Deverić to Dinamo: The Champions League is Your Home
The legendary striker urges the Blues to be brave ahead of the decisive clashes with Viking and recalls the heavy defeat to Bayern that was not a tragedy.
The legendary striker urges the Blues to be brave ahead of the decisive clashes with Viking and recalls the heavy defeat to Bayern that was not a tragedy.
Following a convincing 5:0 victory over Lithuanian side Žalgiris from Kaunas, Dinamo is on the brink of securing another Champions League group stage appearance. The return leg against the Lithuanian champions appears to be a formality, with thoughts already turning to the final hurdle, Norway's Viking from Stavanger. European football is already guaranteed, but at Maksimir, no one wants to hit the brakes.
While some speculate that Dinamo might actually be better off in the Europa League, where they would have more opportunities for wins and advancing from the group, the legendary Blues striker, Stjepan Deverić, firmly dismisses such thinking.
Deverić, who also wore the jersey of Hajduk Split during his career, emphasized in an interview with Dnevno.hr that the sporting imperative is clear. "An athlete should not engage in such calculations at all. You must always strive for higher, stronger, and better. Perhaps Dinamo could perform better in the Europa League than in the Champions League, but that is the wrong approach and mindset," he said.
He stressed that fear must not be a factor in decision-making. "An athlete must not be afraid. They must not think about potentially heavier defeats; they must believe in themselves and always intend to aim for the top. Dinamo belongs in the Champions League," Deverić stated decisively.
As an example of why one should not fear the biggest European stage, Deverić recalls the season two years ago. Dinamo played in the Champions League group stage then and narrowly missed advancing, despite opening the competition with a heavy defeat.
"Well, two seasons ago, Dinamo was excellent in the Champions League group, only missing out on advancement due to goal difference. Yes, that opening defeat hurt-a heavy one in Munich against Bayern, 2:7. But these things happen; even Barcelona has lost matches with such a scoreline," Deverić recalled for Dnevno.hr. "Later, Dinamo recovered and was very good. That, my friends, is sport. There are no tragedies in sport," he concluded.
That defeat in Munich cost then-coach Sergej Jakirović his job, with Nenad Bjelica taking over the team. Despite good European results, Bjelica lost the domestic championship to Rijeka that season.
While preparations for European challenges continue, Dinamo has officially confirmed a new addition. Nineteen-year-old Noah Nsoki has joined the Croatian champions from French side PSG. The young footballer arrived in Zagreb to sign his contract accompanied by his entire family, the club announced on its social media channels with a welcome message: "Chère famille Nsoki, bienvenue à Zagreb!"
