“Proud” Milivojevic happy to put Serbia shirt back on, looking forward to supporting boyhood team in London
BY ANDREW MCSTEEN
Luka Milivojevic returned to international football earlier this month for Serbia after falling out with previous coach Mladen Krstajic and being axed back in June 2018.
The Crystal Palace captain appeared against Portugal and Luxembourg in the UEFA European Championship 2020 qualifiers earlier this month, his first appearances for his country since playing against Switzerland in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
“It felt very nice [to pull the shirt back on] and I am very proud to be back,” said Milivojevic, who appeared for 87 minutes in a 4-2 loss at home to Portugal and for the full 90 minutes of the 3-1 win in Luxembourg last week.
“I said many, many times that the big achievement in a football career, from my point of view, is to play for your national team and I am so happy that that problem that was in the past is now solved.
“Two games in four days was tough for me physically and with the Tottenham game, it has been three games in seven days, so it’s not been easy, but I am so happy that I am back, and that I am playing again for my national team.”
Further Serbian happiness is also on the horizon for Milivojevic as his boyhood team, and previous employer – Red Star Belgrade – as well as former club Olympiacos will be in London in October and November respectively as they play Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League, and the Eagles midfielder confirmed to the South London Press he would be attending both games.
“Tottenham are going to play here against two teams where I played and I am the biggest fan of Red Star,” admitted Milivojevic, who played for the Serbian side from 2011-2013, and for the Greek side Olympiacos from 2014-2016, before signing for the Eagles.
“I am also a very, very big fan [of Olympiacos], but not as much as Red Star, because Red Star are my team. You know when you are born, you pick one team and Red Star has been my team since I was born, from my father but I played at Olympiacos too so I will support them both of course.”