Amir Ružnić is happy because Damir Krznar has left Maribor: “When the Croat left the club, Josip Iličić became much happier”

Published on 4. January 2024 4. January 2024

Photo: Blaž Weindorfer / Sportida

Josip Iličić has been one of the main promoters of Slovenian football in recent years. His strong performances for the national team and significant impact in Italy have permanently placed him alongside all the greatest Slovenian footballers. He’s a player who didn’t fill the headlines with transfer speculation; instead, they were filled with his spectacular performances.

One of those memorable displays occurred during the COVID times when he single-handedly sunk the hosts in Valencia. In an away victory with a 4:3 result, he scored all four goals for Atalanta. Josip Iličić is highly regarded by his agent, Amir Ružnić, who, in an interview with Sportklub, praised the player from Maribor, highlighting that Iličić truly came alive in the Ljudski vrt only after Damir Krznar left.

Josip Iličić as a great advertisement for Slovenian football

“Jojo has been the driving force of my agency for more than ten years. He has also helped me immensely in gaining recognition in the business. We’re talking about a player whom Slovenia had never had in terms of technical knowledge or talent before, and it’s questionable if they’ll have one like him again. We know about his troubles; if he didn’t have them, he probably wouldn’t be in Maribor now. But what you’re saying is true. After Krznar left the club, Josip became considerably more positive, smiling, communicative. He sets an example for younger guys. On and off the field, he can contribute a lot to Maribor, even in the club’s reputation. We know the level he played at, and for Maribor, he can only be a plus and definitely not a minus, as the previous coaching staff wanted to portray. Jojo is a bullseye for Maribor,” described Amir Ružnić, the mood of the Kranj veteran, regarding the coaching changes, to Sportklub.

Amir Ružnić also didn’t shy away from praising the management of NK Maribor: “I was surprised when Krznar removed Josip from the team. I was surprised that a foreigner comes to the club and targets a player who has marked Slovenian football so much in recent years and been such an advertisement for our league. He opened doors to the Italian market for many players. It surprised me that you don’t try to get such a player on your side but want to get rid of him. Surely, Josip had his mistakes, I don’t shy away from that, but I would have handled it differently. Considering that I’ve been working with him for many years, someone in the club could have asked me about it too. But I have to praise NK Maribor as a club, not just the sports director, but also Bojan Bane, Uroš Jurišič, all these people who have been in the club for many years, who stood up for Jojo and showed the greatness of the club. They stood up for a player who deserved it with his name and surname.”