“Madrid forces you to be alert from the warm-up”

Marko dmitrovic (Subotica, 28 years old) made one of the stops of the year against Valencia, plugging a missile from his compatriot Racic. It is in a moment of extraordinary maturity. It is the padlock of the modest Eibar.

An honor to speak with one of the fashionable goalkeepers in LaLiga.

Hahaha thanks. I feel great, the team is also playing well, we are conceding few goals. That means a good job is being done behind. I only wish that we continue in that line against Madrid.

Notoriety has earned it by hand. He has worked a lot to get here.

I always squeeze myself in training. I am in a very good stage, with a lot of confidence, it is possibly one of the best moments of my career, but I will continue working to advance and help the team in the main objective which is permanence.

He left home at 15! He threatened his parents: either you let me go to the Red Star or I run away.

The football situation in Serbia is like this. In many cases, young people long to play for the big clubs, Estrella Roja and Partizan. As a child I was a fan of the Red Star and when the call came, I did not hesitate. It was a dream. That train just didn't happen again. Leaving home at 15 is difficult, but now I realize it was worth it.

He is an eternal rebel. He saw that he was not playing and left the Red Star. Then in the Hungarian Ujpest he did the same … If you are not comfortable in a place, door.

I am very ambitious. Forever. I want to participate and be an important piece. That's what football is about. There is only one goalkeeper on the field, it is a very special position, there is almost always a permanent one. No one can promise to be a starter, but they can give you options depending on your work. The turning point in my career was when I arrived in Spain. I've always been a starter here.

Did you have a thorn stuck in Charlton Athletic for not succeeding in England?

Noooo. I was looking for a way out of Hungary. I got a proposal from Charlton, another of the teams from the businessman Duchatelet's network. It was a stronger league that called me and I wanted to try myself there. But it was a very delicate moment, in relegation places, the season underway. It was the winter market. Everything you did was twice as important as normal. Each goal meant losing points and the club fell and fell. I played five games and the team did not add up. The coach opened the rotations and when he took me off, they started to play well. I looked for better options.

And the Alcorcón appeared.

Yes, an assignment. That movement came out of the cinema.

Eibar Shield / Flag

He owes almost everything to that stage.

It was the only team that trusted me. Again a club owned by the same owners as the previous teams I was in. I owe him a lot. Muñiz bet on me. They already loved me after the U21 Euro Cup. The decision was easy. I've been great from there.

Racic's paradón the other day was the most beast of the year.

I like all my stops, but yes, it was one of the most complicated, a missile that Uros launched at me. I didn't see it when I left, I found the ball when it was close to me. You had to put your hand strong and react very quickly. I did it well. Luckily the ball went to the crossbar and did not end in a goal. I have good saves, but maybe that's one of my life.

Physically he is very strong. It is clear that he was going to be an elite athlete.

I am tall, over 1.90. I always like to compete, with friends and colleagues in other sports, and above all, win. For me the physical issue is capital in today's professional sport. People say that I am very strong, I work so that my body responds the best possible in each situation. I have a personal fitness trainer.

Who is the best goalkeeper in the world for you?

I'm a huge fan of Neuer. When I was young I would notice him. Oblak also love me.

Real Madrid Shield / Flag

And what about Courtois?

Excellent. He has been showing his level for a long time. Every year makes it clear how good it is.

Who is the one that makes you the most nervous about Madrid? Cristiano is not there.

Only the chosen ones play in Madrid. Every player hurts you, with Madrid danger comes to you everywhere. Makes you alert from the warm-up. They are there for a reason. It is a very powerful team.

The Ipurua fans are afraid that they will go to Sevilla

They are rumors. It is true that I finished contract. I leave everything in the hands of my agents. In this very atypical season, permanence is very expensive and my head is focused on that. Then we will see. The representatives know what my wishes are, they worry about my future.

It is part of the soul of the wardrobe. A Serbian who likes Nicky Jam, the beach, the ham, who surely has eaten in the txoko of Eibar … and, above all, joking, it is the joy of the dressing room.

When people see me for the first time they say to me: You don't seem as aggressive as you do on television. I'm very joking, I always try to laugh and have fun with my colleagues. The truth is that at Eibar we have a great dressing room. We don't spend a day without tickling and teasing each other, it's what has kept us up for so many years. In such a small club, details like this are also important.