Five minutes with: Melbourne Victory midfielder Oliver Bozanic

Melbourne Victory marquee man Oliver Bozanic tells The World Game about the responsibility of playing for a big club, his love of travel, the beauty of Switzerland, how hard it is to switch off after games and what he needs to do to get back into the Socceroos squad.

Oliver Bozanic

Oliver Bozanic, centre, in action for Melbourne Victory this season, against Western Sydney Wanderers Source: AAP

TWG: You've played overseas for just over half of your senior career. Are you keen to play overseas again?

OB: I'm very happy where I am, at the Victory and in Melbourne, but in the future if something came up that was good for my football career and was the right move I would look into that opportunity.

TWG: Those Central Coast Mariners days must have been great for you, playing in a star-studded team and winning the competition.

OB: Yeah, they were very special days, especially when you're very young and you haven't really tasted senior football and you get the opportunity to be part of a successful team. You hold that memory close to your heart.

TWG: Now you're at one of the A-League's glamour clubs and as a marquee player, what has that experience been like for you so far?

OB: The Victory are a massive club and every player who steps out on the pitch has a responsibility to give their best every week and fight for the shirt and the club. It's a big responsibility, but it's something I want and I think every Victory player wants.

TWG: What was your most memorable experience in Switzerland, while you were playing for Luzern?

OB: I had a really good start there, went on a really good run of scoring five goals in, I think, five games. It was a new club and a new experience for me and it was exciting to be a part of it. Off the field, it's a beautiful country and great people as well, a very nice country to live in and play football.

TWG: Getting back into the Socceroos squad is no doubt a burning ambition for you. What do you think you have to do to achieve it?

OB: I just have to keep focused here at the Victory and keep growing as a footballer and keep trying to improve my performances. Hopefully by doing that I'll eventually get a chance again with the Socceroos.

TWG: Are you a keen traveller anyway? Do you think you would have travelled a lot had you not been a footballer?

OB: Yeah, I love to travel, so I've definitely enjoyed that part of football. You get to travel the world and experience different cultures and different countries and it has been great so far, but there's still more to come. I would still travel if I wasn't a footballer, but maybe not as much because it would be a bit more expensive!

TWG: What's the most beautiful place in the world that you've seen?

OB: I'd heard stories about how nice Switzerland was and they were right. Living in Luzern, with the lake and the mountains in the background, it's a pretty special place.

TWG: Where have you been that you wanted to leave as soon as possible?

OB: Actually, I've never had that feeling. I've always tried to take everything for what it is and if it's a different culture, I just try to adapt to it because every place is someone else's home and you wouldn't people saying anything bad about our home here. So I just try to enjoy every experience.

TWG: Finally, are you able to switch off easily after a game, or is the adrenaline still keeping you awake at three in the morning?

OB: Yeah, 100 per cent, I'm still awake at two or three in the morning. You try to get yourself right up for every game and you can't slow down straight away after it, especially when you have a late kick-off. It takes a while to calm the body down.

TWG: Do you manage to sleep in after that or do just put up with tiredness the next day?

OB: Yeah, tiredness the next day. Even if I don't get to sleep until two or three, I won't be able to sleep in the next day. I'll be up early as always and I'll just try to do that best recovery that I can.


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3 min read
Published 22 December 2016 6:35pm
Updated 22 December 2016 10:38pm
By Greg Prichard

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