Žan Žužek after moving from hot Bari to even hotter Ankara for Football Planet: “The taxi driver already promised me that he would drive me for free”

Published on 20. August 2024 20. August 2024

Text: David Klemenc. Photo: Genclerbirligi

Žan Žužek, Slovenian defensive footballer, officially began his third season abroad with his recent debut in Turkey. After a mixed experience in Italy, where he played for Bari, he transferred this summer to one of the most recognized Turkish clubs of the last decades – Gençlerbirliği from Ankara.

“Bari was my first contact with playing abroad, and in retrospect, I’m mostly satisfied with the experience I gained. The first season was excellent; as newcomers to the league, we reached the final of the promotion playoffs to Serie A, where we were seconds away from advancing. But then, nothing went our way in the second season. Despite all the challenges, I’m happy that we managed to save our second-tier status in the playout,” Žan Žužek said in an interview with Football Planet about his Italian adventure.

Moving from peaceful Slovenia to lively southern Italy was a real cultural shock for him. “It’s logical that it was a cultural shock, coming from peaceful Slovenia to the hot south of Italy. Life there was initially like being on another planet – chaos from all sides, from traffic to fans and the lifestyle in general. But once you get used to it, you realize it’s not so bad – plenty of opportunities for trips and, of course, the fantastic Italian cuisine,” recalls the 27-year-old, who admits that despite the football situation, he enjoyed life on the Apennine Peninsula. But good life or not, the moment came when he wanted to take a step forward in his career, a step towards significantly more playing time on the football pitch.

Žan Žužek: “Returning home wasn’t a real option”

When it became clear he would seek a new challenge after the season, offers weren’t lacking. There was talk of a return home, to clubs like Celje and Olimpija, and there was also mention of Osijek, Dutch club Willem II, and others. “It’s true, there were quite a few offers, but once I got used to the chaos, the multi-million Ankara was the only logical choice,” he says with a laugh. “Returning home wasn’t a real option, even though I received a very tempting and concrete offer. But I felt it wasn’t the right time to return. Of course, I’m proud and happy with every call, even if it were from a local fourth-tier club.”

After completing the first part of the preparations with Bari, the opportunity for a transfer to the Turkish capital quickly arose, and the deal was quickly finalized: “From the first minutes of the meeting and presentation, I was very attracted to the idea. Both sides quickly realized it was the right move.”

Gençlerbirliği is a big club with a long tradition. Under the legendary president İlhan Cavcav, it was considered one of the most stable Turkish clubs, frequently playing in the Turkish Cup final and participating in European competitions. “Although much has changed since his death, his influence is still felt. The club has a top-notch training center named after him, and I have to admit, I was positively shocked upon my arrival. Five fields, two pools, saunas, a restaurant, a huge gym, and apartments for players – everything is at the highest level. Of course, we hope the club will soon return to where it belongs – the Turkish Super League.”

Žužek points out that the Turkish second league is not easy. “From what I’ve heard and seen, the level is very high. The players are skilled, fast, and combative, and the infrastructure is on par with the wealthier European leagues. Quite a few teams have ultra-modern stadiums with a capacity of around 30,000.” The management of Gençlerbirliği does not hide its ambitions: “Of course, the main goal is to return to the Turkish top league. This year, we aim for at least the playoffs, where we’ll try to achieve that goal.” His first impressions of Ankara, a city with almost 6 million people, are positive. “A huge city, I think it’s 10-15 times bigger than Ljubljana and Bari. There’s a lot of craziness on the roads, everything is a bit wild, but I still feel it’s very organized. There’s a lot of construction going on with modern residential areas.”

Like Mitja Viler

The club is helping him with transportation and accommodation as his partner Kaja will soon join him. “After three days, they offered me the option of a club car, but after seeing how they drive, I decided to use taxis for the first few months,” he says with a laugh. “One of the taxi drivers immediately recognized me: ‘You are a new player,’ and pronounced my surname with an interesting accent. As a fan, he promised to drive me home from the stadium for free after every win.” He currently still lives in the club’s center, where new players and members of the youth team have the option to stay until they find suitable accommodation. “Next week, I have a viewing of an apartment, and I think I’ll move quickly. Prices are very affordable, especially compared to Slovenia. Here, I have a 150 square meter new apartment in a secure residence for 1300 €, which in the center of Ljubljana would maybe get you an old studio,” he adds.

Although he has been away from the Slovenian football scene for some time, he still follows it regularly. “As in recent years, I won’t discover anything new if I say Celje, Maribor, Olimpija… Bravo is rising a lot, Mura is consistently inconsistent, and then, of course, there’s always my Koper, who can surprise. It does sadden me a bit to see the sharp decline of Domžale, but I still believe they’ll improve over the season.” Žan Žužek jokes that he’s become like the former Koprčan who held a long-standing position in Maribor’s locker room, Mitja Viler. “Yes, it’s true, I follow all the sports that exist, but most passionately our teams and individuals,” he says.

He’s pleased with the Olympic Games, but what frustrates him the most is the 4th place finish of the handball players: “If we hadn’t been blatantly robbed in the semifinals, I’m sure we would have gone for gold.” Žužek is also known for spending countless nights watching NBA and NHL. “It’s the right time for that because of the time difference, so that makes it easier for me to fall asleep when I watch sports before bed.”

“We Had a Top-Notch Team”

And if you’re wondering why the local connection, the 27-year-old from Domžale quickly clarifies: “I’m already a Koprčan at heart, but I’m waiting for the madness in the coastal real estate market to calm down before I officially relocate.” Even though he left Koper in the summer of 2022, he still rents an apartment there, where his partner Kaja spends a lot of time, as she studies management at the coastal university and is soon to graduate with a master’s degree. “Kaja and I definitely plan to live in Koper, as I’ve simply fallen in love with this city. It was here that I first started playing football in a slightly different way than in my hometown of Domžale.”

In his first year, he played in the second league, and then for two seasons in the first league, where his last season remained etched in his memory. “We had a top-notch team (Rajčević, Colley, Parris, Balta, Barišić, Kotnik, Novoselec, Golubović, Guberac, Tičić, etc.), and I’m convinced that if that team had stayed together for two seasons, we would have regularly qualified for the group stages of the Conference League or even the Europa League.”

Interestingly, Koper was already placed in his football cradle. “The person responsible for me starting to play football is my great friend Luka Badžim, because at that time, his father, the renowned football expert and current coach of Izola, Vlado Badžim, was leading the Domžale team. Since Luka spent a lot of time with him, we met as 9-10 year-old kids and started kicking the ball together. That’s how my football story began – thanks to a Koprčan,” revealed Žan Žužek, who played 131 matches in the Slovenian national league before going abroad, and also scored 9 goals.

As a youth and cadet player, he even scored 40 goals, which is undoubtedly an impressive number. Even more so for a defender, although it’s worth noting: even when he left Domžale in 2019, they wrote by the Kamniška Bistrica that they were losing a midfielder…

I Would Be Lying If I Said No

Later, Žan Žužek and Luka Badžim were also teammates in the younger national teams and at Koper, and they remain inseparable. “He’s just like me, he loves American sports,” he adds. A nearly tragic anecdote, as they call it, happened when they and their partners (Luka Badžim’s girlfriend is Nuša Fegic, daughter of the legendary Primorska footballer Adrian Fegic) decided to visit Florida and watch a game. “We thought our dreams would come true when we saw our idol Tom Brady live in a game between Tampa Bay and New Orleans. We happened to catch one of his few games where he didn’t score a single touchdown, and they lost 0-9,” Žužek laughs. “But despite that, the experience was phenomenal.”

What the future holds, he doesn’t yet know, but he doesn’t want to stress too much about it. “There must be ambitions, but not by banging your head against the wall. Take the season slowly and steadily and remain optimistic.” And does he think about the Slovenian national team, which amazed Europe and the world with its exceptional performances at this year’s thrilling European Championship in Germany? “I would be lying if I said no. I was a member of the younger national teams, and I would gladly like to step onto the highest stage. That must be the goal of anyone who ever takes up any sport,” concluded Žan Žužek in his interview with Football Planet.