Vedat Muriqi, the “bomber” of Kosovo, in an interview for the official FIFA website, spoke about this historic moment where the “Dardana” representative is, two steps away from a big dream, to go to a major tournament like the World Cup for the first time. To achieve this goal, they must first overcome the first obstacle, Slovakia:
“We have only been here for ten years, which in football terms is almost nothing. We are here to give everything we have and fight for a place in the World Cup. It is a great opportunity for us. The whole country is full of enthusiasm. Everyone is very happy. On a personal level, it is very special for me. I turn 32 this year and one of my dreams is to represent Kosovo in a World Cup or European Championship. It would be an important moment in my career.”
In the qualifiers so far, Kosovo has only lost once. Did that come as a surprise, or did you think you were capable of performing at that level all along?
The only time we lost was in our first match against Switzerland. I’m not sure what went wrong. We conceded four goals in just over 20 minutes and ended up losing 4-0. It was a tough pill to swallow. Sometimes, we wondered how we were going to change things, but coach Franco Foda made the right decisions. He changed the starting lineup and changed the system. We all focused on our individual work and in the second match we were better than a Sweden team with players like [Viktor] Gyokeres, [Alexander] Isak and
The home win was very important for us and really pushed us forward.
Then we drew with Slovenia before winning against Sweden and again against Slovenia. We started to believe in ourselves. It would have been even sweeter if we hadn’t lost to Switzerland, but for a country like ours, finishing second and reaching the knockout stage is a huge achievement. We have to take it easy and continue to improve as a team.
What do you expect from the match against Slovakia?
I’ve been following them closely, how they play and how they organise themselves. I know that their coach (Francesco Calzona) is not afraid to change things up with a lot of tactical changes. He spent many years as an assistant at Napoli and he knows how to operate tactically. He’s doing a great job with Slovakia. Watching their team, I’ve been lucky enough to be up against David Hancko. I played alongside Denis Vavros at Lazio and I faced Milan Skriniar when he was playing at Inter. The other centre-back is my teammate Martin Valjent, and then there’s Stanislav Lobotka, who I really appreciate. They have a lot of individual qualities, but as a team they have a coach who knows how to get the best out of everyone, and they play great football based on strong teamwork. They are strong and physically dominant. They perform very well both in attack and defence. That’s how they’ve managed to beat teams like Germany
Are you looking beyond that match? Do you dream of a final at home, in Pristina?
It’s always good to dream. About anything. I still dream. Until today, I’ve come this far by dreaming a lot. I just try not to dwell on it too much, because I know that if we win and the last game is at home, it will be a football celebration like no other. We would have the support of the whole country. But facing Slovakia away from home will not be an easy feat. It will be a difficult task, but not impossible. If we manage to get to the final, Turkey will be an incredibly difficult team for us. Similar to Romania, a team we have faced repeatedly without ever beating them.
What would it mean to you to represent Kosovo in a World Cup?
Playing for Kosovo in the World Cup would be a great way for me to end my career. I can say that I gave it my all and now it’s time to hang up my boots. I’m not sure if I’ll continue playing for much longer. I’ve talked about it with my friends. These days, I can’t wait to sleep after the games. I leave all my stuff out there on the pitch. Before, I was full of energy and couldn’t wait to go to the next training session, but now I need more time to recover. It takes me a few days to fully recover. I still have the hunger and the desire, that’s for sure. I would like to play in the World Cup and then go to the European Championship in two years, but you have to face the facts. I would like to reach my peak by playing in the World Cup, and then, if I decide to end my career, I would sleep much easier, knowing that I have fulfilled my dream.
How different is this Kosovo team from the one you debuted in 10 years ago?
I have been here since day one and in these ten years the team has gone through a lot of changes. Looking back, the progress has been great for the country, the federation and the players. A lot of hard work has been done, both on and off the pitch. Franco Foda, who was in charge of Austria at the European Championship, took over. He is a coach with tremendous experience. I would say four or five of us are from the original Kosovo team. We have all grown up together and the rest of the team are talented young players with a lot of potential. Some of the players are playing in the Bundesliga and Serie A. We are doing very well and moving in the right direction as a national team, but five or six years later, I can see Kosovo as a really strong team. We will be a tough nut to crack for any team that comes up against us.
To be among the top scorers in La Liga, in a similar position to players like Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, is something special. How does that make you feel?
I am very proud to play in one of the best leagues in the world, coming in second in the top scorer race, with Lamine Yamal and other good players behind me. I feel very good. The people in the country are also very proud of me. I feel like this season is going to be the most special in my career, especially since I only managed to score seven goals in each of the last two seasons. I have currently scored 18 goals and I will try to score many more by the end of the season.
© BalkansWeb