His famous surname will always precede him but there is nothing flashy about Vladimir Savicevic.
He’s a humble, down-to-earth young man with a strong passion for football and a desire to prove that there is more to him than just being the son of a legend.
After spending nine years with Montenegrin club FK Mladost Podgorica, Vladimir Savicevic, the son of former Milan great Dejan Savicevic, is pursuing a new challenge in his career after agreeing a move to Valletta.
The attacking midfielder has joined the Maltese champions on a short-term contract but with an option to extend the deal at the end of the season.
News that Savicevic junior has decided to continue his career in Malta has baffled many as our championship is not exactly the most glamorous in Europe but the 25-year-old is approaching this new experience with an open mind.
“When I learned that Valletta are a very good club, probably the no.1 in Malta, I was intrigued,” Savicevic told Times of Malta.
“I know that Valletta like to play attacking football and try to score as many goals as possible. I have the same mentality.
I know that Valletta like to play attacking football and try to score as many goals as possible. I have the same mentality
“Valletta have many good players. They are second in the league but, if Hibernians lose one or two games, Valletta will be back in contention.”
Foreign players are often lured to Maltese football by the prospect of enhancing their chances of securing a contract in one of the top European leagues but Savicevic is not getting ahead of himself.
“My foremost objective is to play well and help the team reach its objectives,” he observed.
“Hopefully, our efforts will help Valletta win the league, although I know that this is very difficult, and the cup.
“After that we will see. But, my priority is to do well for Valletta, that is what I’m focusing on.”
As the son of a famous footballer, Savicevic has had to put up with the added burden of being constantly compared with his illustrious father who won two European Cups with Red Star and Milan and is universally acclaimed as the best Montenegrin player of all time.
Talking to Vladimir, it’s hard not to think of his father because the resemblance is striking. Savicevic junior said his father, who has been the president of the Montenegro FA since 2004, has given his seal of approval to his switch to Valletta.
“For him, the most important thing is that I’ve come to a safe country,” Savicevic said.
“And he has only heard good things about Malta.
“As a father, he wanted me to stay in Montenegro, also because I’m his only son but, at the same time, he’s happy for me.
“I had other offers but I believe that it’s better to play for a club that is always challenging for important objectives rather than join a mid-table team.”
Savicevic, whose contract with NK Mladost ended last month, was coveted by a host of clubs in Montenegro, including OFK Petrovac.
Initially, he was somewhat reluctant to speak about other offers but later revealed that he had proposals from China, Kazakhstan and a second division club in Spain.
“But I chose Valletta,” he added.
When it was put to Savicevic that, in spite of the perception that the level of Malta football is low, many foreigners find it hard to make an impact, he replied: “People say that the level of Maltese football is not very high and Montenegrin clubs have always won against Maltese teams but I can’t really speak about the strength of the league here before I’ve had the chance to go on the pitch and measure myself against the other players.
“It’s not intelligent for me to speak about Maltese football now but I hope to be able to do that in a few months’ time.”
What qualities will Savicevic bring to Valletta?
“My dribbling is good and I can pass the ball well,” he said. “My best position is behind the strikers but I can also play on the wing.”
Although Savicevic is new to Maltese football, he has a few acquaintances who know the Premier League very well.
Bojan Kaljevic, who last month joined Balzan from Mosta, played with Savicevic at NK Mladost and Drasko Braunovic, the former Valletta right-back, was his youth team coach.
Savicevic is not the first player with a world-famous father to wear Valletta’s colours.
Jordi Cruyff, the son of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, spent one season with Valletta in 2009-10.
Interestingly, Dejan Savicevic was part of the Rapid Vienna team that beat Valletta 5-0 on aggregate in the 1999-2000 Champions League.
Vladimir Savicevic’s switch to Valletta has been brokered by agents Massimiliano Spocchi, Luca Filieri and Andrea Chiminazzo, from Sport Football Agency, and Lucio Sciriha.
Meanwhile, Valletta are also expected to offer a contract to Dutch forward Djamel Leeflang and Nigerian defender Hilary Ikenna.
Both have reportedly left a good impression during their trial.