Ažbe Jug was chosen as the Vijol’čni bojevnik 2023 on Sunday: “The award means a lot to me; I’ve wanted it since I came to Maribor”
Photo: Žan Pak
Before this year’s opening match of Maribor in 2024, the spotlight was on Ažbe Jug at Ljudski vrt. The goalkeeper of the purple team received the Vijol’čni bojevnik 2023 award, and after a high victory over Aluminij (7:0), Ažbe Jug emphasized that winning the traditional award means a lot to him.
“The award means a lot to me; I’ve wanted it since I came to Maribor, and I’m happy to have received it. Before and during the award ceremony, I was so focused on the game that I didn’t grasp everything. I collected impressions only after the match. I was proud, but most importantly, we won, kept a clean sheet, and played a really good game,” Ažbe Jug told the club’s website.
The former player of Bordeaux and Sporting from Lisbon added: “For local players, NK Maribor and the violet color are somehow ingrained from the cradle. In my case, this is even more pronounced because my father also played as a goalkeeper for Maribor. Perhaps we, local boys, try to squeeze out a bit more on the field, while at the same time, we strive to explain to players coming from elsewhere what this club means to all of us. This year, we are trying to bring the club back to where it belongs with a new approach.”
Ažbe Jug: “Handanović helped me a lot”
Ažbe Jug has become only the second goalkeeper of Maribor after Jasmin Handanović to receive the Violet Warrior award, expressing hope that he can also defend at the highest level for a long time. Remember, Jasmin Handanović retired only in 2021, at the age of 43.
“I hope so. I’m working on it, aware that I have to invest a lot of effort, sacrifice, work, both on and off the field. After the injury, I changed some habits, trying to do everything to keep defending for as long as possible. I can only speak highly of Jasmin. I’m glad I could train with him and spend a lot of time during that first season after my return. He helped me a lot with various pieces of advice, and just mentioning my name in connection with his means a lot to me,” concluded 31-year-old Ažbe Jug.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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