Mario Stanic on escaping war
After fleeing Bosnia, the midfielder helped Croatia become heroes at France 98 and spent four years at Stamford Bridge
You were part of the Croatia side that came third at France 98 – how special was it to score your country’s first World Cup goal? We went there as a team that had exceptional individual talent, but we weren’t sure how high our limit was. I can remember the first game against Jamaica well – we were very nervous. The worst feeling for a player is waiting for the start of a match, especially an important one like that. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time, to score the historic first goal for our country. It was an indescribable feeling – there are no words to explain it. Could Croatia have won that World Cup? Playing for the national team is a matter of honour and pride, but even with that pride, I still feel some bitterness about the defeat to France in the semi-final. There will always remain the feeling that we were able to win. I’ve watched all the highlights from the games at that World Cup, except this match. It’s too painful, even today. You were born in Sarajevo and started your career in the Bosnian capital, but had to go when the city was besieged during the war. What happened? Sarajevo is my city, and Zeljeznicar is my first love. That club and that city brought me up as a player and as a person. War is the greatest tragedy that can happen. Like everyone, the war caught me unawares. I twice tried to leave the city, but it was blocked. It was only on the third attempt that I was successful. I crossed the Croatia border illegally, over some wooden scaffolding on the Sava river. What was it like when you got to Croatia? I’d escaped with two shirts, a passport and huge uncertainty. That trauma had a great
influence on me for almost two years. All the while I was just waiting for the war to end, so I could go home. I was happy to be away from it, but I also thought about all the people I’d failed by fleeing. Due to football, I managed to escape. Football saved my life. That experience strengthened me – nothing in football could waver me after that. I’d learnt that there were a lot worse things in life. Would you have played for Bosnia rather than Croatia, if it wasn’t for what happened? When the war started, I was a young player in the Yugoslavian national team. Overnight, the country and the team were gone. I left Bosnia for the reasons of basic existence, but it’s also important to understand that I’m a child of Croat parents. After a certain period, interest came from the Croatian national team, and the natural decision at that point was Croatia. What would have happened in some other scenario, I don’t want to speculate. Whether I’d have played for Bosnia, or perhaps if there had been no war in Yugoslavia, it’s useless to think about now. My decision was logical, and I didn’t regret it. You were part of the famous Parma team that won the 1999 UEFA Cup Final. Just how good was that side? The names in that team were just amazing for a club like Parma: Gianluigi Buffon, Faustino Asprilla, Lilian Thuram, Fabio Cannavaro, Dino Baggio, Juan Sebastian Veron... Winning the UEFA Cup was a great success, as Parma has never been rich and successful like Juventus, Milan or Inter. What do you remember about playing with a young Buffon? Buffon made his debut when he was only 17. Luca Bucci was first choice and he’d played for Italy, but he was forced out of the line-up by this kid. That’s the best illustration of what quality Gigi had. How did your move to Chelsea come about? I received an offer when Gianluca Vialli was their manager. He’d wanted to sign me a year earlier – I think he saw I was a player who’d be easy to adapt to English football. I decided to stay at Parma on that occasion, but a year later they failed to qualify for the Champions League and I felt the need for a new challenge. Vialli made it clear that he believed in me. You scored twice on your debut against West Ham – for the first, you juggled the ball in the air, before volleying in from 30 yards. What do you remember about it? My debut was one very special match! That goal came from pure instinct – it’s impossible to practise something like that. My philosophy has never been to hit shots from distance, but search for the better solutions. That time, I had a feeling that led me, and fortunately the ball hit the back of the net. I experienced the most beautiful moments in that game, although few people know that for the last 30 minutes, I was playing with an injured meniscus. The adrenaline and emotion meant I didn’t feel any physical pain. How good was Gianfranco Zola? I love Gianfranco. He was on a different level – best described by Diego Maradona, who said, “This is my successor.” I had the great honour to share a dressing room with him and enjoy his skills every day. He’s an amazing person, too, and playing with him was easy – he was a player who made his team-mates better. What was Claudio Ranieri like to work for? He came at a bad time, because the fans did not agree with Vialli’s departure. Vialli was an icon of the club, and Ranieri was a victim of that at the beginning. Every Italian coach who came to England was surprised how different the English way of life is to Italy. Italians are very systematic – they analyse so much that in some situations it causes paralysis. England has a much healthier approach, in my opinion. Ranieri had difficulties because he didn’t adapt to a new football philosophy quickly enough. He was known as ‘The Tinkerman’ because he changed the starting line-up a lot. Was that hard to deal with? He failed to grasp the English style of football. I think that’s one of the main reasons why he rotated so often. He was looking for a formula that got the maximum from the players. He also tried to impose a new style through the introduction of nutrition and massage therapy, but it was met with some incomprehension from players who’d played their entire career in England. Ranieri couldn’t understand how the English guys could eat such high-calorie breakfasts that are traditional in the UK. He tried to introduce lighter breakfasts, but some players weren’t ready to change! Eventually, he realised his approach wouldn’t succeed and insisting would prove counterproductive. Did you know John Terry and Frank Lampard were on the path to greatness? It was clear to me immediately. With their attitudes and behaviour, they showed they were players with great character. Neither of them were saints. They would go for a beer – sometimes one or two more than they should – but their hunger for victory was amazing. Frank always stayed after training to practise shooting. They were born as champions. You struggled with a knee injury at the end of your time at Chelsea. How sad were you to retire? No one prepares you for that moment. I had an injury that dragged on for two or three years, and somehow I knew the end was near. It was still hard to accept it. I felt a great hole in my life, like I’d collided with a wall. I often say I got football PTSD. Every athlete suffers from it and many go in the wrong direction after their career ends. For me, one Mario Stanic died, and then a new one was born.