Pjanic: Five people who changed my life

Zinedine Zidane

“Zidane made me want to be a footballer when I was younger. I liked the style of his football, how he played the game. He was, for me, the best player I ever saw. He had a lot of elegance and grace - I just liked watching him play. Did I try and emulate him? Of course, he played the same position as me, so I would watch his plays all the time and try to do some of the skills that he would do on the field.”

My Father

“My father has had the biggest impact on my football career. I started playing football because of my father. He played football as well; he was a good player but not professional because the war was starting in our country [Bosnia], so they didn't play professional football. But when I was 5 or 6 years old, I started to go with him to training and I liked the sport. Today it is my life and I love it.”

My Mother

“I think my mum and dad have made me the person I am today. There were a lot of difficult moments during my life, more for them than for me. My parents were living in the country during the war and we had nothing when we came to Luxembourg. They had to work and it was a lot of work raising three kids, myself, my sister and my brother. So I think it has been very important the things they have done for me in my life and I will always be thankful to my mother and father.”

My Son

“No one makes me smile more than my son. He is beautiful and it is very nice that I have a family of course, it is very important. I didn’t know that having a kid – a son - would be so nice and so beautiful. It really has changed a lot of things about my life.”

The Fans

“I’m not going to go with an individual for my last choice – I am going to pick the Roma fans. They have taught me what it means to be a Romanista. It’s now my fifth season here and now I really feel like a Romanista. Also the players who have played here a long time, they give you the feeling that it’s not just a normal shirt - the Roma shirt is something important in our city. Now I am also a fan of this club and yes, now I am a real Romanista.”

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