajevo comes with With Sušić, Željo... So Sutjeska - the people of Nikšić came, the matches were fierce. We were Gods - known, recognized, loved - says Savićević.

Beloved, because they played with their hearts.

- Red Star and Partizan come, and some people jump when Red Star scores, but most of them were for us and people loved us. In Buducnost, no one took the money, we all loved that club. I never cried after Buducnost. Later in Red Star, Milan, when you lose - you're sorry, but you move on. Those emotions are a bit lost when big money comes. You enter professional waters, too, you don't play, you work football. In Buducnost, we did everything out of love - whoever came, couldn't take big money. We did have a good life, here's an example - one year we took seven points out of eight possible, and bonuses were awarded for a cycle of four games. I, who didn't have a professional contract, but a scholarship contract, brought home bonuses as much as my father and mother earned in a year. That was it. I left half of the money at home with my parents, gave it to my brother, left it for me - those were some other values. You couldn't make a fortune, but we lived well.

Savićević scored a lot of goals, 36 in the championship of a large country, in the jersey of Buducnost.

- Favorite? Maybe the one at Živadinović when I dribbled past Sloboda players, maybe two in Split against Hajduk, or Dinamo in Zagreb when seven players were in front of me, and I managed to shoot from the edge of the penalty area - right into the "ninety". We lead 1:0, we lose 2:1. Then Velež, the goalkeeper Petranović, Partizan, also, here when the big derby for the top was played. There were some nice goals.

And it all came before...

- The first game I remember watching was Buducnost's first after returning to the First League, in 1975 against Radnički from Kragujevac. My father took me to the east, to the stands, 1:0, Tonka scored a goal Dika Stojanović. I sat in the bottom row and watched the game through the grille, I was a kid. After that I remember the games at Spasojevic when Buducnost played well, I remember when Stand up scored two goals for Red Star, then won against Hajduk 4:0. I also remember how Mojas scored goals, I remember Zoja Vorotović i Mica Bakrača. And it's a shame that there are no such recordings, I think that those generations are much handicapped compared to the new generations, and I won't even talk about this now - everything is recorded by phone. It's a shame that they copied those goals and moves from the Television of Montenegro and put the assemblies on top of them. They erased all those things and brought those people to the point where you can only talk about them - what kind of player someone was. You can't show who Tonko was, who Guzo was, who Mojaš was, what Mićo and Zoja were, who was Janko"We younger people have some recordings, at least something remains," recalls Savićević.

Lots of anecdotes, adventures from my youngest, fan days...

- We jumped over the stand on the east side. They put bottles, someone climbed up and knocked them out - then you put a blanket or cardboard to jump over: miracles were done on the stand to watch. Then the alarm sirens that went off on the east side... It's hard to explain that to today's youth - says Dejo.

There, that was the Future...

- It was a boxing club, very popular; they were the first to enter the First League, then the football players, then the basketball players with Duško Ivanovic, then a women's handball club, which needs a six-meter bust to raise Vinko Kandija. They looked at him like a fool when he said 'I'm going to fight for first place with this club'. Out of 12 clubs at the time, there were 11. They fought for first place with Kandija the following season. Those were the rappers. Mijo Perunovic legend, when we saw him as Tita that we saw. These are all values ​​that are hard to explain to young people now.

Savićević is, of course, destined to choose the ideal team of Buducnost - teammates, football players he remembers, but he emphasizes:

- The survey is unfair to the elderly - For example, Buducnost played in the final of the Yugoslav Cup in 1965, and I was born in 1966. And what do I know about those players, from that generation, even though I met many of them later? And they achieved great, great success. I remember the final of the Cup in 1977, through a fog, but those images fade when they are not repeated. It's a sin against them, even I, who will soon turn 60, don't remember everyone, let alone the younger ones.

He also emphasizes that he is not a supporter of "historical" polls.

- Every period brings its best players: here they are Fight they almost don't mention it, and in my time it was just Pele, Pele, Pele... Then he came Maradona, and more recently Months, Ronaldo. Maradona is rarely mentioned, Pele is rarely mentioned, and he won three world championships. It's probably inevitable, new, more attractive players are coming, and it's more tempting for the industry to do more marketing around them.

Dej's team with a lot of "fences": Unfair to the elderly

Dejan Savićević chooses the best team, Budućnost, with a lot of "fences" and brackets.

First of all, he says, it's unfair to former, great players.

- Misa Folic, for example, I love more than anyone, he brought me to Buducnost, but how can I put him on the team when I haven't watched him? Well Brano Rašovića, Laza Radović... I met them all, I know about their great careers, but I never watched them. There is no doubt that they were great. I probably forgot someone, and I apologize, I don't want people to take offense, I only mentioned two or three, and there were dozens of older ones who had great careers. As Vlado Božović, a national hero - says Savićević.

Then, another doubt...

- Is the team chosen based on the players who gave the most to Buducnost or the players who played for Buducnost and had great careers? Because, when you look at the players who gave the most to Buducnost, they are, first and foremost, Janko Miročević, Slavko Vlahovic, Danilo Karadzic, Miso Folic, Milan Rogošić, Dusko Vlaisavljević... I've probably forgotten someone, but these are people who gave their entire lives to Buducnost, both through their playing careers and later at the club, as coaches or something else.

Savićević still chooses Buducnost players who have had the greatest careers - in the country and abroad.

On goal: Dragoje Leković.

- The golden Chilean, Buducnost, Red Star, always in the national team circle... Then the right back Duško Vlaisavljević, he was a good player. He went to Rad and if he hadn't done that stupid thing there and earned a suspension, he would 100 percent have been part of the Red Star generation that won the Champions Cup, because they wanted to bring him in.

Savićević chooses the stoppers: Nikola-Nino Jovanovic i Vojislav-Vojo Vukcevic.

- Although Nino played little for Buducnost, he was a participant in the 1982 World Cup in Spain, a member of the Red Star team, in which he probably played the best games in Branko Stankovic's generation that played in the UEFA Cup final. It was no coincidence that Manchester United took him. Vojo Vukcevic was a good center-half and the biggest mistake he made was not going to Red Star when he signed. He would have had a longer career.

At the left back position, Savićević had perhaps the biggest dilemma:

- Dragoljub Brnović. A lot is known about him, he was a national team player, versatile, could play in several positions. I chose him, but I feel sorry for Zoja Vorotović, who was also a great player.

Savićević's midfield: Željko Petrović and Branko Brnović in the center, Peđa Mijatović on the right, Guzo Vujović on the left.

Explanations:

- I have known Željko Petrović since I was 14 or 15 years old. The boy who fought, fought his way up and became a player, through Dinamo, PSV and Sevilla he made a top career. Then the other Brnović - Branko, who was a golden Chilean, could play as a defender, a defender or a midfielder, wherever I put him. Peđa Mijatović - what can I say about him? He achieved so much in football and in life, that it is illusory for me to praise him. And Guzo Vujović on the left - he was an excellent dribbler, a good club player. The public knows him less because there are few recordings from that period, but the older generations remember him much better.

In front of them, and behind the most prominent one - Tonko Miročević:

- He was the captain of the Olympic team, and a member of the national team in the former Yugoslavia. The greatest legend of the Future.

And at the top of the attack, Anto Drobnjak:

- A player I played with a little, because at that time Željko Janović was ahead of him. He trained with us, and he played when Željko went to the army, and he had a great career. Zvezda, Lens, where he won the title, was the top scorer in the French league and no one can deny that to him.

Savićević had doubts when choosing the B team, and in the end he dictated a formation with two classic center forwards:

- Branislav Djukanovic - Savko Vlahovic, Miodrag Grof Bozovic, Janko Mirocevic, Zoja Vorotovic - Mico Bakrac, Caco Ljumovic, Drago-Cetka Kovacevic, Mirko Radinovic - Mojas Radonjic, Zaljko Janovic.

Tonko is the greatest legend of Buducnost, he gave more than both Pedja and me

For Dejan Savićević, the greatest Montenegrin football player of all time, the greatest legend of Buducnost is Ante Miročević.

- I think he gave the most to Buducnost, both as a player and as a coach. He is a true legend of the club, the man gave the most to it in every sense. They say that me and Peđa were the better players, but as far as Buducnost is concerned - he gave three times more than the two of us.

Savićević also "signs" the ideal Buducnost team that Tonko Miročević chose in our poll.

He looks like this, A team: Božo Belojević - Mišo Folic, Peko Methadžević, Branko Rašović, Niko Radović - Janko Miročević, Lazar Radović, Predrag Mijatović - Vojin Škoba Božović, Dejan Savicevic - Milutin Pajević.

B team: Momcilo Vujacic - Slavko Vlahovic, Cveto Savkovic, Vojislav Vukcevic, Rajko Folic - Dragoljub Brnovic, Petar Caco Ljumovic, Gano Ceric - Drago Kovacevic, Dragan Vujovic - Vlado Milic.

- Reading all the votes, I think Tonko covered the broadest - and I believe in his opinion. I'm not saying I agree 100 percent - because how can I agree, when he put some people I've never even seen, but knowing what kind of player he was, and what kind of person he was above all - realistic, not burdened with greatness - I think his best team of Buducnost is the most authoritative of all the ones I've read so far.

Two “ideal” Savićević teams

Savićević chose two versions of teams composed of players he remembers - from 1975 and the first game he watched, which he remembered.

He also chose the teams based on the criteria - they played in Buducnost and had the best careers.

A team: Dragoje Leković - Duško Vlaisavljević, Nikola Jovanović, Vojo Vukčević, Dragoljub Brnović - Željko Petrović, Branko Brnović - Peđa Mijatović, Ante Miročević, Guzo Vujović - Anto Drobnjak.

B team: Branislav Djukanovic - Slavko Vlahovic, Miodrag Grof Bozovic, Janko Mirocevic, Zoja Vorotovic - Mico Bakrac, Caco Ljumovic, Drago-Cetka Kovacevic, Mirko Radinovic - Mojas Radonjic, Zaljko Janovic.

The interview with Dejan Savićević concluded the large survey "We are choosing the ideal team of Buducnost" on the occasion of the club's 100th birthday.

Vijesti will announce the ideal best team in the first days of 2026, based on the votes of prominent football players, as well as fans, in a survey that has been active on our portal for almost two months.

We will announce the two best teams of the Future, as well as the best teams for the first 50 (1925-1975) and the second 50 years of existence (1975-2025). We will do this to at least partially repay the older legendary players, who are unfairly neglected in every poll that is chosen in today's time frame, including this one.