Marko Dmitrovic's success in Spanish football was almost immediate. He went to Alcorcon in 2015 after not playing very much for Charlton and he became the number one straight away, playing in almost all of the first year and the whole of the second. His good performances in Segunda meant he got a call from Eibar in La Liga after Mendilibar saw his quality between the sticks.

He is so at ease at Ipurua that he rules out leaving for now: "It has to be a very good offer for me and for the club because I don't think there can be a club like Eibar at which you feel so good and so at ease to be able to perform at your best. Those who have not been at Eibar don't know what Eibar is."

The Serbian international goalkeeper recalled his early days when he was only a kid. "Leaving at 15 when you are still a kid, changes your life completely. You have to learn to wash your clothes, look after your flat, your things. It makes you grow up," he insisted in relation to when he left home at the age of 15.

"I remember the chat with Red Star before signing for them. I went with my parents to talk to the sporting director and I remember that my Mum cried all the time, but I had made my decision. I wanted to go to Red Star come what may. I said to my parents that if they didn't let me, I would run away from home. That was my dream and although it was difficult to see a 15 year-old child leave home, they supported me," the Eibar goalkeeper continued.

Dmitrovic realised that he could be somebody important in the future as he grew in the Belgrade club. "At 18, I signed my first professional contract and I did pre-season with the first-team. They spoke brilliantly of me and they were very happy with me because I had played in the three age groups of the Serbian national team, under 17, under 19 and under 21s. However, I didn't get the opportunity to make my debut for Red Star and I felt frustrated," said Dmitrovic.

So he went to Ujpest of Hungary, then to Charlton and finally to Spain, where they spotted his talent after a Serbia under-21 game. Until now, he is one of the most reliable goalkeepers in La Liga, like he imagined he would be when he was 15.

M. Dmitrović

Achievements