Das Interview in deutscher Sprache gibt es auf Seite 1 // Interview in german on page 1

 

“Porno-Matic? Difficult to explain to my wife!”

Uros, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us. You´ve been here in Graz for four months. Do you know our local delicacies like Chestnuts, Schilcher and Kernöl?
Yeah, everything is nice. The impressions are really, really positive. I think the styrian kitchen is amazing. I think if I eat everything what they have in the restaurants i would become really fat.

What is your favorite food?
Everything is good! I am from the Balkan so I eat a lot of meat and in Styria we have also the possibility to eat quality meat. For me, this is the first choice!

You interrupted your summer holidays to meet Günter Kreissl and Franco Foda. What were their best arguments to convince you to come to Graz?
Of course, when I heard the call from Sturm Graz, there where not so many questions if I should come or not to talk with them. You can see in this people that they have a winning mentality and high ambitions. For me this is important in this period of my career. And, of course, if you see people who want to win every game, of course you follow them. Honestly, the talk with Kreissl and our Coach was decisive. In my age I need to play and show myself in a good way so after this meeting I decided: This is it! Because I had known already something about the club, me and my family had seen, that this supporters are the best. Now I just work hard and have a big pleasure here.

Did you know a few things about Sturm before your move?
Yeah, because it is not too far, many players had played here from Ex-Jugoslavia so people know about the club and everything positive about it. When someone from Serbia asks me, where I play and I say Sturm Graz, it´s like: „Oh, Ivica Osim“! Everybody knows about this legend!

So we can cancel our next question…
Yeah (laughs and starts to talk about Osim). I was very young when he was here. But my father was also a football player in that period of time and he talked a lot about him before I came to Sturm. If you talk to people, who are a little bit older, and mention Ivica Osim, they just think: This is the top, it can´t be better. People in Jugoslavia have a lot of respect for him, his work and his personality. I never ever heard a negativ word about him! Believe me, I know everything about him and what he did here!

Breda was relegated to the second league after your first season with them. You played a full season in second tier. How many attractive offers did you refuse, hoping that Sturm Graz will finally call you?
There were many offers from Holland but I think Breda is a similar Club like Sturm just that they don´t have the possibility to play international, because they have Clubs like Ajax, Feyenoord and this kind of clubs for this places. But they also have good supporters – I was satisfied with the club, but I was missing the highest level, to play in first league and so I decided to come here and fight for Europe.

 

„Sturm is the right club for me.“ – Uros Matic

 

So which offers did you reject to join Sturm?
Yeah, there were offers from Holland, from Belgium – first league – but I had very quickly no doubts: Sturm is the right club for me.

Have you had the chance to get to know Graz?
Yeah, Graz is really nice! At the moment, there is nothing negative to tell about Graz, the people have set me very well, there are just positive things. And for me, it is very good to feel this atmosphere around me. Everything is good – starting from the people at the club, to the supporters, the city, everything! My family is happy, so I am also happy.

Graz is also known as the «gate to the Balkans». Is there something here that particularly reminds you of Vrelo, Belgrade or Šabac?
In Graz you can find so many Balkan food and this kind of things, so I feel like home! For example, if you go to Interspar there is one part just for the serbian food. For me it is like I play in Belgrad! (laughs) And so many people and players know some serbian words – no positive words, but they know! (laughs again) I need to be careful (looks to Alex Fasching)

Where are the differences between the stadiums in Holland and those in Austria?
Yeah, there is a difference. In Holland they have a little bit bigger stadiums – and they are full every game! Why? I don´t know, it is difficult to say. The mentality of the people is different. You know, in Breda when we relegated they clapped us from the seats. I think if we relegated with Sturm, there would be a different situation. (laughs) Maybe this is the reason, but you can also see people in Salzburg or in Graz who support Rapid Wien. I also get many messages from Sturm-Fans in Salzburg, in Holland there is no situation that a man from Breda likes Feyenoord. Maybe one from half a million. (laughs) There is also no problem in the quality. Maybe they have to much work during the week and then they don´t come to the stadium. But I think we have really good supporters in every game. For me this is important.

How would you compare NAC Breda with Sturm Graz?
What is similar is that people live for the club. Look at Breda, they play second league but they have sold around 10000 or 12000 season tickets. The stadium has a capacity of around 19000 so nevermind if they relegate or make a bad result, people will continue to support them. From the very youth, their parents teach them to support their local club, not Ajax, not Feyernoord – You are from Breda! I think, this is similar, that people are conected to the club and that they support them also in bad situations, not just when everything goes well. But I like on the Sturm supporters, that they are really connected to us! I remember one situation in St. Pölten when the opponent got the penalty and our supporters continued to sing! They didn´t stop like (put his hands on his head and has his mouth wide open)! And one minute later we scored!

Nothing new that players from former Yugoslavia achieve some kind of „hero status“ in Graz quite often. How come?
Maybe it´s because of what I said before, maybe the atmosphere around the club, the supporters, that all is good for our mentality. We love to fight for every ball, it is like „Hot blood“! You can feel this also in Graz, the supporters like players who fight for every metre of the field. Maybe this is the reason why we feel good here. At least in my case!

 

„This is always nice if you come from another country to a club and the supporters like you.“ – Uros Matic

 

Many of Sturm´s best players and legends are Serbian. Do you know Michael Petrovic or Ranko Popovic?
Yes, Ranko Popovic! This is always nice if you come from another country to a club and the supporters like you. This is one reason more that you have to work harder than before and to become better!

You have worked with quite a number of coaches. How would you describe Franco Foda in three words?
(Thinks a little bit) Professional hard worker!

With the performance shown so far, would Sturm also lead the Dutch Eredivisie?
I think with this system and with this professionality all the players, the technical stuff, everyone in the club has, we could fight for the top places in the league. But this is difficult to say, because of the diversities in the system of the game. Dutch teams just attac! From they youth they start to play 4-3-3, and this is the system for every club! Maybe just one team in the Eredivisie plays differently, all the others play the same, just attac, attac, attac! So I think, if Sturm played in this league, they could make good results there.

Do you miss things here that you had in Breda? The size of the apartments of the players shouldn´t be the biggest…
I don´t know, where you heard this (laughs).

Isn´t it true?
No, I tell everyone who asks that it is a really good place where I live. But maybe you meant, when the club offered some apartments to me. It´s because I have a family – in Breda I lived on the 7th floor and you know, I have a son, two years old, so he needs a lot of space to run and so on. And with little space – I am done! So now I have an apartment with a garden, now he can go outside to play football and so on. The apartment itself is not so big but the garden was decisive for us.

You scored six goals and twelve assists in 85 matches for NAC. At Sturm, you have an impressive record of two goals and three assists after just eleven games. Why did it go so well from the very beginning?
I put some high targets for me, because I am new here. I want to show myself in the best way, I am 26 now, I think this is the best age to show up. Now I need to conserve my form and reach good results with my club. When I score, this is a plus for me and of course I am happy that we are taking the points.

We have repeatedly seen that: You get a chance to try a longe-range shot from outside the box, but often decide to pass to the wings. Is this by instruction of the coach?
This is difficult to say, because you can do whatever in training but when the match comes, everything is different. I just do what I feel like in this situation – sometimes I shoot, sometimes I pass. Ok, many times I give the pass (laughs) but I think we have so many good strikers and wingers that they can make the difference on the 1 on 1 and my job is a little bit different. I am doing my job but I also try to do some extra actions in the offense but this is more for Deni (Alar Anm.) and Edi (Edomwonyi Anm.) who play forward. Until yet I didn´t thought about the point that I give the ball to much to the wingers – maybe next time I am going to shoot…

…and to celebrate himself as scorer!
I hope! We will see if this is a good advice from you! (laughs)

Your extremely attractive way of playing football has earned you the nickname “Porno-Matic”. Are you aware of this? What do you think of it?
(laughs) Yeah, I saw this already on the internet. For me it is really funny because I understand why but it is difficult to explain this to my wife! (laughs again) She asked me: „What happened? Why Porno?“. It is difficult to understand for a woman!

Do you aso have other nicknames?
Yeah, if you make a nickname out of „Uros“, it is „Uki“. It´s like: Michael – Mike. But it is the first time, that someone called me something like „Porno-Matic“.

So you won’t forbid us to call you „Porno-Matic“ in the future after good scenes?
(laughs) No, for me it is funny! It always makes me laugh!

A fan has dedicated a song to you. It was an instant hit. Have you already heard it?
Yeah, the players showed me this! This one is really nice! I am happy when I have this kind of connection with the fans! That means, that I did something good in this couple of months here in Graz but I think I need to work even harder so that people stay happy until the end of the season.

Is it the first song about Uros Matic?
Yes, altough they had some kind of song in Breda, but not this kind of music, just while the game. But this is the first time, that I got this kind of song.

Would you like to hear that song from the crowd?
It is always very nice when the fans call your name, that means, that you do a good job on the field. If not, nevermind – I will work even harder so that they must sing! (laughs)

Many experts say that Jimmy Jeggo and you are the engine, the heart of team. What is the key to the success of the best central midfield in Austria?
Thanks for the compliment! Every player is very important for your team, of course, me and Jimmy, we play on a position on which there is not so much place for mistakes! I think, we found a good connection and he is a really good player! But also the rest of the team plays really good in this season so that you just need to use this form and collect as many points as possible. Jimmy is a big part of the club this season and you can see that he enjoys every game!

How do you communicate?
We talk in English, but that is not important because he is also a player who fights for every ball and he has a good mentality. Some times we just feel each other and know what to do. I think in this team it is important that players are also connected outside the pitch, you can see that some players go together to drink or play Playstation together. Jimmy was one time in my hometown in Serbia so we are also good friends outside of the field. And this is important for a team!

After your impressive start, Sturm´s fans expect a lot from you. Do you feel pressure or is this something that pushes you even further?
No, this is no pressure! This is a nice thing. Football is a kind of sport where so many people are watching, you have to be always on the top, people don´t care if you are sick, you have always to be ready, to give 100% – I think this is just wind in our backs that makes us fly as high as possible in this season. I think when you don´t have this small pressure in this club you cannot be successfull. Supporters want always that their team wins and this club deserves to win every game! Of course, sometimes this is not possible, but if you fight until the last minute the supporters recognise this!

 

„Sometimes I recognise that they have a „Mark-Man“ on me but this makes it easier for my teammates.“ – Uros Matic

 

Do you feel that opponents have changed their game at you after the first matches? Are they more aggressive?
Yeah, sometimes I recognise that they have a „Mark-Man“ on me but this makes it easier for my teammates, they have more space in the midfield now. I think, we are used to play in every kind of situation. Sometimes I have more space, sometimes not but this is football. We are league leader and you can see that some teams have respect on us – so we need to show that we are the favourites and they won´t have an easy game against us.

So you already recognised that you are often surrounded by a „Mark-Man“ – does Jimmy Jeggo have more responsibility in the playmaking now? At first he was in charge of the „dirty work“.
I think we have so many creative players in our team, if Jimmy has space he can play so many good passes. I see it every day, that he is a quality player, so I think it is easier for him if I have two players on me that he can make a good run in the forward. It has changed a little bit now but for us it is no problem. In this kind of club you can be goalkeeper and have to give 100%, so every mission that is up to Jimmy and me we are going to give 100%. We will see, what is going to happen in the end, i think it will be positive!

Was was your favourite team as a youth?
My brother played fife years at RedStar Belgrad in the youth so I think this club was really important for us. This is the biggest club in Serbia! Like Benfica Lissabon in Portugal! When you are one year old, everyone asks you: Partizan or RedStar? And you are just like: Ok, ok, don´t shoot, don´t shoot! (laughs) So you can choose just between two teams and I think this is wrong in Serbia because all the other clubs don´t have many supporters. But for me also RedStar is a nice club and I was a great supporter when I was around 10 years old.

So you also saw Milan Dudic live? He played there between 2001 and 2006.
Yeah, I saw him in many games! His brother also was at RedStar so many good generations were at this club but now there is a different situation, because every young player, 17, 18 years old just wants to go outside the country to improve because they don´t have good facilities and conditions for young players. Maybe you have been watching the game Serbia-Austria? You could see, they have the biggest stadium but it is too old!

You went to the stadium with your father as a kid?
Yeah! I can remember the first time I have seen a game! It was Jugoslawia against Hungary! And the goalkeeper from Hungary – I was fife years old I think – was Gábor Babos. And later in Breda I played with him in the same team! This was a little bit funny! I made jokes, telling him: „Come on, stop playing football, you are too old!“ (laughs)

 

„I´m sure Sturm is the better club in this city.“ – Uros Matic

 

It is similar here in Graz. You are asked whether you support Sturm or GAK. Do you know something about our cross-town rival?
Yeah, I know that this is the rival club and they also played in the first league – successfull! One coach in Slowakia, Kosice, also played for GAK. Jozef Móder! He was a big legend at GAK – yes, I also know some things about GAK but I´m sure Sturm is the better club in this city!

Are you aware that Sturm’s fans don’t like the color red? You might lose some fans if you wear red shoes, for example.
Of course Sturm has its own colours and I think we need to respect this!

Which team or league is your dream destination as a footballer?
Oh, I get so many questions like that. But it is difficult to say – honestly, I don´t think to much about the transfer period, whether in winter nor in the summer. I think everyone is focused just on the next game, on the next training – we will see! Of course, it is nice to see my brother to play against Liverpool, Manchester and this kind of clubs every week. For every player it is a small dream to play in the Premier League or in the Bundesliga but I think I have a lot of work to do here and to make some good results with Sturm. But we will see, you never know what is going to happen!

In Graz, you are some kind of a fan hero. Did you have football heroes in your childhood?
My cousin was supporter of AC Milan, I followed the club news when Shevchenko played there. But for me Ricardo Káká, when he was the world´s best player, he was a kind of an idol. I was following him, the way how he played – we play similar positions – I think he was a really good player!

Was Káká the reason why you became a Central Midfielder?
No. In football you can choose your position when you are young but when you get older the position chooses you. I just stay where I feel good and where the coach sees me.

Which passport will you use when the team will fly to the winter training camp? Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria?
We will see! (laughs) I have a triple-nationality because my mother is from Mazedonia, my father is serbian and my mother´s family is from Bulgaria – I am a typical Balkan-Mix! Everything is in me, I hope, just the positive things!

You choose to play for Macedonia. Do you expect to be called up any time soon? Are there still pending legal issues or FIFA decisions?
Mazedonia first called me and asked me if I want to play for them. For me it is difficult to say, which country I love more. One shoe is serbian, the other one is macedonian. Which one do you like more? It is difficult to say. I think it is wrong if I said I like Serbia more, how can I ever again look my mother in the eyes? (laughs) But at the moment, Sturm Graz is the most important thing. If something happens with the national team I would be happy, of course, because that would be a compliment for me and for the club as well, it says, that we are doing a great job. We will see, if we continue to play like this and winning the games everything is possible.

Will you also get an Austrian passport?
I think, if I stay here longer, why not? Austria is a really nice country, good people, good food, there are so many nice places here! I feel really like home here!

Uros Matic, the Sturm Graz legend! Is that something you would like to be?
I am not a supporter of players, who change their clubs so often. In Breda I had also the opportunity to leave the club for another first league club when we relegated but I was connected with the club so I stayed. Only after one year, when we didn´t make the step to the first league it was time for me to leave the club for a club in a higher league. If Breda had gone to first league, i definitely would have stayed. For me it is important to make connections in the club, so that after your career you can say to your kids: „Look, this is the club for which I played and the people love me there!“ So you should not change your team every couples of months.

How did the Breda fans react to your departure?
They were really sad. I have so many good memories with the supporters in Breda because I was one of the players who stayed at the club after the relegation, not many players did that, just a couple of them. Because of that, they liked me even more. But after one year in second league I thought it was to much to play two years in the second league and I think at my age I deserve a higher level.

Definitive! What hobbies do you have – besides football?
Because of Djokovic I like Tennis but I really like to play Basketball, me and my brother play Basketball also when we are together in Vrela. Well, Playstation, of course! A lot of FIFA.

Are you good at playing FIFA?
I was, I was – before my marriage! (laughs) Now, that I have a son I don´t have so much time, but when I have the possibility I always play FIFA.

Antoine Griezmann has recently mentioned that he doesn’t play with Atletico in the FIFA game because he would always pass the ball to himself. Do you play with Sturm?
Of course, I try to play with Sturm. And I think, if my brother plays with Chelsea I am going to win with Sturm! (laughs)

Are you happy with your FIFA ranking?
It is related to how I play on the field and how much quality I put into my game, they have some experts to decide this.

Your rating improved massively compared to the release date. Do you think you will ever be able to get close to your brother?
Yeah, it increased a little bit. Well, I hope that I can continue this and maybe make an 80 one time (laughs). But FIFA is just a game, you know, it is good for relaxing with my family and to forget some negative things sometimes but it is not important how the hight of the rating is. Take a closer look on the ratings in the Austrian Bundesliga – Sturm has not the highest rating but we are league leaders! I think real football is far more important and also more decisive.

You spend quite some private time with Marko Stankovic. When will we see you together in Sturm´s starting squad?
Marko is a really good player, for me especially his personality was very important in the very beginning because he opened big doors for me here. He has shown me so many things here as well and I am still learning from him! He also has a lot of experience on the football pitch, altough he is not in a good situation in this moment – but he really is working hard! It is good to see for younger players that Marko is 30 Years old but he still fights in every training.

Would you say that Marko Stankovic is a natural leader?
Marko is a big professional and I think nobody can say that he doesn´t work hard every day to make it to the starting line-up. But now it is a different situation because the team plays really well and we need much quality also on the bench. The season is long and you never know what is going to happen. I hope that nobody will get injured, but there are also Red Cards and Yellow Card bans. I think he will get more space in the future if he continues to work like this.

We have seen a couple of nice pictures of Marko and you on Instagram!
(laughs) Yeah, I know! Marko is the Instagram-Master! (laughs again)

 

„Of course, I want to win the league!“ – Uros Matic

 

Sturm has an impressive lead of eight points over Altach. Bright Edomwonyi mentioned after the game against Ried that he absolutely believes in winning the championship this year. Do you agree that it is realistic?
Of course, I want to win the league! It would be stupid if I said: „I don´t want to be a champion.“ I am going to work even harder, we have it in our hands and we don´t want to let it go! But it is how I told you before: The season is too long – in April, May we are going to see what is possible for us but if we continue to play like this, if we can keep this good atmosphere between the players and the technical stuff I believe that we can do many good things for this club and I hope in May we celebrate together!

When you arrived here, nobody talks about the championship.
Yeah, nobody talked about it. But we players believe in big things and big things are happening now to us. We just need to continue to work hard and we will see – you never know!

If everything goes really well, Sturm could play in the Champions League next year. How does that sound to you?
Yeah, this is a dream. And if this dream comes true next season I am going to do whatever you want! (laughs)

Your contract runs until 2018. We expect that the club will exercise to option to extend your contract to 2019. What are the odds that we will be invited to celebrate your 30th birthday in Graz?
Like I told you before, this is to far in the future. It doesn´t matter what ist in 2018, 2019, now Mattersburg is important, three points are important. We have to look at things like this. I just came here three, four months ago and we will see what is going to happen, it is too early to talk about „Uros Matic is a big player“. One is not a big player at half of the season, you can talk about a good player after the whole season. I think it is too early to talk about the summer, of course, people recognise quality on the field compared to the last season but still it is a long way to go.

Thanks so much for your time!
That´s it? (laughs)

So we’re done with the interview – now we’d like to beat you in FIFA 😉
Kristijan Dobras also tried that. He plays a lot more often than I do so he thought it will be an easy win for him. After i won twice against him, his controller was flying through the room.

 

The Interview was conducted by Christian Albrecht, Günter Kolb and Kai Reinisch.