Milosavljev: “It is about giving 200 per cent”

It took only some months in Germany before Dejan Milosavljev received his nickname ‘the new Berlin wall’. At the age of 23, the Serbian goalkeeper had just been awarded All-Star Team goalkeeper of the EHF Champions League and played a key role in Vardar’s second trophy in Cologne before he announced his new club from the summer of 2019: Füchse Berlin.

After his Champions League title, Milosavljev now aims for his next international silverware: the first ever European league trophy; the title at the EHF Finals in Mannheim on 22 and 23 May.

In his first season at Berlin, the Serbian heavyweight easily took the number one position between the posts from Füchse legend Silvio Heinevetter, who moved to Melsungen in 2020. In the current Bundesliga season, Milosavljev tops the ranking of saves with almost 250 — an average of 10 per match. And he proved all those who doubted him wrong. Within some months of his arrival in Germany, Milosavljev had lost more than 15 kilos and become more movable.

Milosavljev also takes extreme advantage from a country-fellow who has been his goalkeeper coach for several years: Dejan Peric. “I learnt so much of him, at Vardar and now at Berlin. I am so happy that Füchse managed to sign him. He is so important for my development. In Skopje we were together every day,” Milosavljev says about his role model and coach.

At the EHF Finals, Füchse will need their goalkeeper in top shape — as Milosavljev was in the quarter-finals against Montpellier. “I guess after beating them we have the confidence to win the trophy. This is what we are out for in Mannheim, but we also know that all four teams are really strong,” says the goalkeeper.

In the all-German semi-final, Berlin face hosts Rhein-Neckar Löwen, which is not so bad for Milosavljev: “It is always better to face the strongest opponent in the semi-final, then you are fully aware. There is nothing like ‘save the power for Sunday’ — it is about giving 200 per cent to make it to the final. And if we play the final on Sunday, then we want to win the trophy.”

This is the motto he learnt at Vardar, when they sensationally beat Barcelona in the semi and then Veszprém in the final at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 2019.

Looking at the development of the EHF Cup and now the European League, Milosavljev is impressed: “The gap to the Champions League is much smaller than in the past. You have top clubs similar to the Champions League in this competition, the performing level is high, and to win the EHF Finals in this situation is similar to winning the Champions League.”

For him, it is no surprise that all three German teams in the EHF European League Men 2020/21 have qualified for the final tournament: “The quality in the Bundesliga is extremely high — even Kiel and Flensburg cannot be sure to win every match. You have to fight for every point and this constant fight makes the clubs stronger for the international competitions. We hope to make it among the best five to be on the international stage again in the next season. And we all know that winning the EHF Finals is our last chance to win a trophy this season, so I am sure everything is possible for us in Mannheim.”

But how was it to move from the champions of Europe and a handball-crazy city to Berlin — the huge German capital with a lot of top sports that compete with handball? “Füchse are on the best path to become a club like Vardar. They have professionalised the club structure, they are so ambitious, and the future will prove that Füchse Berlin are on the right track. Definitely, I am proud to be part of the Füchse team in this crucial era of development, like I was proud to wear the Vardar shirt before. Füchse will, step by step, move up the ladder of national and international success.”

Milosavljev highlights a difference in the composition of the squads, comparing his time in North Macedonia with his experience in Germany:

“In Vardar we were almost all Balkan players. At Füchse we have this mixture of Balkan, Scandinavian and German players. But we managed to become a kind of family. We stick together after defeats and we celebrate together after victories. And we all wish to win more and more.”

One part of this family is the youngest coach in the European club competitions: 27-year-old Jaron Siewert. “Age does not matter. Jaron believes in me, gives me confidence and brings us ahead as team. This is what counts,” says Milosavljev. “We all grow together, and sometimes it is not that bad to have a coach with the same age of many players.”