Young hopes – Jaša Jelen (Olimpija): versatile midfielder who wants to knock on Alberto Riera’s door with good games as soon as possible
Not long ago, it was
Olympia
a club where talented young footballers rarely got a chance in the national team. In Milan Mandaric’s time, everything was about winning trophies with the first team, although that doesn’t mean that nobody cared about the youth drive. In fact, Olimpija had many talented footballers in its ranks who later went elsewhere to seek their fortune and were successful in doing so. Some more, others less. One of those who joined Olimpija during Mandaric’s reign is Jaša Jelen. A boy who doesn’t want to find happiness elsewhere, but wants to find it at Olimpija.
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Jaša Jelen is a 16-year-old versatile midfield player who experts say is a “complete” midfielder in many respects. He can play as a defensive midfielder, he can play as an attacking midfielder, and he can successfully cover other positions in the middle of the park. Jaša Jelen has also convinced many selectors of younger teams, and is currently wearing the U17 national team jersey, with which he also qualified for the European Championship last November. In March, Miš Breček ‘s squad will play Belgium, Croatia and Norway.
“I started training and playing football with Rudar from Velenje, then in the summer of 2021, after finishing primary school, I decided to join Olimpija. Although I had the possibility to move to several clubs at that time, I made my choice based on the conditions presented to me and my football development. That was the reason I went to the biggest club in the country and signed my first professional contract with them,“, Jaša Jelen began by outlining the reasons for his move to Ljubljana.
“In my first season at Olimpija, as a starting cadet, I got the opportunity to play and prove myself in the first Slovenian youth league. At the moment, I would like to get the opportunity to train with the Olimpija national team as soon as possible, because I think I have enough qualities to do that. However, I am aware that I will also have to prove this to head coach Alberto Riera with good training and performances on the pitch,“, added Jaša Jelen, who, as the second guest of the Young Hopes section, answered 12 typical questions to try to present himself to the Slovenian public as a football player and as a person.
1. Where and when did you start training football?
Like any ‘real’ footballer, my favourite toy was the ball, and I started training football at NK Rudar Velenje when I was five years old. From the very beginning, I was included in the older age groups. The 2006 generation of players in Velenje has been very good and successful. We won many international and other tournaments, became champions of the MNZ league under the leadership of coach Dragan Kovačević, and even managed to do it without a defeat. I am especially proud that with the team we had at that time, we managed to beat some of the most prominent European clubs, including Mainz and Crvena zvezda, which was a great success for our club.
2. Who inspired you to take up football and who has influenced you the most in football?
My father was the one who got me into football in the first place. Even as a kid, I preferred watching games with him to cartoons and going to the nearby playground to play against each other, but my favourite thing was of course to shoot on goal. When I started training in Velenje, he drove me to training every day and watched many of them. He has often given me constructive criticism, but above all he has stood by me through thick and thin. My mother also played a huge role in my journey, cheering me on at every match and comforting me when I lost. I would like to thank them for all their support along the way, because without them I would not be where I am. I have met several coaches in football, each of them has given me some football knowledge, so I can say that they have also helped me with their knowledge and influence, each in their own way, on my way to becoming the player I am today.
3. What do you like most about football?
What I like most about football is that I never get tired of it. No matter how many times I kick the ball on goal or outplay my opponent, I still enjoy it again and again. The hours go by too quickly on the pitch. I like that it always challenges me, that it makes me want to get better every day. That’s why I go to every training session with joy and a smile on my face.
4. Your favourite football moment so far?
I’ve had many great moments in football. I scored many beautiful goals, celebrated victories in many tough matches and proudly lifted many trophies as captain of NK Rudar. If I have to highlight my favourite moment, it is without a doubt the moment when selector Mišo Brečko entrusted me with the role of captain for the Slovenian national team in the match against Greece. I think the greatest honour that can come to a player is to be able to represent his country.
5. Why do you think football is the best sport in the world?
You’re free on the pitch. You can be creative and imaginative because there are no rules to restrict you with a ball at your feet. No match is the same, and in every match you find yourself in different situations where you have to find the best possible solution. When you make a great move, it brings the fans to their feet and gives the team extra energy. They also make football the most beautiful sport in the world. And in football, long-lasting friendships are made because the team is one big family.
6. Who are your football role models – local and foreign?
My football idol is Andres Iniesta. A magician, a maestro, an artist of football. He wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but he was always one step ahead with his football intelligence. He found space to pass the ball even where there seemed to be none, had a superb overview of the game and was incredibly calm with the ball at his feet. As a Barcelona fan, I still remember very well his short, quick passes and his incredible actions with Xavi and Messi.
7. Who is your biggest and toughest competitor and why?
In my opinion, I am my own biggest competitor, because it is mostly up to me whether I succeed or not. When things don’t go my way, I have to collect my thoughts, pick myself up and move on. Even on a day when I would rather be lounging around, I’m driven to the pitch by the desire to make every day better than the day before.
8. What do you think is the most important quality of a successful football player?
A footballer’s most important quality is self-discipline. To give your best in every training session and to be focused and relaxed. If you are scared on the pitch, you are bound to make mistakes. Above all, keep in mind the motto ‘Hope’, as a good coach once said to me in a training session. But it is also important to keep your feet firmly on the ground when you succeed.
9. What is the hardest thing for you on the road to achieving your football dream?
For me, the biggest obstacle to achieving my dream is that football is the most popular sport, and millions of people train for it. If I want to live my dream, I have to be better than everyone else, and that’s the only way I’ll be the one playing on the biggest football pitches in front of the loudest fans.
10. How do you deal with disappointment after defeats?
I always want to win in football, it doesn’t matter if I’m playing with friends or in a league game, because it hurts to lose. But there are lessons to be learned from defeat. After the defeat, I think about what I could have done better on the pitch, but it was what it was. So I use the defeat as motivation to improve myself so that next time it will be my team that wins.
11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
This is a difficult question to answer, because there are so many things that influence it. I don’t want to think too far ahead. My current goal is to make it to the national team as soon as possible, but then we’ll see. My biggest childhood dream is to one day play in the elite Champions League and the World Championships with the Slovenian national team. But I am going step by step, training by training, and not trying to get ahead of things. All in their own time.
12. Which of your teammates (current and past) are you sure will make it in football and why?
I have coached many talented players who have the potential to succeed. I would like to mention my friend, former teammate at NK Rudar and current national team player, Lovro Golič. He is a very modest and hard-working guy. He is currently proving his worth in Roma’s youth team, where he recently trained with the national team. I wish him good luck and I believe he will succeed.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
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