DZEMAILI JOINS IMPACT
Swiss star eager for challenge
About 22 months ago, Didier Drogba arrived at Trudeau airport to a hero’s welcome, hundreds of soccer fans clamouring for a glimpse of the superstar as he slowly made his entrance down a spiral staircase.
Drogba had an impact — no pun intended — on the Impact, but by the end of his two-year run with the Major League soccer team, he had become a part-time player, Montreal seemingly better off without him on its run to the Eastern Conference final.
On Tuesday afternoon at the same airport, Swiss international Blerim Dzemaili arrived on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to a much smaller audience, walking through sliding doors — just like every other passenger from an international flight. Indeed, if not for the phalanx of cameras and media, the 31-year-old, dressed casually in jeans and white sneakers, could have inconspicuously drifted off into the terminal with ease.
“I wanted this challenge. I think I wanted something else,” Dzemaili said. “I played for eight years in Italy, in Switzerland, Turkey. Also in England. I was looking for something new.
“I think I can bring something new. I think I can play like I always played with all the teams. My football is to play, to have fun on the pitch and not think too much,” added Dzemaili, who arrived alone. “I’m here to find something new. I expect a lot of me and my teammates. I’m here to win something.”
It was at the conclusion of last season Impact president Joey Saputo announced Dzemaili would be joining the team as a designated player, having agreed to a multiyear contract, reportedly through the 2019 season, in December.
The 5-foot-10, 160-pounder arrives in Montreal two months earlier than originally expected, fresh off his season with Italian Serie A club Bologna FC 1909. Saputo, of course, is the chairman and owner of Bologna.
He joins the Impact, with two wins and four draws through nine games, as the MLS primary transfer window closed. Had Dzemaili finished the final four games of the season in Italy, he wouldn’t have been allowed to play for Montreal until the secondary transfer window opens, July 10. With Bologna having secured enough points to avoid relegation, the path for his departure came sooner.
Dzemaili was tied for the team lead in goals, with nine in all competitions. That included eight in 31 league matches. He was named Bologna’s player of the month in November and January.
An attacking central midfielder, Dzemaili’s expected to practise with his new team for the first time Wednesday morning at Centre Nutrilait, after passing his medical and obtaining a Canadian work permit. The team has scheduled a news conference Thursday morning where Dzemaili will be accompanied by Saputo and technical director Adam Braz.
Montreal’s next game is Saturday at 5 p.m. at Stade Saputo against Columbus. Dzemaili declared himself fit to play. Following Tuesday’s workout, head coach Mauro Biello said that was a distinct possibility.
Dzemaili is familiar with forward Ignacio Piatti and spent two seasons in Napoli, playing with Impact midfielder Marco Donadel. But Dzemaili certainly acknowledged joining a team almost one-third into its season will pose some challenges as he gets accustomed to North American lifestyle and play — not to overshadow the obvious; his arrival means someone will lose his starting position. Captain Patrice Bernier, 37, seems most threatened.
“Of course it’s hard. It’s hard for me. I’ve come from a whole season and played almost every game. But my body’s ready to continue playing,” Dzemaili said. “To come in the middle of the season is not easy, but I’ll try everything to do my best.
“Everybody can bring something to the league. I hope to bring something new,” Dzemaili added. “This is, for me, a challenge. Even though I played in the top leagues, I think I can’t go easy on the pitch. As I’ve seen, the football here’s not easy. I have to be prepared and concentrate, like always.”
One would have thought coming to MLS would be a regression for Dzemaili, although one for which he undoubtedly will be handsomely paid. He has played mainly in Italy and Switzerland, participating in 223 Serie A games with Torino, Parma, Napoli, Genoa and Bologna. He also participated in 111 Swiss Super League games, all for FC Zurich. Dzemaili also was part of the Bolton Wanderers in England and Turkish side Galatasaray.
He has won two Swiss league titles, two Swiss Cups, two Italian Cups, one Turkish title and one Turkish Cup. Born in Macedonia before moving to Switzerland at a young age, Dzemaili has been capped 52 times for the Swiss national team and was called up for the 2006 and 2014 World Cups along with Euro 2016.
He knows there will be pressure accompanying his arrival and seems unperturbed.
“After playing two years in Napoli and one year in Galatasaray, it’s something you get used to,” he said, shrugging. “The pressure there is almost incredible. I’m used to this. I don’t have a problem with that.
“I also expect a lot from myself, a lot here. I hope I can give to my teammates what they expect from me.”
Even though I played in the top leagues, I think I can’t go easy on the pitch. As I’ve seen, the football here’s not easy.