Last great act of nobility by Milan Mandarić: How the former president of Olimpija opened the door for Timi Max Elšnik in Belgrade
Photo: Vid Ponikvar / Sportida
Timi Max Elšnik bid farewell to Olimpija on Monday after nearly five years. Along with him, the spirit of Milan Mandarić also definitively left the stadium in Stožice. The former president of Olimpija played an important, indeed crucial role in the transfer of the captain from Ljubljana to Belgrade.
As already known, Milan Mandarić, upon selling Olimpija at the end of 2021, made a highly complex deal with his successor. Among other things, both parties agreed that Olimpija would pay the entire transfer fee for Michael Pavlović and Timi Max Elšnik to Mandarić. The full-back left as a free agent, and the captain for 1.4 million euros. But how much did Milan Mandarić actually receive in the end? Everything? No.
Milan Mandarić, with Elšnik’s transfer to Marakana, demonstrated that despite everything that happened in recent months and especially years, he is still a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. As president of Olimpija, he might have made a thousand and one mistakes, but when it became clear that his agreement with Olimpija’s management was obstructing Elšnik’s well-deserved career advancement, he made a move deserving of nothing but a bow.
Although Adam Delius was by no means his friend and despite having several unsettled accounts with him, in his desire to help Elšnik, who became Olimpija’s captain under Mandarić’s patronage, he made a “deal with the devil.” He waived 1.4 million euros, knowing full well that he probably wouldn’t see a cent if he chose differently. Certainly, he did a favor to himself, but first and foremost, he had Timi Max Elšnik in mind.
Timi Max Elšnik transferred to Crvena Zvezda for a fixed fee of 1.4 million euros. The deal could have increased to around 2 million euros with additional bonuses. Adam Delius will receive one million euros and the remaining bonuses, while Milan Mandarić agreed to earn 400,000 euros.
When Adam Delius recently emphasized that Timi Max Elšnik was not for sale, he was not ‘bluffing’. When Milan Mandarić eventually agreed to the mentioned division of money, the “desire for a new impressive success in Europe” was quickly set aside. A million euros is just a million euros. Especially if you can get it without struggling on the field…
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This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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