Young All Whites midfielder Marko Stamenic says he is proud to be the first New Zealand man to play in the European Champions League group stages for 15 years.
The 20-year-old got a pass mark from Danish media after playing the full 90 minutes in FC Copenhagen’s 0-0 home draw with Spanish La Liga club Seville on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time).
He described his Champions League debut as “undescribable’’.
“I can’t imagine this day would come. I was watching Champions League all my childhood [in Stokes Valley in Wellington],’’ he said in a video interview on FC Copenhagen’s website.
Stamenic said he was also aware “of the background of how rare it is for a New Zealander to play in the Champions League.
“It’s a huge achievement both for myself and my family and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have and I hope to build on this and keep going forward and hopefully help the team to get not even one point but three points for the next game.”
He said it was “an incredible experience’’ walking out before a big crowd at the Parken Stadium, which FC Copenhagen shares with Denmark’s national team.
“I wish my family where there to see it, but I know they were cheering [watching] their TV back home.’’
He said he was “very ambitious for my performance’’ and “always look at the things I could do better’’, but he felt he showed “that I am ready and I want to play; that’s the most important thing.’’
Stamenic, who has been with Copenhagen since 2020, played in central midfield against a Seville side containing potential World Cup stars Ivan Rakitic (Croatia), Thomas Delaney (Denmark) and Alex Telles (Brazil).
He got a passmark too from one of Denmark’s biggest national newspapers, Jyllands-Posten, which said “the New Zealander was given the chance in midfield, where he delivered a fine effort despite a few mispasses at times”.
The Ekstra Bladet tabloid newspaper gave Stamenic a 3 out of 5 ‘worth the money’ rating, saying he started tentatively, but “after that Stamenic played up a bit and also got better on the ball’’.
Stamenic was an unused substitute for Copenhagen’s earlier 3-0 defeat to German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
He also hoped it might boost his chances of starting in Copenhagen’s next Danish Super League clash with FC Midtjylland – Winston Reid’s first professional club – on Sunday (Monday NZ time) after largely playing off the bench in the domestic competition this season.
Stamenic became the first New Zealander to appear in the men’s Champions League group stages since former All Whites striker Chris Killen made one start and four substitute appearances for Glasgow Celtic in 2007-08
