At the end of last season, the then midfielder of “Anji” Elver Rakhimich said that he wants to stay in the Makhachkala team, which has become his true home, at least one more year. Elver's main dream was to play in European competition. However, fate decreed otherwise. Last week, Rakhimich signed a contract with CSKA. And now he connects his future with this team.
TILL REMAIN ANZHI'S FAN
- In my heart I still remain an Anji fan, - admits Rahimich... - I still call the guys, find out the news. On Sunday I talked with Ruslan Agalarov, congratulated him on a draw in the match with Dynamo. “Anji” will forever remain in my heart. In Makhachkala, the most devoted, hottest, most in love with the team are fans. I have never met such people.
- But you left “Anji” ...
- When an offer comes from a team of a higher level, any footballer, if, of course, he is a real professional, considers it as an opportunity to improve his level.
- What about your old dream - European competition?
- Let's postpone it for one season (smiles). I'll play it back in the Champions League.
- And will you make your way to the national team?
- I hope so. My wife says I've already received a call from Bosnia, asking how I was doing. I think they will call back. At one time, I defended the colors of the Bosnian youth team. I didn't have a chance to play in the first team. Hopefully for now.
- And yet why CSKA, and not “Spartak” and “Lokomotiv”, which persistently called you to their place in the offseason?
- Apparently, they didn't really want me to play with them. I and Shikunov, and Filatov, who called me in the winter, said: contact the management of “Anji”. The army team turned out to be more persistent. And I absolutely do not regret that I ended up in CSKA. I don't know why myself, but I like this team even more than Spartak and Lokomotiv. And in Bosnia, in contrast to the same “Anji”, many people know it.
Went to play in the superior division, turned out to be in the first
- And when you got to “Anji”, did you know what kind of team it was?
- The only thing I knew was going to a show at the club of the first Russian division. But here's the funny thing: I thought that the first division was the top one. As we do in Bosnia, in other European countries. The error came out!
- When did you find out that and how, did you start packing your bags?
- There was a case. Lazo Liposki, who was then the goalkeeper of Anji, persuaded me to stay. Take your time, he said, leaving is the easiest way. The team you are on is by no means a bad one. The leadership has ambitions - stay.
- Didn't it scare you that it is a stone's throw from Dagestan to Chechnya?
- In general, no. I experienced all the horrors of the war in my homeland. Bombings were common in our area. Although how do you get used to war? Football here in the mid-90s practically collapsed, the country was imposed by UEFA sanctions, there is no money ... And I decided to try my luck abroad.
- How did you come to football? Who infected you with this game?
- My father brought me to big football. He himself played on a semi-professional level - for the Slaven team. He played as the last defender. I constantly went to the stadium - I was rooting for my dad. And one fine day he brought me to the Slavena school. Since then, I have not parted with football. He played in two teams at home, and then went to travel around Europe. He performed in neighboring Slovenia, Austria. And once an agent offered me an option in Russia. It was a team with a completely unknown name to me - "Anji".
- What were your first impressions of the city, the region?
- The nature is beautiful. The sea is nearby ... But living in Makhachkala is also not easy. The region, frankly speaking, is not rich. People have one joy - football.
IN RUSSIA FUNCTIONS FOR THE WHOLE REMAINING LIFE
- How quickly did you adapt to Anji?
- It happened gradually. We then had many new people, including Hajiyev. I helped Liposki very much in terms of adaptation. After all, when I arrived at Anji, I did not know Russian at all. Lazo translated the coaching instructions for me, and helped in everyday life. If not for him, it would be much more difficult for me.
- What was the hardest thing in Russia to get used to?
- For flights. Chita, Krasnoyarsk, Kaliningrad ... Wow, and I swooped in during this time! Enough for the rest of my life (laughs). You can't get used to Russian distances right away. In Bosnia, we usually went to the games by bus. And then there were solid planes. It was hard at first.
- After signing the contract, have you ever regretted moving to Anji?
- No. I felt like I was on my team. The game was good for me, and “Anji” soon took off. The stadium is full of fans. No, I didn’t regret it.
- Predrag Randzhelovich said that the Dagestani fans presented him with a cloak and a dagger. And you?
“They gave me the dagger too. And once for good game handed a bottle of cognac.
- And how did you like the Dagestan brandy?
- Yes, I didn’t even try it. I gave it to the team. I am a non-drinker.
- You also gave the “nine”, which was presented to you for your successful game in the match with “Spartak”.
- Where should I ride it? In Makhachkala, he spent almost all his time at the base.
- And who got this car in the end?
- I gave it to Murat Ramazanov. He just didn't have a car before, so I gave it to him.
- I know that they did not take the TV they received for the match with Chornomorets - they gave it to the Novorossiysk orphanage.
- I just know how hard it is for children to live without relatives. In Bosnia, there are also many children without parents - they died in the war. I thought: let this gift brighten up the life of the Novorossiysk children at least a little.
MOSCOW IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN EUROPE
- It is felt that you left a piece of your heart in Makhachkala.
- It is. It was a pity to leave Dagestan. But, as they say, Moscow is Moscow.
- Do you like the city?
- You ask! In general, I think Moscow is the most beautiful city in Europe. I have heard a lot about your capital, but when I first visited here, I could not take my eyes off the local beauty. I love walking around Moscow - walking along Pushkinskaya Street, Red Square. Now I will often have such an opportunity.
- Did the fact that Randjelovich was also invited to this team influenced your transfer to CSKA?
- To some extent, yes. I lived with him in Makhachkala for two years side by side. A predrag is like a brother to me.
- Did you spend all your time with him in Makhachkala?
- Almost. We ate, walked - all together. I live with Predrag more than with my family (smiles).
- Who was called to CSKA before - you or him?
- In my opinion, it was almost simultaneously. CSKA wanted to buy us two.
- Who from the army club contacted you?
- I talked for a very long time with the sports director of CSKA Valery Chetverik. He, in fact, convinced me to go to the army club. He told me about the team for a very long time, said that there I would be able to progress. He said that the leaders of CSKA really want to see me in their team. In general, he spoke to me in a very human way.
- By that time CSKA already had three strong central midfielders - Laizans, Lysenko and Yanovsky.
- I am not afraid of the competition for a place in the squad. I am ready to prove that I deserve to play at the base of CSKA.
- Have you consulted with someone when moving to CSKA?
- No, I decided everything for myself. After all, it’s for me to play, and not for anyone else.
- And your wife?
- And what about your wife? Followed me. She, of course, liked Makhachkala. She is used to this city. Now he will get used to Moscow. Here, she also really likes it.
- Did you manage to feel like you belong to CSKA?
- Yes. The guys in the team are excellent, they received me well. So there are no problems in this regard. I feel at ease.
HOPE I WILL START TO SCORE MORE IN CSKA
- Has the footballer Rakhimich grown a lot since he first came to Anji?
- I think so. In fact, I made a name for myself, speaking in this team. Therefore, I remember “Anji” with a feeling of gratitude.
- What do you associate your own progress with?
- Mostly with hard work in training. And, of course, I was very lucky with the coach. Haji Hajiyev really helped me to open up as a football player.
- Was his resignation a surprise for you?
- In a certain sense, yes. Hajiyev is a great mentor. He made a fairy-tale team out of “Anji”.
- Now, apparently, the end of the tale has come?
- We will wait and see. Of course, it will be difficult for Anji footballers to repeat last year's achievement. But personally, I am completely sure that this team will not be relegated from the top division. There are many great, ambitious players left at Anji. They will not allow the team to be relegated to the first division.
- Playing in “Anji”, you have achieved what the leading Russian clubs paid attention to. What do you think are your strengths?
- It is not easy to assess yourself (smiles). Better let others talk about my merits.
- And in what should the footballer Rakhimich improve?
- I need to improve my attacking game.
- But scoring goals is not your prerogative.
- So what? Every footballer loves to score. I'm not an exception.
- Do you expect yourself to strengthen the game?
- I am sure I will definitely add it over time. In the match with “Torpedo” I played better than in my debut game for CSKA against “Spartak”. And in the next meetings I hope to show even stronger football.
- Over time, do you have a desire to try your hand at one of the leading European championships?
- Of course. Like any footballer, I want to play at the highest level.
- Which of the championships do you like the most?
- Spanish. Well, the favorite team in the Pyrenees is “Real”. However, for now, I don’t think to fill my head with thoughts of moving. Now my main dream is to break through with CSKA in European competition. I'd like to hear the Champions League anthem live. I really hope that this dream will come true next year.
RAHIMICH ELVER
Born 04.04.76. Midfielder, height 188 cm, weight 73 kg. 1994 - 1996 played for Slaven (Bosnia), in 1996 - 1997. played in "Bosna" (Bosnia). In 1998 he played for Factor (Slovenia) and Steier (Austria). In 2000 - 2001 played 44 matches, scored 3 goals. Since July 2001 he has been playing for CSKA, in which he played 2 games.
The opinion of the former head coach of Anji Gadzhi Gadzhiev about Rakhimich:
- Rakhimic, unlike another legionnaire from the former Yugoslavia, Randzhelovich, appeared at Anji in the early spring of 1999, when the team did not plan to win a ticket to the top division. He came to us without a special call, and I don't even remember how Elver even appeared at one of the first training camp of Anji. I must note that at first he did not impress us, and one of my assistants advised me to buy a ticket for Rakhimich as soon as possible and send him home. But I still liked something about this lanky football player, although in training he probably did not win a single top goal. And with blows, not everything worked out for him. Nevertheless, I still left Rakhimich in the team, and did not regret it. For more than two years, he, figuratively speaking, from an ugly duckling quickly turned into a handsome swan, and today, in my opinion, Elver is one of the strongest midfielders in Russian football... And his transfer to CSKA, I hope, will help the army team win medals.
Elver Rahimic is a former Bosnian footballer, midfielder best known for playing for the Moscow club CSKA and the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2013 in a coaching position.
Dossier
Elver Rahimich was born on April 4, 1976 in the town of Zivinitsa (SFRY). Citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The playing position on the football field is a midfielder. Height 190 cm, weight 81 kg. Years of performances in big football - 1993-2014. Currently works as a trainer at the CSKA children's and youth sports school. Married. Has a wife Marsikha and two sons.
Performance statistics
Elver Rahimic has played in the championships of four European countries (Bosnia, Slovenia, Austria, Russia) for 6 different clubs. During the period of performances, he played 438 matches, in which he scored 11 goals.
- 1993/94 - Slaven (Bosnia);
- 1994/96 - Bosna (Bosnia);
- 1997 - Factor (Slovenia);
- 1998 - Forverts (Austria);
- 1999/01 - Anji (Makhachkala);
- 2001/14 - CSKA Moscow (Moscow).
Elver Rahimic has been involved in the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2007. Between 2007 and 2013, he wore the jersey of his country's top team in forty international matches.
Stages of football and coaching career
Elver Rahimic has been playing football since childhood. He started his football career at the Bosnian club Slaven, after which he played for the Bosna team for two seasons (36 matches, 3 goals). In 1997, Rahimic tried himself in the Slovenian championship (33 games, 6 goals), but after the end of the one-year contract, he did not renew the agreement. The next short stage of the footballer's performance was the Austrian Championship. Here, in a modest club "Forverts", he played only 6 matches.
It is not known how the player's future football destiny would have developed if one day he had not been in sight of the scouts of Anji Makhachkala. At this time, the Russian club was actively looking for players who could strengthen the team's center line. Elver seemed to be a tenacious, tenacious and enduring midfielder, just one who could ideally fit the Anji team.
It so happened that since 1999 Elver Rahimich, whose biography was written in dull colors, became a football player, whose playing career only began to go up. From an ordinary mediocre player, of whom there are plenty in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has turned into a football player for his country's national team. As a player for CSKA Moscow, Elver became involved in the main domestic and international successes of the capital's club. But it will be later. In the meantime, Rakhimich has concluded his labor agreement with the Anji team, a representative of the first division of the Russian championship.
He played for the Makhachkala club for two seasons. During this period, Elver played 84 matches for Anji, helped the team win a ticket to the Premier League, and become the main and irreplaceable player in the main team of the club. Naturally, such a footballer became the object of attention of teams that had (at that time) a tighter wallet than the modest Anji. Many clubs of the Russian championship have undertaken to offer more weighty arguments to the player. More convincing were the financial terms of the footballer's personal contract, which came from the capital "CSKA". Rahimich signed a long-term agreement with this team (in 2001).
Your debut fight for new club he played on 18 July 2001 against Spartak. For 14 seasons of performances for the army team, Elver played 240 matches. Naturally, during this time he experienced both ups and downs. There were periods when a footballer lost his place at the base, unable to withstand competition from younger players, sometimes injuries interfered. Mine last match Rahimic played on January 22, 2015. It was a friendly match between CSKA and German Frankfurt. In this meeting, he played his last four minutes at the highest football level.
And what did the fans remember the footballer Elver Rahimic? It is not his element to score goals, technical equipment is not his lot, he was not noticed in high-speed actions. But the player had a quality that other, at first glance, more sophisticated football players did not have. He was a master of "tactical foul", knew how to break the rules (rudely stop an attacking player) that his foul was not punished with a yellow card. Thanks to this method of struggle, he did not need to perform certain speed actions. The main thing is to skillfully and in time to apply the forbidden technique.
Elver Rahimic began his coaching career as an assistant coach, being a CSKA footballer. At one time, he seemed to have announced the end of active performances, then continued to play. Before the 2014 World Cup, Elver, being confident in his participation in the world championship, began to recruit through the matches of the Russian championship physical fitness, play a lot, improve speed conditions. But after learning that his place in the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina was taken, he calmed down, switching to coaching.
Many are interested in the further fate of the former CSKA player, who was Elver Rahimic: where he lives now, what he does. According to the latest information, he lives in Moscow, works with young players of the CSKA youth school.
Trophies
In conclusion, we will list the main awards and achievements of a football player. All of them were mined as part of the army club. Together with CSKA, Rakhimich became a five-time champion of Russia, a seven-time Cup winner and a five-time winner of the country's Super Cup. But the main sporting trophy in a player's career is the European prize won in 2005: the UEFA Cup.
By the way, Elver Rahimich is the first foreign footballer to play 250 matches of the Russian championship.
Born in Bosnia, Muslim. Since childhood, he played football, but because of the war, he stopped playing for 2 years. Then he played at home and in Austria. In 2001 he moved from the Makhachkala club "Anji" to the Moscow CSKA. For CSKA Rakhimich made his debut in the match against Moscow "Spartak" on July 18, 2001, entering the field in the main team. Elver soon became a key figure in the army club, which then won various trophies in the domestic and international arenas. At the moment, he is no longer a player in the first squad.
Achievements
- Winner of the Russian Cup (5): 2001/2002, 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2007/2008, 2008/2009.
- Champion of Russia (3): 2003, 2005, 2006.
- Bronze medalist of the Russian Championship: 2007.
- Member of the UEFA Super Cup: 2005.
- UEFA Cup Winner: 2004/2005.
- Russian Super Cup Winner (4): 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
- Channel One Cup Winner: 2007.
- As part of the Golden Horseshoe Award, he once received the Bronze Horseshoe (2002).
- Winner of the first division of the Russian championship 1999.
- Silver medalist of the Russian Championship (4): 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010.
- Always distinguished on the field by toughness, Elver in the 2007 Channel One Cup in a match with Hapoel (Tel Aviv) inflicted serious injuries on two Israeli footballers in 10 minutes, and one of them broke his leg.
- Rahimic is a master of the so-called "tactical foul", which helps him not to receive yellow cards for gross violations of the rules. After one of the matches against Khimki, Vladimir Kazachenok, at that time Main coach of the team, described a situation in which the referee could show Rakhimich a second warning, thereby removing him from the field, with the words “Apparently, Rakhimich will be given a second card when he completely chops off someone’s head.”
- Rakhimich, together with A. Berezutsky, share the first place in the team in terms of time spent at the club, they have already spent 9 years with CSKA.
- Rahimic is the first legionnaire to play 250 matches in major league Russia.
- Rakhimich became a kind of CSKA mascot in the matches against Spartak. When Rakhimic entered the field, CSKA never lost to the "red-white".
The defensive midfielder is one of the key positions in modern football. A player like Elver Rahimic, whose biography interests many fans, is a recognized specialist in the game in the middle of the field. Arriving in Russia in 1999, he stayed here for a decade and a half, being responsible today for the training of young men at CSKA Moscow.
Carier start
Elver Rahimic was born in Bosnia in 1976. He played football since childhood, but because of the war he had to interrupt training for a couple of years. Elver began his professional career at home, playing for Slaven and Bosna. For some time he had a chance to play in the Austrian championship, playing for the Steyr club.
In 1999 he moved to Russia, signing a contract with Anji Makhachkala. By this time Elver Rahimic had already decided on his place on the field. He played as a defensive midfielder. Elver Rahimic performed all the duties required of a midfield player. He worked out in defense, was the first on the rebounds. Even then, Elver was distinguished by his obstinacy and rigidity in martial arts.
All these qualities, the reliable performance of the Bosnian legionnaire attracted the attention of the strongest clubs in the Russian championship. In 2001, he moved to CSKA, for which he subsequently played for almost a decade and a half.
True soldier
Elver Rahimic has become an indispensable footballer in the army's game. In the first season, he won the competition for a place in the squad and played almost all matches without substitutions. The player's position on the field demanded a lot of work from him in tackling the ball, in single combats with attacking players. Being a very tough player, however, Elver Rahimic knew how to balance on the brink of what was permissible and rarely let the team down, leaving it in the minority due to his deletions. Having earned 60 yellow cards in his career, while he was only once expelled from the field.
CSKA's game against Israeli Hapoel in 2007 was quite typical. Elver Rahimic managed to injure two players at once in this match, one of them was carried away from the field with a broken leg.
In total, playing for the Moscow army team, the Bosnian won the Russian championships five times, won seven country cups, but the most memorable year was 2005, when, together with his club partners, he won the UEFA Cup.
Due to a conflict with the leadership of the Bosnian Football Federation, the talented midfielder was not called up for the national team for a long time. The first game for the national team took place only in 2007, and subsequently Elver Rahimic played 40 games for Bosnia.
By the 2010 season, the midfielder, due to his age, lost his speed, sharpness and increasingly began to remain on the bench. He dreamed of playing for the Bosnia national team at the 2014 World Cup, but due to a lack of playing practice, he did not receive an invitation to the country's main team.
The 2013-2014 season was the last in his career, after which he switched to coaching at his native CSKA.
Elver Rahimich. Personal life after football
After completing an active career, the Bosnian held various coaching positions at the Moscow club. Now he works as a mentor in the army youth team.
Elver Rahimich is married, his wife Marcia gave birth to two children during the marriage.
The footballer from Bosnia has become one of the most memorable legionnaires in Russian football.
Not possessing outstanding technical skills, he knew how to fight for the ball great, did a huge amount of defensive work. It is with him that the best seasons of CSKA are associated, when Rakhimich ensured complete peace of mind in the rear, clearing the center of the field and insuring the defenders.
Maybe it's just that most of the people who came to meet did not want to distract the football player from resting on a legal day off. However, Rakhimich himself was not at all upset by the lack of attention to his own person; rather, on the contrary, he looked around with pleasure, not hiding his surprise in front of the dusty ruins of the Moskva Hotel, destroyed by tireless builders. But, you must admit, it is rather strange to imagine the most successful Russian legionnaire walking incognito in Moscow. But Bosnian Elver Rahimic can be called a unique player in his own way. After all, he was the first foreign football player who came to our country and did not stop in professional growth! In Russia, Rakhimich managed to go through a difficult path - from the team of the first division "Anji" to the capital CSKA, in which he won the Russian Cup and gold medals of national dignity. Now, without Rakhimich, who has been playing in our country for the fifth season, it is difficult to imagine an army club. The 28-year-old footballer captivates coaches with his hard work and high dedication. It is thanks to these qualities that Elver invariably gets into the main team, although he has enough competitors at CSKA.
Elver, before coming to Russia, you played for the Steier club from such a calm European country as Austria. What made you change your life radically and move to Makhachkala? - I decided to take a chance and learn from my own experience what Russia is. But to be honest, at that time I didn't have much choice. Steier were a weak club and rarely won.
They paid little money there. When I was invited to try my hand at Anji, I myself found it difficult to believe that I would voluntarily go to Russia. Friends said: "Elver, this is a terrible country." Yes, and the word Makhachkala felt somehow uncomfortable. After all, I survived the war in Bosnia, the bombings. I didn't have to fight - it was fifteen years old. But he held the machine gun in his hands. Every family had a weapon then. Naturally, no one played football then. It went on for two years, and then slowly everything began to improve. A person gets used to everything. So in Makhachkala, everything turned out to be not as bad as it seemed at first. I was also lucky that I got into a good team, along with which my skills grew. I tried to give all my strength in training and managed to grow as a football player. Didn't stop there. And so I ended up in such a strong club as CSKA.< - После того как перебрался в Москву, мнение о России изменилось? - Увидел собственными глазами, как здесь живут люди. Был потрясен. Москва – красивый, хороший город. Если бы еще пробок на дорогах было поменьше, можно было бы вообще назвать его прекрасным (улыбается). - Российские футболисты, выступающие за границей, признаются, что к чужой стране, требованиям тренеров адаптироваться непросто. Удается это единицам. А какие сложности есть у тебя в России? - Скучаю по дому. Наверное, все люди вспоминают место, где родились. Не хватает старых друзей. Но когда ко мне приезжает семья – жена Мерсиха и сын Омар, то уже веселее. Вообще же говорить о каких-то трудностях в жизни не люблю. Если человек правильно живет, то больших сложностей у него не возникает. Первая проблема за границей обычно языковая. Но я, например, три года изучал русский еще в школе. Тогда, конечно, не думал, что пригодится. Оказалось, не зря мучился. Конечно, свободно заговорил не сразу. Поначалу с трудом объяснялся. Но постоянное общение привело к тому, что теперь, как видите, не только все понимаю, но и могу свободно разговаривать.
If we talk about the legionnaire's bread in Russia, then it's hard for a foreigner. Every day a burden of responsibility hangs over you. A legionnaire should only show high-quality football. Management and coaches demand that I always play in every training session, in every match I was better than my teammates. I have to constantly prove with my work that I was not invited to CSKA for nothing. Such a press cannot but tire you. But I'm not complaining. Once he himself made a choice, becoming a football player.
In your opinion, over the five years that you have been playing in Russia, has the attitude towards legionnaires changed somehow? - The level of requirements for us is increasing. There are more foreigners, the prices for the players are growing. Clubs were able to invest heavily in transfers. And since there is money, then there is a choice. The footballers come more skillful than before.
However, you do not concede your place to competitors. In CSKA, as in Anji, despite the fact that the coaches are changing, you invariably enter the field in the first team ... - And I always have good relations with all the coaches. Each mentor tries to teach the player his vision of football. I never refuse to study. Of course, all four coaches with whom I happened to work in Russia are different people. Valery Gazzaev and Gadzhi Gadzhiev are emotional. CSKA's current mentor is a Portuguese, he is always self-possessed. Pavel Sadyrin was also a calm person. I try to understand all the requirements of the coaches and do what they say on the set on the field. The main secret of my success is dedication in all trainings and matches. I always work conscientiously. This is probably why they trust me.
Do the coaches never make any complaints about footballer Rakhimich? - Why? I am also a human being, I can be wrong. Sometimes I play badly. This happens in football. True, this happens to me less often than to the others.
Before coming to Russia, you had not only an Austrian club in your career, but also Bosnian teams. Probably, from the height of your experience, you can now compare the level of football in three countries? - In Russia, everything is different. The organization is better organized than in Bosnia and Austria. More training loads. But what can I say, playing in the Russian championship is much more interesting. There are many teams of equal strength here. There is a struggle in every match. The progress of the championship is visible to the naked eye.
Every professional footballer has certain goals in his life. One wants to get into the national team, the other just wants to earn money for his future life. What tasks are you facing? - The highest, like in CSKA (smiles). To win first place ... - But these are team tasks, and you probably have personal goals too? - Well, I really want to win as many awards as possible with CSKA ...
But your partner in the army club Ivica Olic does not hide what- CSKA for him - a springboard to the national team, thanks to which he was going to declare himself in Europe and get into a strong foreign club. - But I don't have such a dream - to play at the World Championship. All my goals are club level. I will never play in the national team, the way there is closed to me. I have no illusions about this. In Bosnia, football is run by such people that just a good game for the club is not enough to be invited to the national team. Something else is needed ... It's a shame, but what to do? At one time there was talk about inviting me to the Russian national team, but somehow it was vague. And I am seriously thinking about accepting Russian citizenship.
The most famous Bosnian footballer is Bayern Munich midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic. Is he really the most famous player in your home country? - We have three players at approximately the same level of popularity. In addition to Salihamidzic, this is Elver Balic from Galatasaray, who once played for Real Madrid, and Sergei Barbares from Hamburg, Germany.
Can you compare the interest in them and in you in Bosnia? - I don't particularly like to give interviews, although our journalists contact me regularly. Why? I try not to say a lot, because I don't consider myself a star at all. However, interest in the Russian championship in Bosnia is steady. In the newspapers after the tour, reviews of the championships are constantly printed, and it is there that the emphasis is placed on the performance of Bosnian players abroad.
Elver, are there star players in Russia in the European sense of the word? - Each team has at least two people. At CSKA, these are Olic, Yaroshik, Gusev, Semak. In Lokomotiv - Loskov, Khokhlov, Izmailov. In "Wings" - Karjaka, Souza. I can go on with this list for a long time.
It turns out that there are more than two dozen stars in the championship, but none of them is eager to play in the top five leading championships of European countries. Doesn't it seem strange to you that all of them are content with performing in Russia? - Not at all. The material base is high here. In almost all clubs. The players are offered good conditions, everyone is happy. Why rush somewhere if they pay well here?
What advice would you give to your new CSKA partner Milan Krasic, who recently came to Russia, so that he can quickly get used to the army club? - The first advice is to work, work and work again (smiles). To make a name for yourself in Russia, you must not feel sorry for yourself in training. Only then can you play here. And it is also very important to behave calmly in life. Moscow is a dangerous city (laughs). The footballer should spend more time at home, and not walking in search of adventure.
In Europe, it is a common practice when a legionnaire does not immediately start playing for a grand club, but adapts to local football in a team from a province. In Russia, would you advise foreigners to start their careers somewhere in the region in order to learn all the secrets of local football? - No, such a recipe does not work in Russia. Everyone here wants to get into a good big team. It turned out that way for me - I ended up at Anji, where I proved, first of all to myself, and then to the others, that I am a player. I would not advise Milos Krasic on such a path. What for? To end up with football ?! But seriously, there is always a difference between players. One is immediately ready to perform at the highest level, so they buy him for a lot of money, while the other needs to make a lot of effort, play for weaker clubs in order to get into the sphere of interests of a famous team.
Elver, you played at Anji together with Predrag Rangelovich, who managed to prove himself as a good striker, but after you ended up in CSKA together, you managed to gain a foothold in the army club, but he did not. Is it professionalism? - Predrag could not withstand the psychological stress in Moscow. That same pressure of waiting turned out to be too heavy for him. Rangelovich has a lot of skill. He left for "Zenith", again it did not work out. Now he sits at home, without a club. I call him up and say that he is waiting for the manager to find a new team.
There is an opinion that the level of the Russian championship is growing from year to year. Only in the international arena, this is not confirmed. In the UEFA rating list, Russia has already dropped into the third dozen. Why it happens? - Hard to say. In European competition, all Russian clubs are unlucky. Why is this happening? Don't ask, I don't know the answer to this question.
Okay, back then to the national championship. In Russia, you don't care which team to play against, or are there rivals whose victories bring the greatest satisfaction?
There is not much difference for me, if only "Spartak" ... Derby, like that is called. They start talking about this game almost in a week, journalists constantly ask what they think about the “red-whites”. So it turns out that CSKA - Spartak is the main match of the season. - Your role is a defensive midfielder. Happy with your football specialization? - All my life I have been playing in the center of the field. In each team, he performed approximately the same functions with an emphasis on defense. I learned to enjoy taking the ball. You have to love your work, otherwise you will not achieve anything. In general, the main thing in the team is to fulfill the coach's instructions. They will say: help the attack - I help; they say: concentrate on guarding the most dangerous player of the opponent - I do it.
When the coach gives an instruction, can the players move away from it on their own and act differently if they do not agree with the instructions of the mentor? - Of course we can. We can do everything. True, if you lose such a match, then this is punished. Failure to follow a directive is a serious violation of discipline. This is probably bad. A footballer can prepare himself, find a common language with partners, have a bright match, but a coach is a specialist and sees much more from the outside than a player. Tips from a mentor are essential to winning.
You are often accused of actively helping yourself with your hands when taking the ball. And you allegedly have no equal in such a trick in Russia ... - If the judge does not whistle, then the rules are not violated. I shouldn't think about such things on the field. That's why he and the referee, to see if the rules are violated or everything is going as it should. Football is a tricky game. If the judge loses sight of the nuances, then that is good.
The European Championship has recently ended, you must have been closely following the rivalry between the leading teams of the continent. How would you rate the performance of the Russian national team at this tournament? - Yes, I watched almost all the matches of this championship. I got the impression that good football showed those teams whose players had a clear idea of what exactly they should do on the field. A striking example is Greece, which became the champion. And Russia, I think, looked modest due to the fact that for some reason it abandoned attacking football. Playing against Spain and Portugal with one striker is probably not enough. Of course, one forward is not so bad when there are midfielders like the Dutch. Their flanks work in such a way that one Nistelrooy ahead is enough, again considering his level. I think Russia should have attacked more at EURO. This was her chance, but she did not use it.
