Milićević: I spoke with Baždarević, if he calls me I will play for the Dragons

Danijel Milićević is writing the history of Belgian champions Gent. His brilliant performances are most responsible for Gent becoming Belgian champions for the first time last season and thus directly qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

Last Wednesday, Gent advanced to the second round of the Champions League, something no one expected. Milićević scored three goals in the Champions League. The first historic goal for Gent in the Champions League against Lyon, the second from a beautiful free kick against the same team in the return match, and the last, winning goal against Zenit in the final round.

UEFA then included him in the best 11 of the final round. Milićević's consistently good performances led to a recent meeting with coach Baždarević, where they discussed playing for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

PATRIA: How do you feel after advancing to the second round of the Champions League? Did you surprise yourselves? Did you believe you could reach the second round after learning the names of the opponents in the draw?

MILIĆEVIĆ: It's an excellent feeling, but there is no room for great emotions because we already have a match in the domestic league on Sunday. This season we are also fighting for the Belgian championship; we have the same number of points as Club Brugge. Believe me, we are not very surprised by our advancement to the second round. We have a good team, composed of three Belgian internationals, and one each from Serbia, Sweden, and Nigeria. We have the best coach in Belgium, who favors attacking play. He taught us to play our game regardless of who is on the other side.

PATRIA: You have scored three goals in the Champions League and three in the league. You are a master of free kicks. One gets the impression that you play routinely, confidently. You are a fan favorite. What is the secret?

MILIĆEVIĆ: The secret is hard work, a lot of self-discipline, and above all, love for what you do. I am professional in my duties at the club, but I never allowed myself to lose that fine feeling of enjoyment in playing football that I had before I became a professional. My parents raised me to first and foremost be a human being, and only then everything else.

PATRIA: Coach Baždarević watched you in Lyon, and you spoke afterwards. What did you talk about, what did you agree on then? Did you get a signal to start changing your sports citizenship?

MILIĆEVIĆ: Yes, we met; he is a pleasant gentleman. We talked about this and that; he told me he has been following me for a long time, that he also discussed me with Petković, because I have the right to play for Switzerland. As for playing for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, I stated long ago that I will respond if the call comes. I agreed with Mr. Baždarević that some details of the conversation remain between us. I respect my word, but I also respect the words and wishes of Mr. Baždarević.

PATRIA: The Swiss public is putting great pressure on Petković to send you an invitation to play under the Swiss flag. You played for the Swiss youth teams. A friendly match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland is scheduled for the end of March. What do Swiss journalists ask you?

MILIĆEVIĆ; Yes, the Swiss public is putting pressure on Petković, but I cannot say anything special about that. Petković is the coach and he makes the decisions about who to invite. He is a great coach and a great man who coached me before. I was born in Switzerland, played for its youth teams; it is a logical sequence for their journalists that after my good performances I should receive an invitation to their A team as well.

PATRIA: Today, information appeared that was allegedly given by your teammate from the club, Serbian international Mitrović, that you decided to play for the Serbian national team. Is that true?

MILIĆEVIĆ­: No, it is absolutely not true! I never said anything like that to Mitrović, nor did he state it that way. He praised my game at the club and nothing more than that. Obviously, the journalists drew their own conclusions. Besides, almost no one in Serbia knows about me.

What does Meša say

Coach Baždarević spoke in superlatives when asked about Milićević's performances. When asked whether Milićević had already received a signal to initiate a change of sports citizenship in order to play for our national team, Baždarević replied that he would have concrete information very soon.

Interviewed by: Muamer Brekalo