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All right, welcome back everybody to the All Things Croatia podcast.

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Today's episode we have Doris Bacic, who is a professional football player who's played

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for clubs like Arsenal, Juventus and Napoli.

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And she's currently the goalkeeper and captain of the Croatian national team.

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And we're going to learn a bit more about her here.

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Doris, thanks for coming on the podcast.

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Thank you for calling.

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Yeah, I really appreciate having you on.

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To start us off, I want to hear a little bit about you growing up.

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So you grew up in Neum, you're from Neum, right?

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Yeah, I am from Neum.

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I grew up and I started also playing football there.

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And it's really like small city, like there is not so much thing to say about it, honestly.

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I started playing football really accidentally because it was the only sport that retrained

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in the city basically.

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So I started training it because there is not anything else.

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But then I started loving it and then it became my life.

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And then after I went to Dubrovnik, I went to high school in Dubrovnik.

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I played there and which after this I went out.

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I was playing for Osijek for one year, but I was still studying in Dubrovnik and I was

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just like playing the games and I had my middle trainings.

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But at that level everything was just like, you know, it was very unprofessional.

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I mean, it was very like I was a kid, like I was young and it was something I was doing

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like on the side, you know, like having fun, part of the school.

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And then I went to...

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Then I got called up for the young conditional team of Croatian.

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And then things started to become a little bit more serious.

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Like for me it became much more...

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I mean, I had to be more serious because I was like national team player.

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I got called up for the junior team and that's where I would say everything would start.

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So you got called up in high school before you were even playing on clubs?

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No I was playing in Dubrovnik in the club.

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It was like with maybe 15 years I got called up first time for under 15 and I went for

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one camp.

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This was like really a long time ago.

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I don't even remember anymore who was the coach honestly.

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But yeah, like I was playing for Dubrovnik and I got called up for the national team

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and this is how it started.

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Like I was playing for under 15 and I passed really all the...

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All the...

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How do you say it?

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Like I played for under 15, I played for under 17, under 19 and then I came to play for this

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first team and I had my first game when I was 17.

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Okay, wow, wow.

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Well yeah, I want to talk more about that but I want to go back to Neum, because I've

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been there basically every time I go to Dubrovnik on the bus.

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It stops there for the...

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But now there is a bridge.

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Now you have a bus there anymore.

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Now there is a bridge.

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That's right, yeah.

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But a lot of the listeners here, for all things Groesche Podcast, are diaspora who live in

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the US or Australia or places around the world.

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And me coming from a big city like Los Angeles and I know other people as well.

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Maybe it's interesting to hear sort of what's life like as a kid growing up in Neum, you

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know, and you can imagine...

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I know you played in some big cities around the world so I'm sure you can compare the

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differences.

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Yeah, like I was...

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Honestly I was really lucky that I grew up in Neum.

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Like I always take it inside my heart everywhere I go and I was...

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I was the first girl who ever trained with the men.

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Like we were the first girl I think ever trained in football with men in the team.

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But I really never felt any type of discrimination or anything.

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All the boys, they were all my friends so we were always just having fun.

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After the training we would go to the street and play football in the street.

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Like Neum was like...

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Like you know, we would get back at Neum, it's in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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But we all like feed ourselves like I would say very creations and stuff and now we all

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live like...

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We live from tourism, like we basically work three months and then from the rest of the

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year we're just like not doing anything, like chilling.

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But like I was lucky because life was really easy, you know, like you could go...

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It's really calm and very peaceful city, like you could go out on the street to play all

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day and whatever.

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I don't know, like I always loved it.

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I loved to go back home.

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Yeah, yeah, it's very beautiful that whole area.

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I mean all of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, that whole region is very pretty and yeah

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the coast, it must be so nice to grow up right there, you know, by the sea so close.

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Growing up...

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No, actually like I don't think like I ever realized how lucky and fortunate I am until

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I like...

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When I started living out of the Neum actually.

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Like I remember when I was a kid I was always thinking like this is so small city, like

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there's nothing to do here, like what is this place?

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But like, you know, when you're a kid like you...

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Sometimes hard to see a bigger scene, but like I appreciate it much more today than

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I do like appreciate a lot bigger cities where I lived.

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Definitely yeah.

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You know, as a kid or as a young, you know, player in the beginning of your career, who

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were some of your idols that you looked up to in terms of football?

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Well, like I...

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Like my father is very, he's very good friend with Mark Viduka and he used to be a lot in

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the home so like he was kind of always like, I don't know, around the family and also like

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we're very close like with family with Goran Iuric, he was 98 like he played for Zvezda

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and we know him like left back.

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So I would say like growing up with them like I was kind of always like looking into them

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generations like little bit older ones.

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I also I was always fan of Hajduk Split but like I always admired really Zvonibir Boban

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which is mainly a little bit uh...

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Contradictionary but like I did think always that Zvonibir Boban is one of the greatest

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players that uh, Croatia ever had.

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And uh...

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I don't know, I was calling him always like Hajduk Milan, I always loved Malvini and stuff

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like from the goalkeepers it would be definitely Buffon.

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And uh...

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I do remember also following like Tim Hoewart for some time but I thought always that he's

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uh super cool.

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Like maybe not like I don't know like maybe he's not as good goalkeeper as like Buffon

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is but uh...

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I always remember I was thinking that he's so cool.

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Yeah, yeah, definitely.

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That's awesome, I'll do a quick uh...

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I think I mentioned before I started recording but we'll do some sort of random questions

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in the middle of these other questions so not really related to football but really

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quick what is your favorite food to eat when you're back home in Naom?

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I love pizza.

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Eddie, just cheese or...

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Pizza is my favorite food.

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Not only in Naom but pizza is my favorite like I love Italian food and I think like

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I had some friends like that they're always saying to me like I only eat pasta and pizza.

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Like it's not the small square thing but I just really love pizza and...

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I'm a big fan of I don't know very simple and easy food like I like seafood.

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Well how does the pizza in Croatia and Herzegovina rank against Italy?

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Oh I mean something like it's good but it's not like you know like I live in Naples,

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Naples is home of pizza like I can't I can't hear it like it's really hard.

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Yeah you can't say anything about pizza over there I'm sure.

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No, no, I'm enjoying it here like it's the best place in the world where you can live

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and have good food.

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One thing that surprised me when I moved to Croatia I was living out there I was living

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in Zagreb for a couple years and now I'm back in Los Angeles but I was down in Konavle with

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some friends there and they were putting ketchup and mayonnaise on the pizza and to me that

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was crazy I'd never seen that before.

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Do you do that?

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Yeah like I don't do it but it is something that we do and I do remember once doing it

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in front of my Italian friends and they were all like no you can't do anything.

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Wow that's what's bad doing some pizza.

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I'm gonna eat it.

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No like why the brog- Yeah I'm sure that's like a sin over there.

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That is yeah that's the same thing I think here in the US if you were to do that people

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would look at you like you're crazy not that we care about pizza.

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But I know that like you in the US you would like ketchup on spaghetti like this is as this

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is same like this is as word as bad as pizza.

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That yeah I've never done that some people I know some people who do that but yeah even

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to me that's that's too far.

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This is also bad.

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Same about same like a lot of bad.

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Yeah I'll agree with you on that one that's that's true that's true.

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Well I'll take this I'll take this back to football now but talk to me you mentioned

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you're playing for Napoli now in Italy talk to me sort of about the different clubs that

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you played for and and what those experiences were like.

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Yeah well the first club that I went when I left Croatia its arsenal in England and

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I was there like really really short because I'm that one Croatia wasn't part of EU so

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I didn't get work permit.

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So I was there just like couple of months training with them and then I signed for Rosicard

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in a home in Sweden and there I spent one season one season and I learned that like

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I was really young so like I played like I met so many like good players so many like

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new friends I learned new culture.

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The one thing I didn't like is that so cold like Sweden is super cold and it's not like

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nice to be a goalkeeper in this cold like especially like in that point Rosicard was

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one of the best clubs in Europe and it was like it was just for a goalkeeper I wasn't

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the first goalkeeper I was like we wanted to be on the next ones but like I remember

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I watched like the first goalkeeper and I'm the only thing like how can she do it like

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it's like she doesn't like go once on a draft and like it's snowing outside in Sweden.

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And after this I was just once even in Iceland this I did more like I just got excited about

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the idea of being Iceland boring and like and seeing it so I did like so with the opportunity

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for like myself to learn more about culture and country there and like it was really short

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because in season in Iceland it's just three months because you know like weather and stuff

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so it was really only during the summer three months and after this I went to Andalek, Belgium.

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I played there and it was it was weird like the club was good like it was it's big club

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was probably the biggest Belgian club the big beloved there like you this is maybe the

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first time when I started to feel like this maybe that is missing to the clubs that are

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independent or the men club like this fan club you know like you don't get the same

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amount of love from the fans like if you play I would say in Andalek and if you play you

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went to sport if you play in Rosengard because like Rosengard is much more independent like

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people do support it but like you know like people are crazy about Andalek this huge club

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and this is like where I would say like I learned a lot in Andalek that I got in maybe

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like I was a little bit like unlucky I got I had really big injury at the beginning of

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the season where I broke my entire face basically and I was like recovering for a couple of

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months from this so it was like I was traveling at the beginning but all together like I nearly

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left it in Belgium it's it was really nice experience and after this I signed for Juventus

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where I was three years and then Juventus like I always say like it's it's like my second

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channel even today like the players and the girls and the goalkeeper coach that I met

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there I was I would say I was really lucky to meet goalkeeper like this at this beginning

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of my life it was like absolutely everything that I needed as a immature maybe unfinished

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and technically goalkeeper at that point like I met a goalkeeper coach he is to now goalkeeper

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coach of the Italian national team where Giuseppe Mamoliti and he taught me really maybe more

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than anybody else taught me anything in my life and I would be really forever grateful

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for this and nothing like three years Juventus we weren't more or less anything that there

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was one and then after this I went to Sporting to Lisbon Portugal and after this I was in

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Spain last year I was in Spain in Levante Las Planas like just based in Barcelona and

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nothing like I came back to Napoli this year like I came back to Italy this year because

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I somehow always felt really Italy was my second home and I always find myself to to

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be really good here and I always enjoy it but coming back to vacations or coming back

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to see my friends I do think that Italian mentality is really maybe the closest link

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to our our creation mentality especially for me where I'm for the south of creation and

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all this like you know sea and sun influence and Mediterranean where you like just a little

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bit more maybe slowly I was kind of creating this all my lighter flag I did I do remember

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once I first time I left to Portugal where it was really like warm I said I'm never

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going back anywhere where it's cold like there's no way like I don't want to go back to the

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cold country good to this side meal I do believe that like it's very important to have also

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good quality of life like it's not only about football yeah well yeah I can imagine Italy

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down there down south is very similar I mean you can take a Jadrolinja basically from Croatia

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what is that a couple hours and go two hours drive to body and from body there is the Jadrolinja

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to do but only gives me eight hours I think yeah that's that's not too bad have you done

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that before or do you always fly I'm always flying I'm I only went for Christmas home

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like I'm just I have national team every time we were free I had national team so and my

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national team pays me the flights yeah yeah that's true yeah very busy schedule you mentioned

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you know playing in all these different countries and all these for all these different teams

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and stadiums where was your favorite place to play in terms of like the atmosphere the

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crowd well well probably oh this is hard one so I would say I loved playing a lot of games

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in Osijek with the national team which I would say was first time ever that we played like

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with this big crowd in Croatia and this for me was always my dream come true like this

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is one of the dreams that I never fulfilled so it it was really like we all of us all

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of us like girls we were really emotional about this and we like we didn't we didn't

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want we lost against Norway that this I'm sorry for this but it was really for all of

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us dream come true to play in front of our people in our home we played in Osijek in

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radio stadium of Osijek which is just like built little thing like this while ago and

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after this I would say I also love playing for you went to Senalian stadium this is maybe

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like two games where I really enjoy playing like I do love to play at your soul store

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like against teams that have like big crowds so whether it's more a way crowd than a more

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fun but I would say that those two games for sure everyone on my favorite games.

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That's awesome yeah yeah that new Osijek yeah that stadium was just built not too long ago

225
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I guess at the end of last year maybe but yeah it's this it's brand new stadium like

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really brand new.

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That's awesome oh one quick question before I get back into into this line of thinking

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but what type of music do you listen to either maybe when you go out and party and also like

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when you're training and stuff.

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Well I'm really like old-fashioned about music I do listen a lot about sixties and seventies

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rocky roll and I do listen like I was saying you away from England when I go out to party

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like obviously this is music that is not so much popular today to go on to the party I

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don't know about in Europe it's not I mean you live in South Africa you know like it's not like that but when I go out to have

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part there's something I mostly go to the other music but when I'm in the home and I'm

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listening to my music it's mostly mostly like blues and and knocking old new way and like

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this eighties and seventies years hmm so give me give me some bands of those like seven

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is that like Led Zeppelin or like our game was one of my favorite band would be prop

238
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for sure Pink Floyd and I would say oh wow and I also like Jefferson Airplane and I do

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like also I mean Led Zeppelin I like them maybe they're not in mind top five but I do

240
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like the Miami Canine all others but it's like they like do it so I like the I do like

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Rachel dead and all that like San Francisco scene from 70 yeah wow yeah that's some real

242
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throwbacks there the Jefferson Airplane yeah Grateful Dead yeah definitely some sixties

243
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and seventies interesting yeah I don't remember any of the clubs in Zagreb playing any Grateful

244
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Dead when you go on our you know my teammates hate my music like really like just anybody

245
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can play music just don't give it a door different we just don't want to listen to this music

246
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so obviously when I'm in a dressing room when I'm with my teammates I'm always like you

247
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know like getting adopted like I am thinking okay if you want to listen to this we listen

248
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to this like it's fine you know in the national greeting we listen more slowly creation music

249
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like you know the one that gets you going before the game yeah all the like was a precious

250
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boys all those songs and well you're you're you know you're a high duke fan you mentioned

251
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you're down south there I'm trying to think what's the equivalent of a separate switch

252
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boys for because like the separate switch boys you know they're dynamo but they also

253
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have a whole bunch of like national team songs like that yeah I give me any solid like I

254
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don't know like high duck is mostly like laying on Dalmatian songs and stuff like this being

255
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caught so upset would be but he's dead now but he did a lot of songs about I think about

256
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the reach yeah I got I was listening not too long ago to a lot I got in like a I just started

257
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listening to a lot of high duke songs and like all these other songs like even somewhere

258
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from some yellow bar song it's crazy to me that the Croatia has like every club has their

259
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own music and their own songs it's like here we don't have that you know I think it's very

260
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like I think everywhere in it's like this like also in Italy like every club that has

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their anthem and their music and songs it's I do think it's normal yeah are you also hybrid

262
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support there I never you know I grew up always just thinking you know Croatia everything is

263
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Croatia and like it's all all one everyone is one you know so when I actually went out

264
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to Zagreb and I saw that it's all dynamo versus high duke and all this all these rivalries

265
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it was just weird to me so I never really I could never pick one because I like living

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in Zagreb it was nice but I also spend a lot of the summers in Makarska you know down there

267
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was the split so I don't know I can't I can't really decide and I don't want to get beat

268
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up by any one of the other fans so I just say that's fair enough but I do like the music

269
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I like the music of both teams of all the things because here in the US you don't have

270
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that you know it's it's like there's no songs for the Lakers basketball team okay so that's

271
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that's that's new for me and that's why I listen to that well bring I'll bring this

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back to football but talk to me sort of about women's football in Croatia and how that has

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grown and sort of how it is in Croatia versus around Europe the rest of Europe and the rest

274
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of the world really well we've been like lately we've been growing a lot like I would say

275
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also this game that I mentioned before that where we played in Osijek was just one consequence

276
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of this growth of women's football in Croatia lately and we've been struggling for a couple

277
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of years and I do think that there was a period where like women's football in Europe was

278
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moving and we were a little bit like falling behind but then I do think that in the last

279
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couple of years we did a huge step forward like that the federation started to invest

280
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a lot of money that the little bit girls change like roster change like we've got the new

281
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coach everything like you know like I would say that change is sometimes necessary but

282
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that's a better if you're doing well or badly just just to shape things up a little bit

283
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and this is exactly what happened like we got new coach we got the new like people who

284
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were working around us but that got like more motivated than like I do feel that and like

285
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never work once you work like for a long year you just maybe lose your motivation ambition

286
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and then like stuff was stuff just started like you know happening I do feel that like

287
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you know when football like it's always dominant like you just need to start doing something

288
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and it just other things just come and now I wouldn't say that we are really growing

289
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and I am really optimistic about national team although I do think that league and creation

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00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:16,000
like racially back home needs a lot more a lot more investments and a lot more I do feel

291
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it's a little bit falling behind like I do think that maybe need some changes maybe need

292
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some more people that are more involved and people that want to do more and I do feel

293
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that they're the problem that we are a little bit falling behind but I then have the hope

294
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that this is also going to come on on its own in this way like it's for sure like I'm

295
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like very known about going back for who would football now once it's a sort of like happening

296
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and the sudden well once the thing started like to move over with the World Cups with

297
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euros with the investments in Europe's in transfer like there's no way in bed like just

298
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going to go like forward and also with this grace we was going to go forward I just like

299
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the only question is with what speed you know I do hope it's going to be like it's going

300
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to like start going a little bit faster than it is but for sure the future about women

301
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:16,720
football women national team in grace is really bright well you mentioned the Euro Cup and

302
00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,320
so that takes place one year after the the men's tournament right the euros so that

303
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will be next year for you guys yeah what it what it's that what's the road to the Euro

304
00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:32,040
Cup look like for your team so we had no like yeah we had not we have national team next

305
00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:40,960
week actually a Monday the first April and we had to like it's the first the Euro quality

306
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start now next week so it's the first games to the qualities and we are in a group with

307
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the wells Ukraine and Kosovo and for us two games we play well so ready Ukraine on I do

308
00:25:55,800 --> 00:26:01,360
like it's really like complicated now like I'm where like try to explain to you because

309
00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:06,080
I'm not quite sure if I would be right but like the system works as a nation we work

310
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so basically like the first team qualifies or needs to play one playoff and then second

311
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team is to play I can play now we have these games I do believe that we but good group

312
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:26,160
I do think that we have a lot of chances I do believe that like well this is a really

313
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strong opponent but it's it's possible to play against them and also like as Ukraine

314
00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:38,120
and Kosovo we're going to like give our all and I am positive and I do know that we are

315
00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:43,680
going to manage to follow the fighters before starting with well you were you were just

316
00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,800
named you know captain your captain of the national team what does that mean to you and

317
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:53,600
what sort of role do you take on by becoming the captain but honestly like to tell you

318
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:58,640
it's something that maybe I always want I mean I feel that everybody wants to be and

319
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:03,960
they're all like it's something either one they want to like go out with your your team

320
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,800
represent your country like they can't bend and everything something that I really really

321
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:13,440
wanted but when I got it it was something that I realized that maybe I wasn't ready

322
00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:19,800
for like it wasn't what I was expecting it to be you know like getting with a lot a lot

323
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:24,760
a lot responsibility which like for me maybe I was like a little bit thinking like oh you

324
00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:29,000
know I'm sceptic like it's gonna be like easy and stuff which wasn't like her and it's

325
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:35,720
the maybe just when I became the captain I realized how like how our review sceptic which

326
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:40,520
is also maybe legend of creation food believe a long leg up thank how much she's been went

327
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:48,600
through and it came with a big responsibility but you just have to adapt fast and I do feel

328
00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:54,360
like I did this like I do feel that I'm giving my all like course we are we're all humans

329
00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:59,760
like we all made mistakes and stuff but I am always like trying to be there for the

330
00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:05,480
girls trying to be there for the stuff and trying to be like also channel of communication

331
00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:11,040
if it's necessary or anything with Federation or with anybody and it's been true to her

332
00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:16,720
for me like it's been true to her for me it's been like you like my family is like really

333
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:22,440
proud and like it's also me to be proud of it then it's it's been one of my like really

334
00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:28,200
to be since I started like wearing creation shirt well that's awesome yeah I love to

335
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:32,280
hear that so you really feel like you're you're stepping more into you know becoming a leader

336
00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:40,000
and having to yeah I'm trying to like aren't hoping that like I am like I'm still like

337
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:47,600
like I became maybe two years ago captain I'm not like so long like I do feel like all

338
00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:51,720
all my national team teammates are also my friends so it's not like that card we're really

339
00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:58,000
like one family in the in the national team and we all do like I like the only difference

340
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,400
between me and five other players that I have arm bend but they're also the same leaders

341
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:07,440
like I am there have the same status like I do so it's just like I kill normal thing

342
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:14,160
like and I am happy like I am fortunate really to have teammates like this to have teammates

343
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:20,480
that are gonna step up in any moment and any moment really show that like doesn't matter

344
00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:25,160
who is missing and what's happening there they're there they're ready like no matter

345
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:32,200
the conditions that's awesome yeah I want to change the subject to sort of global football

346
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:38,680
and what's been going on lately but what are your thoughts about players going to the MLS

347
00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:43,320
and to the Saudi League because that's been the last I guess two years one year sort of

348
00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:47,880
a big thing and I see a lot of mixed opinions on it so I wonder what are your thoughts on

349
00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:55,760
players doing that what do you mean when man player would like well either in general I

350
00:29:55,760 --> 00:30:03,640
guess I mean going to sort of a worse league I guess for either more money or more publicity

351
00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:11,120
or yeah I don't like it's insane because of course if you go from an internet as a man

352
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:16,360
player if you go to MLS from a year of maybe it's not same level maybe it's a little bit

353
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:22,640
like you know like like slower level and stuff but if there's a woman you go to American

354
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:28,600
League the level is really high so it's not same like I think that for the women players

355
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:33,960
going back to America is huge step forward like it's really really big thing because

356
00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:42,480
the women football in America is huge which it's not same with like the men if you go

357
00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:49,200
maybe instead of you know it's a little bit slower a little bit maybe tactically not as

358
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:56,200
at the point where it is in Europe and Saudi League like I can't say much like at this

359
00:30:56,200 --> 00:31:02,000
point like I don't know how it seems like to everybody that it's just so like like there

360
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:07,760
the players go there for the money but like I did also permitted a lot of players that

361
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:13,320
when they're also women and then that just hurt wouldn't crush it like the people like

362
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:17,040
they do have money so why wouldn't they like they can put their money into whatever they

363
00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:22,120
want you know so if they're putting in like and if there is chance for like you to be

364
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:25,840
part of some probably at this good life why not put it at the end it's your job it's your

365
00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:32,360
life your career like I'm not really like judging either way like I do feel that anybody

366
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:36,480
should do their career what they want and at the end of the day it's only football

367
00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:42,280
no like it is a like it's not the end of the world like if you want to go and earn money

368
00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:47,480
like nobody can can tell you you know that do this if you want to stay and play like

369
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:52,320
in the biggest level and if this is your own part thing for it then you choose this like

370
00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:59,360
either feel to be like individual or choice and both fine for me yeah yeah it depends

371
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:03,720
just what you what you're looking for out of it or what you what's important to you

372
00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:08,400
what you want that makes sense and yeah you mentioned it's funny that the American you

373
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:11,920
know the women's team has been one of the best in the world for the longest time and

374
00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:16,680
the men's team has always been really bad up until just recently they're finally starting

375
00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:22,000
to get a little bit better but yeah the American women's team the football team has always

376
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:28,200
been very strong and that was really our only in America but always have a huge culture

377
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:33,840
of women football I mean just if you see the base and the structure of women football in

378
00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:38,320
America it's like they play every college in every university this is like crazy this

379
00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:42,360
is something you can't imagine and it's like just huge base of the player that America

380
00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:51,160
has yeah yeah definitely I want to ask sort of you personally because to me penalty kicks

381
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:56,200
are the most exciting part of the game to watch but also the most you know scary if

382
00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:00,120
you're rooting for like the Croatian national team and you go to penalty kicks you know

383
00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:05,360
you feel like you're gonna have a heart attack every kick what's your strategy as a goalkeeper

384
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:10,960
during those and what's going through your head when that happens well I think like depends

385
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:17,160
who is shooting penalties like I do feel it's like a lot of psychology in it and it depends

386
00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:26,040
a lot about like characteristics of the player and well I didn't have some crazy strategy

387
00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:32,000
really like I choose a side and I go strong for that side are you do you have to do you

388
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:36,960
know do you say oh this player usually goes you know left or right or are you just kind

389
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:41,920
of watching in the moment you know their body language and and trying to guess right there

390
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:47,680
well it's I would say it's a bit of everything really like you don't maybe know sometimes

391
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:52,200
how the players shoot what are their habits up but like I do think it's a bit of everything

392
00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:58,800
in a moment that's fair that's fair yeah aside from football daughters what do you do in

393
00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:07,520
your free time what sort of hobbies or what else do you like to do vacation no aside of

394
00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:14,080
the wind but like I've been like before like I do a lot like I read the books I play a

395
00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:20,640
PlayStation I go out to the beach and I do like all the beach sports like and but really

396
00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:25,080
like really with the recent schedules and in the football bit like new nations thing

397
00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:31,560
and stuff like mine free time is really redeemed to zero the only free time I have is for Christmas

398
00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:37,000
when I go home and in the summer when I'm mostly in vacation and not like really nothing

399
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:44,960
but like just daily in my in my year like I would say that I mean I go out with a friend

400
00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:53,120
so I read I watch movies like every other person I do see like just trying to kill some

401
00:34:53,120 --> 00:35:00,320
time yeah that's fair yeah have you watched any good movies lately anything new I'm a

402
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:09,720
big anime lover so I mostly watch anime oh yeah okay I never really got into that but

403
00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:15,320
I a lot of friends I feel like only just recently within the last I don't know maybe seven years

404
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,940
or so it's gotten like really popular amongst you know like everyone people who didn't watch

405
00:35:19,940 --> 00:35:25,800
it before and now it's just it's become maybe I'm always I will have always been fan of

406
00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:34,040
like you know her tunes and about the animations and stuff so like I I love in an anime like

407
00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:40,600
I love all bit or a Gilby studio and all the Japanese like her tunes and I always love

408
00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:45,280
this yeah very cool very cool well Doris I want to thank you so much for coming here

409
00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:50,200
on the all things Croatia podcast I've got one last question for you which is a question

410
00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:55,640
that I ask every guest at the end of the podcast and that's just what to you makes Croatia

411
00:35:55,640 --> 00:36:03,800
special for Asia oh there's so many things that make me crazy special oh well I would

412
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:08,360
say that the thing that makes gracious special are the people like what makes it special

413
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:16,360
for the me after people like a lot of people in nature stuff see and other things but without

414
00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:21,000
people grace would never be like this like maybe sometimes we are hard but at the end

415
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:26,600
like I do feel that we are all learning and we love our country and that we would do anything

416
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:31,960
for and I do always get proud to be creation because of this because of everything that

417
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:37,800
like our cute was written in our history because of everything our ancestors did and because

418
00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:44,840
of everything that I hope that we and the future generation yeah that's a great answer

419
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,600
Doris I want to wish you you know the best of luck in your career both with the clubs

420
00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:52,360
and of course with the national team and the upcoming qualifications looking forward to

421
00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:57,960
those and uh yeah thank you very much for taking the time to come on today thank you

422
00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:02,280
thank you for calling and I know you're going to follow us follow things now

