Swedish footballer of Serbian origin, Bojan Djordjic, is one among the many stars of world football who will be plying their trade in the inaugural edition of the Hero Indian Super League (SL). The 32-year-midfielder will troop out for Chennaiyin FC. He has played with distinction for some of the major clubs in Europe and won the Manchester United’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 1999-2000. In an exclusive interview with indiansuperleague.com, Djordjic talks about his past and how he landed up in the ISL. Here are some excerpts from the interview:You started off in football with Swedish club Brommapojkorna, but were signed by Manchester United after just over a year. Can you describe the feeling when you found out that such a big club wanted you? The feeling was amazing – a dream come true. I had a few teams to pick from but I chose (Manchester) United because they offered me security in a way no other team could. Great club. Proud moment.How thrilled were you to win the Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year award in your first year there? Being awarded the Best Young Player at the club was unreal. Hard competition. Makes me part of history in one of the biggest clubs in the world.You’ve played for some pretty big clubs – Manchester United, Rangers, Red Star Belgrade – but also for many lesser-known clubs in Europe. How have those stints helped you grow as a footballer?You grow as a human being as well, not just as a footballer. Many big clubs but also a lot of good players to compete with. I am a tough boy. It’s not that easy to break me.Having moved between not only clubs but many different countries, do you think you have an advantage over other international players in terms of being able to adapt to new surroundings?Adapting will not be a problem. Already, the team of Chennai has been really good to me. I feel at home just after two days. I am social as well and like to talk, so that helps.Now you’ve come to India. What attracted you to the ISL?The ISL can only be good for India. The buzz in India is already massive and the Indian players can only benefit from the foreign stars. There have been some critics because of the poor results India has been producing during the years, but I don’t agree with that. There’s loads of potential in this beautiful country.Have you visited India before? Any places you really want to see?I want to see the beautiful coastline of Chennai!We’ve heard you’re interested in cricket too! Planning on catching a match?I have spent so many years in England so, of course, if I get the chance I will catch a cricket match.You must have heard of how raucous Indian crowds can be with sports like cricket. What are your expectations from the ISL in terms of fan response? I hope people will come together and support the ISL in big numbers. Players like (Alessandro) Del Piero and (David) Trezeguet certainly help that. Hope Chennai shows our team plenty of love. We will not disappoint them.You seem to be quite active on social media, and you interact directly with fans pretty often, which a lot of footballers don’t. Is this a conscious effort to engage with people?I love talking and writing so I always answer people on Twitter when I can. More people should do regardless of it being positive or negative.What’s the best conversation you’ve had with a fan on Twitter?Every conversation on social media can be interesting in its own way. I’m everywhere. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. My girlfriend calls me the 'king of social media'!
