This winter, Khimki near Moscow radically updated the composition in the hope of getting out of the basement of the RPL standings. Among the team's newcomers was 29-year-old Serbian defender Nikola Antic, who played in Belarus for Shakhtar Soligorsk. The Sport correspondent spoke with the Khimki debutant about the war in Yugoslavia, the peculiarities of Belarusian culture and Gogniev's round dances.
«I heard bad things about Khimki, but there's nothing wrong» >– How do you feel in the new team?
— Adaptation has already passed. I arrived at the end of December and immediately realized that Khimki is a very big club. Satisfied with the conditions, everyone treats me great. The team is determined to stay in the RPL. We now have a good team, a lot of newcomers. We need time to play. Next year we can compete for 6th-7th place. strong
— When I left Shakhtar, there were many options for continuing my career. I was a free agent, Khimki approached me. I did not think about the offer for a long time, I immediately signed the contract. I only came for a year and a half, but I don't care. I will prove that I can play in the RPL.
— Why did you decide to change the situation and leave Belarus?
— My contract with Shakhtar ended. In four years, I won everything in Belarus: the championship, the cup and the super cup. It did not work out only to get into the group stage of European competitions. I realized that something needs to change. If I played at Real Madrid or Barcelona, then I would have nowhere to go for a promotion. Luka Modric will play 10-15 years in Madrid, and I needed a challenge. Khimki in last place?
— No, I have a new goal — to help the club avoid relegation. The management said that a new team is now being created for the future. Next season we will fight for high places. I think we will stay in the RPL.
— I've probably seen a lot of rumors about a bad atmosphere in the team…
— I've heard bad things about Khimki, that there's anarchy, fights. There was nothing like that, but in the teams where I played, there were misunderstandings. When emotions come up, people get nervous. There is no need to inflate, there is nothing to worry about.
— Spartak Arturovich is a very emotional person. He wants to achieve goals, to prove that he is a good coach. For me, Gogniev is positive and open. Even after defeats, he reassures us, tells the team: «Thank you, we are working on.» I can't say anything bad about him. Now a lot of new players have arrived, some don't know the language, it's hard for the coach. The goal is to score goals. When taking corners, you need a good serve. I'm just responsible for the standards, that's all I care about.
«In Russia, people express their opinion, in Belarus — no»
– Could you have been in Russia before?
— There was interest, but it didn't work out. Some people came to Soligorsk and talked to me. Shakhtar wanted big money, in the region of a million euros, but no one wanted to take me for such an amount.
– What can you say about the level of the RPL?
— Three heads higher than in Belarus. There are many good teams here. I want us to play like Akhmat — I like their style.
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— A very beautiful city. I have already walked with my family along Red Square, visited several shopping centers, saw the Dynamo stadium. Impressions are very good.
— Are there many differences from Belarus?
– The language is the same, but people are more open. In Russia, people express their opinion, in Belarus they don't. This is where I see the difference. I spend more time with my family, so I won’t say that it bothers me. The attitude of people towards me is the same.
«During the war in Yugoslavia, our family thought about moving to Canada»
– You were born in Belgrade in the 90s. How was your childhood?- Everything was fine, I didn’t need anything: food, water, boots, balls. Many other players didn't. In 2000, my parents divorced, now they live 500 meters apart, sometimes they communicate.
— Did your parents' divorce affect you?
– No, I was six then, I didn’t understand much. There were no scandals or fights, they normally dispersed. I was raised by my father and older brother, they helped me a lot. Thanks to them, I grew up to be a normal person. I also have a good relationship with my mother.
— At that time there were many Yugoslav conflicts in the Balkans.
— Yes, I know everything about the war. We were Yugoslavia — one people, one language. But we were torn apart. It's all politics. Now it is more or less normal, but in some regions it is impossible to communicate. If I go to Croatia and put on a Red Star t-shirt, I won't be able to be there. It's the same in Belgrade — they will ask you to take off the shirt of «Dinamo» from Zagreb.
— In 1999, NATO bombed Belgrade. How did you survive it?
– I remember those moments. Then he lived for eight or nine months with his grandparents. You don't understand much, but you feel the anxiety of your loved ones. br>
— No, everything is fine. Thank God no one died.
— Did your family ever think about leaving Serbia away from the war?
— There were thoughts about Canada, but decided to stay. I think it's right. You never know what awaits you in another country in the future. Maybe now I would be engaged in cars, and not play football. club fans»
– How did you get into Partizan?
— I played in the childhood for the Bubamara club, they noticed me there and invited me to the Partizan. I was then 10 years old. He quickly became the captain of the team of his year, every season they took the championship. Many guys then played for the main team. The main thing is to try. I motivated myself like this: I imagined that Zinedine Zidane was watching me in training and then taking me to Real Madrid.
– Was he your idol?
— Yes, I liked watching his games, copying his tricks, buying boots like his. I used to play «top ten», but then I was transferred to the defense.
— Did football interfere with your studies? br>
— Dad always said that I should study. I had straight A's in elementary school. At the age of 15 we start high school. There, the grades became much worse, I even received units. I no longer wanted to study — I skipped classes in order to be in time for training. After a while, my teacher advised me to switch to homeschooling. So I finished school, after that I was focused only on football. He got into the youth teams U-19, U-21, but the older he became, the less he played.
— Did your dad and brother support your passion for football?
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– Yes, they talked a lot with me about the future. They saw that I really love football, and did not interfere with this. Perhaps they noticed that I had a talent.
— You graduated from the Partizan academy, but did not get into the youth team. Why?
— I wanted to sign a professional contract with Partizan, but my parents did not agree on money with the club. So I ended up in the Rada. Agent Ranko Stoich owned this club, there were also many talented players there. After a while, problems appeared, the fans kicked Stoich out. I stopped playing and started looking for a new team.
— And ended up in Red Star.
— Yes, there was a chance to go there , there were high expectations.
– But Partizan and Red Star are hating each other.
— Yes, there is a confrontation between the clubs. When the «Eternal Derby» takes place in Serbia, all life stops. People go to watch the game, you won't see anyone on the street. My transition can be compared with the transition from CSKA to Spartak. I was a little worried.
— Did the fans threaten you before the transition?
— The fans of both teams knew where I live. I even talked to them about the transfer.
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– What did they say?
— That there are no problems. Zvezda is the biggest club in the Balkans, I wanted to play in such a big team. But, unfortunately, I did not succeed there. The experienced Dusan Andzhelkovich, who played in Russia for Rostov and Krasnodar, joined the team, and I realized that I definitely would not play.
— It's a shame.< br>
— When you are young, it is very important for you to have playing practice. Six months later, I left for Yagodina, and then for Voyvodina. Lived at the base, worked on himself. In «Vojvodina» I spent the best period in Serbia. In our country there is also the city derby Novi Sad — Belgrade. If you are from Belgrade and play for a club from Novi Sad, then it is difficult for you to earn the respect of the fans. But everything worked out for me, I became the captain.
«Milinkovic-Savic is the best footballer I played with»
— In Russia, of the Serbian teams, they know only » Partizan» and «Red Star». Tell us what is special about local football?
— There are many talented guys in every team. For example, Mikhailo Banyats moved to Krasnodar from TSK. I think in Russia they have never heard of such a club. Now they are second in the league, the team has an excellent stadium, a training base. All teams, except Zvezda and Partizan, live off the sale of grown players.
– Why are there many good players in Serbia who have proven themselves in Europe?
– Which of the star players did you cross paths with?
– Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Lazar Markovic, Matia Nastasic, Filip Kostic. I played with everyone except (Dusan) Tadic. I haven't played with (Dusan) Vlahovic either, but I know him. I communicate very well with Markovic and Mitrovic.
— Who stood out the most in the youth team then?
— Nikola Ninkovic, now in Bosnia. A very talented guy, he played in «Partizan», but he did not succeed. There were a lot of expectations from him. I would also mention Luka Milivojevic, he is now the captain of Crystal Palace.
– The top player you played with?
– Milinkovic-Savic. This is the top top level.
«I was surprised when Vernidub beat Real Madrid with Sheriff
— After Vojvodina, you moved to Belarus. Why?
— My contract has expired, there were offers from the Bulgarian «Levski» and the Soligorsk «Shakhtar». I was satisfied with the conditions in Belarus, I saw that the team was fighting for the first places, so I went. I knew everything would work out there. In addition, Belarus has always been close to Serbia, the Orthodox faith is also there.
– How were you received in Soligorsk?
– It was a bit unusual, I left Serbia for the first time. But the team received excellently, the boys are all good.
— What can you say about the level of the championship of Belarus?
— Lower than in Serbia. When I moved, there were high-quality teams: Dynamo from Brest and Minsk, BATE, Torpedo-BelAZ. Now the league has introduced a salary cap, you won't see high-quality legionnaires anymore. The level of the league plummeted, so I left.
— It is believed in Russia that BATE is the absolute hegemon in Belarus, but for the last three years Shakhtar have taken the championship. What happened?
— Yes, BATE used to be like Bayern in Germany, but things are changing. (Sergey) Tashuev got a good squad, but he didn't succeed at Shakhtar. (Yuri) Vernidub came and built a great team. Yuri Nikolayevich is a very strong coach. His «Zorya» played well in the championship of Ukraine, but it was difficult to fight with Donetsk «Shakhtar» and Kyiv «Dynamo». Later, (Roman) Grigorchuk and (Oleksy) Baga came to Shakhtar and also took the championship. But in the fourth year I got tired of playing there just because of the fallen level of the championship. champions.
– Yes, I was surprised then. The whole world is always rooting for the weak. Although I love Real Madrid, I was pleased that Sheriff won.
«I would like to shake hands with Maradona»
– What surprised you the most about Belarus?
— When I first arrived in Soligorsk, I saw that in the morning about 50 women were cleaning the facades of houses, washing the walls. I have never seen such a thing. Belarus is a very clean and beautiful country. I also noticed that a lot of people drink. This is bad. There is also a funny story about my first time in the city.
– So.
– I didn’t know the language, I came to a small shop. I wanted to buy seasoning, but I did not know how it would be in Russian. I asked all the women about her. As a result, ten people stood near me, and everyone tried to understand what I needed. I was without the Internet and could not explain in any way. Somehow they understood me, but there was no seasoning in the store. In the end, they walked with me to another store and finally found it there (smiles).
– How long did you study Russian?
– Darko Bodul, who was in Amkar, played with me. Although he lived in Minsk, he helped me a lot. It was he who taught me the basic phrases, and then I developed myself. I was very happy that there was a person like Darko around. It took me about four to five months to learn Russian.
strong>– You also crossed paths with Vitaly Lisakovich. He moved to Russia as the main talent of Belarus. What can you say about him?
— He is a top player. I saw his best qualities in training. If he understands himself, he will show himself. Although he now plays in the First League for Rubin, he has everything to play in Europe.
— In those years, Maradona came to Dynamo Brest. Didn't find him?
— Unfortunately, no. This was a year before me. I would be very happy if I caught that game between Shakhtar and Dynamo. I would like to shake hands with the legend.
— Another amazing story about Belarus: football during a pandemic. What was it?
— Then the whole world watched the championship of Belarus (smiles). At that time, I was ill with coronavirus for about 10 days, but I felt fine. There was no quarantine in the country, they did not consider that there was some kind of disease. Everyone calmly walked along the streets.
— Wasn't it scary?
— No, thank God that now it's all gone downhill.
— Did you even have the desire to go to the management with the whole team and say that you will not play until such a situation in the world?— No, everything was fine. We put on masks, worked quietly.
— A little later, there were mass protests in Belarus.
— I saw that in Soligorsk people took to the streets, but this did not affect me and the team in any way.
«People in Serbia are worried about Russia»< br>— Russia is now banned from European competition. Did you take this factor into account when moving to Russia?
It didn't affect my choice in any way. I think it will all be over soon. If nothing changes, then no big deal. I came to a good championship, where you have to show yourself. If you move to Russia, it does not mean that you are moving to a prison. From Russia, you can go to top clubs: (Eduard) Spertsyan can now move to a good level. Even if you end your career in Russia, it is good by the standards of football.
– What do they say about this situation in Serbia?
— What goals do you set for yourself and for the team at the end of this season?
— Three goals: connect your name with the club, stay in the RPL and create a quality team next year.
— Win the Champions League. With the Serbian national team — the European or World Championship.
— Is there a chance to get into the national team with such high competition?
— It's never too late I will try. Life will show.
— Do you consider the RPL as a springboard to the top championships?
— Yes, I would like to play in the top 5 leagues Europe, but I also want to show myself in Russia. I will move step by step. I like the English and German championships: attacking and open football of Bayern, Manchester City. God willing, Khimki will have such football.
– And what if you suddenly get into Mitrovic's Fulham or Milinkovic-Savic's Lazio?
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— I will give them assists so that they score (smiles).