When Mario Stanić, who during his playing career played for Željezničar, Dinamo Zagreb, Sporting Gijon, Benfica, Club Brugge, Parma and Chelsea, near the end of 2023, became Marin Pušić’s assistant in the Ukrainian Shakhtar, many were surprised.
However, Stanić was insisted on by a Croatian expert, who became a coach in the Netherlands (Feyenoord), and the legendary Darijo Srna, who is asked about everything in the club, played an important role.
After preparing for the continuation of the season in Antalya, Turkey, Stanić and his boss Pušić turned to the Champions League matches against Brest and Borussia Dortmund.
On the eve of these duels, Stanić spoke for Sportklub, and when asked how he would describe work and life in war-torn Ukraine, he left everything speechless, since the words just came out of him, because after all, as a 20-year-old kid, he watched people die in his native Sarajevo.
– Unfortunately, these are all bad experiences, or rather some traumas that a person goes through in life. But at some point they even come in handy. Honestly, it is difficult to compare those days in Sarajevo and this in Ukraine, but I can only say that every war is ugly in its own way. Any description of that state and madness is difficult to express in words, Stanić said, then added:
– Simply, war is the defeat of humanity, the defeat of the human race and lack of intelligence. Losing one human life is too much, not what has been happening in Ukraine for three whole years. It’s hard to describe it in words, the amount of uncertainty that spills over from day to day and the conditions we are going through as a club.
Mario, you went through something similar when you fled from Sarajevo under snipers and grenades. The impression remains that those scars from Sarajevo remained and that is the reason why you are handling this situation well?
– All such things that don’t kill you make you stronger, but they leave scars. A simple body remembers everything. Of course, the mind also remembers because all this happens within the framework of some kind of individual acceptance. And each of us reacts differently to certain situations. I went through something similar in Sarajevo, so at times like this, when you live in a world like this, you definitely find it easier to deal with some things. But again, it’s all individual, Stanić said.
Is that link with your native Sarajevo constantly drawn?
– That’s the old one that has to do with wisdom; difficult conditions create true character. And probably so. Because from those situations, a person simply grows, becomes stronger and matures faster. That happened in my life too. Life simply forced me to mature sooner. I escaped from Sarajevo, I saw all that uncertainty when I was only 20 years old. All of this largely shapes you so that your list of priorities, which I had in those years, changes much faster. Of course, scars remain, traumas remain, but life continues. Life goes on and you just have to commit to that present moment whatever that means. And that means that you are where you are and that you give your best, said Stanić.
(Vijesti.ba)
