Football is very beautiful, but sometimes also painful: Žan Luka Kocjančič fulfilled his dreams, but after two serious injuries, he found the meaning of life elsewhere

Published on 24. February 2024 24. February 2024

Photo: osebni arhiv

The winter transfer window in Slovenia has been closed for several days, and one of those who took advantage of the break between the two parts of the season to change employers is Žan Luka Kocjančič. The 24-year-old defensive footballer seemingly made one of the more surprising winter transfers: the former Slovenian U-16 national team representative has become a new member of NK Žalec, which means he will face a challenge in the 4. SNL this spring. However, it is interesting to note that behind the transfer, there is a compelling story that will not leave you indifferent. It’s a story about how football can often be quite unfair, unjust, and painful.

Žan Luka Kocjančič was one of the most promising footballers in his teenage years in Slovenia. His talent was recognized in 2017 even in the Netherlands, when the defender left the ranks of Domžale and moved to the esteemed youth academy of Heerenveen. In the club where football skills and virtues were learned by representatives like Luka Zahović and Vanja Drkušić, Žan Luka Kocjančič stayed for two and a half years. Despite regular playing time (38 matches for the U-19 team and 5 matches for the U-21 team), he made an interesting decision – in January 2020, he returned home. But not so much because of football…

Žan Luka Kocjančič Photo: Grega Valančič / Sportida

“I reached a point abroad where I felt such homesickness that I simply didn’t feel good anymore,” Žan Luka Kocjančič initially expressed in an interview with Football Planet. He emphasized that his football education in the Netherlands gave him a lot: “The Dutch school is really something special. When I was still in Domžale, I had the opportunity to prove myself at Genoa, Roma, Nürnberg, and Derby County, but after all I’ve seen, I can say that the northern countries are much more organized and offer excellent conditions for training and living. Very organized, diligent, and friendly people. There, I learned to live completely on my own and take care of myself. A very good and tough school for life.”

Only and additional motivation

After parting ways with Heerenveen, Žan Luka Kocjančič moved to Kranj, where he tasted the Prva liga Telemach with Triglav. Then, after honestly assessing that he was not yet ready for such a high level of football, he went to the 2. SNL (Brežice, Primorje) for playing time, and then it happened: an accident struck on the last match of the season. “I got injured…” The time when a real ordeal began for Žan Luka Kocjančič: “The knee injury was so severe that they advised me to think about my health and even consider quitting football altogether. But because I am an athlete, all of this was just an additional motivation for me. With the help of professionals, the rehabilitation went really well.” Despite the serious injury, Kocjančič’s football dreams did not fade; they just took a detour on a longer and more challenging path. But it wasn’t without difficulties… The story of the talented young man’s misfortune was far from over.

Žan Luka Kocjančič Photo: Grega Valančič / Sportida

After recovering, Žan Luka Kocjančič arranged to collaborate with Bistrica. The then-coach, Goran Stanković, offered him a helping hand, even though he had been without football for almost a year. “I would undoubtedly like to sincerely thank him for that. And Bistrica as well,” emphasized Žan Luka Kocjančič, describing how the world soon fell apart before his eyes shortly after arriving in Slovenska Bistrica. Once again, the knee suffered. And once again, he had to start over – surgery and a long recovery. It all came to the point where Žan Luka Kocjančič had almost given up: “It’s true. It’s been a very long time since my last match… I almost decided to end my career. But I felt a desire inside me that pulled me forward. And I returned to where it all began.”

In Žalec, Žan Luka Kocjančič went to his first training at just five years old; that’s when football became the meaning of his life. Actually, his life. “My path then led me through numerous clubs, and now I’m back home. Not to take a step back with a desire for two forward, but simply because injuries have taken their toll,” Žan Luka Kocjančič doesn’t hide. In the 4. SNL, he will try to prove that he still can and still knows, but above all, he will try to enjoy again. And even though he’s returning to the field, during the time when he couldn’t kick the ball, he has already started planning a life outside the world of football. He is more than satisfied with how things are going for him.

Žan Luka Kocjančič Photo credit: Heerenveen

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“I am very proud of my journey. Just recently, I found a piece of paper from 2nd grade when they asked us: ‘What would you like to be/become in life?’. My answer was very clear. I want to become a professional football player! And I succeeded. Childhood dreams came true. From a small town of Žalec to Domžale and then abroad. I always liked it when they said ‘you can’t,’ as it drove me forward. But because I believe that everything happens in life for a reason, I tried to figure out who I am when I’m not a footballer. When I got injured, I felt like my world shattered into pieces. But at the same time, I also discovered what else interests me. I enrolled in the study of kinesiology, and besides that, I opened a family business with my mom and created my own food product,” revealed Žan Luka Kocjančič and added with satisfaction: “So I can say that after the injury, I took a big step forward in life outside of football. I wouldn’t change anything, I don’t regret anything because I believe that everything happens for a reason, and when we face a new difficult situation, we try to cope with it in the best way we can at that moment.”

Football is an immensely beautiful thing

Despite everything, and regardless of how the story with Žalec will unfold, football will always have a special place in the heart of our current interviewee. “In conclusion, I would say that playing football is an immensely beautiful thing. It is simultaneously work, pleasure, and relaxation. But I warmly recommend to everyone to try to find themselves and who they are also outside of football, as it will make things much easier for them one day,” concluded Žan Luka Kocjančič in an honest conversation about how new doors always open when one closes.