Zlatko Junuzovic celebrated his five-year anniversary at Werder last Friday, meaning out of all the current squad, only Clemens Fritz and Philipp Bargfrede have worn Bremen’s Green-White shirt longer than “Zladdi”. While the Austrian concedes it’s a “special achievement”, he explains that “I’m completely concentrated on the here and now.”
In this interview, the 29 year old speaks initially about his first memories at Werder and his special relationship with Frank Baumann, before recalling his most important moments from 150 Bundesliga games with the Green-Whites.
WERDER.DE: You’ve been a Werder player for five years now and in that time experienced so much. What are your fondest memories from your time here?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “Every season has its own beautiful memories. At the start I looked at everything with wide-eyes, I tried to develop, to learn. I have played with some unbelievably strong players like Kevin De Bruyne and Aaron Hunt. Working together with Thomas Schaaf has stayed in my memory; he showed incredible faith in me. Wins in the derby are also fond memories, the emotions in these games are immeasurable.”
WERDER.DE: Your winner in the 100th Nordderby for example…
Zlatko Junuzovic: “I’ll never forget that.”
WERDER.DE: Last weekend you played your 150th Bundesliga game, congratulations on that! How proud does it make you to know you’ve been a key player during this time and on average have played 30 matches a season?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “I think I’ll only be able to grasp it when my career’s over. At the moment I'm too concentrated on the next game, I want to continue, achieve more and help the team out - like in this situation which we’ve unfortunately been in for years. I had my five-year anniversary in mind and of course I'm proud of what I've achieved for the clubs I've played for and for the national team. I couldn’t have dreamt of this ten years ago, it was so far away. But I'm still young in comparison to Piza, Clemens or Drobo, so I still have quite a bit left in me…”
WERDER.DE: In your 150th game against Bayern, you led the team out as captain. What did that mean to you?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “Wearing the armband in that moment was a real honour. That’s how it always is, particularly for me, when I look back at where I've come from and what path I've taken into football.”
WERDER.DE: As a senior member of the team, were you at all disappointed when Clemens decided to stay a year ?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “(laughs) No, he’s still a very important player. I also don’t want to give too much importance to the captains armband. He’s a very good captain, he has a great personality and charisma and is always focused.”
“On the one hand I was realising a great dream, on the other I didn’t know what lay ahead of me.”Zlatko Junuzovic
WERDER.DE: Think right back to the start of your time here. On the 27th of January 212, you signed your contract at Werder. What do you remember of the days leading up to the transfer?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “I was with the Austria national side at a training camp in Turkey. It was planned that I’d arrive on a free in the summer. Five or six days before the end of the transfer window came the call from Klaus Allofs, that they now wanted to push everything forward. For three days, the situation was crazy, no one knew what would happen. I was in constant contact with the chairman at Austria, who was also with us in Turkey. No one knew what would happen but finally, Austria gave their “okay”. I was overjoyed but also very nervous - on the one hand I was realising a great dream, but on the other I didn’t know what lay ahead of me.”
WERDER.DE: So you didn’t have any time to prepare yourself for what was to come?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “No, I flew to Vienna for the termination of my contract, from there I went to Hannover and quickly to Bremen, where I arrived with my wife and dad late in the evening. The next day I had my medical, signed the contract, had my press conference and my first training session. Everything happened at once. A few days later I then contested my first game, it was against Freiburg. I was extremely nervous but it was an incredible feeling. It all went so quickly.”
WERDER.DE: Frank Baumann was the person who accompanied you at your medical. He’s been with you since day one, right?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “Not only that, I was on my own. My girlfriend and father were back in Vienna and I had to manage alone. During the first few days, he helped me to organise everything – he even helped me find a place to live. His calming manner helped me a lot, it was ideal. I always followed the Bundesliga so I obviously knew him as a player, as the captain of Werder. It really was an honour for me and something special, and it still is today.”
WERDER.DE: His role at the club has changed over the years…
Zlatko Junuzovic: “He’s a real character, he has always been. But of course, after ending his career as such an important figure, he’s had to work himself into his new job. I think it’s a huge challenge, taking on new functions, having a new kind of responsibility towards the players and the club, not working on the pitch but off it. It’s an art to be able to stay true to yourself, keep the calm, and not lose his anything about your character – he does it very well. It’s very good to have people you can trust like him.
WERDER.DE: You were 17 years old when you made your debut in the Austrian Bundesliga but it was not until seven years later that you made your first appearance in the German top flight. That’s relatively late, isn’t it?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “Nowadays yes!” At the time it was more than OK (laughs). Now you are already playing with the experienced players at that age. When I made my debut at Graz, there were maybe two or three players under 30 but the rest were significantly older. It’s crazy how much that has changed. I’ve experienced a lot of changes in my career already. I can’t tell you how many people and different nationalities I have got to know in my twelve years as a professional. I’m very happy that I have been able to follow this path and been able to avoid any major injuries. Overall I’ve made 360 appearances in the top flight. I’m really proud of that.”
WERDER.DE: Since you signed for the club, Werder has changed a lot. How difficult has that been?
Zlatko Junuzovic: “When I came here, there were still a lot of established players in the team but there was a complete upheaval of the squad after half a year when 13 or 14 players left. That was unbelievable and that is when it really begun. There has often been discontent over the last five years due to our position in the table but a big sense of unity has always prevailed in the team. That says a lot about this club, our outstanding fans and the family atmosphere among the employees at the club. There has always been an overwhelming sense of trust between us and always a positive mindset. That is very important for us as players. I have experienced so many wonderful but also difficult moments in these last five years. I wouldn’t have wanted to have missed any of it. Even when it has been really difficult, I’ve taken so much experience from it for the future and I think about the great moments non-stop (laughs).”
