“I will always be grateful to have had him as a coach”
CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic was very emotional after the team’s elimination in the second round of the MLS Cup last Sunday, and he was again on Tuesday when he went to answer questions from journalists during the end of season review.
Mihailovic will leave the club this winter to pursue his dream in Europe, more precisely in the Netherlands. But the 23-year-old American, acquired from the Chicago Fire ahead of the 2021 season, nonetheless seems to have a heavy heartache about leaving a club and environment he has clearly loved over the past two campaigns.
« My two years here have passed like a breeze, really, » launched the attacking midfielder at the start of the press briefing, already emotional.
“I thought about when I decided to come to Montreal and all the uncertainties that involved not only going to play for another MLS team, but also in another country, he said. added. A different language, a different culture. But all those uncertainties resolved themselves so naturally.”
Mihailovic quickly felt comfortable in Montreal. He does not regret a second of his passage in town.
An exceptional trainer
If there is one element that helped the American adapt to the Quebec club, it is the presence of coach Wilfried Nancy. Mihailovic was full of praise for the one whose future with the club seems uncertain beyond the 2023 season.
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« He’s like no coach I’ve known before, he understands the person behind the player, » said the talented number eight.
Both men needed time to get used to each other at first, Mihailovic revealed with a smile. The player needed to mature, but Nancy also admitted to him that he had learned a lot by his side, as a coach.
« And that says a lot, » said Mihailovic.
« He understood me like no other coach did, and I think that’s what helped me the most to improve as a player, » he continued. I will always be grateful to have had him as a coach.”
The USA international has, by his own admission, built unique relationships in Montreal, which is indicative of the way CF Montreal is run.
« We’re like family and that’s led to the success we’ve had on the pitch, » he said.
Originally from Chicago, Mihailovic also loved the Quebec metropolis, which has a very European side to him, which had the potential to prepare him for the rest of his career. He appreciated the passion of the Montreal public.
See his press briefing in the main video.
