What a difference a year can make. At this point last season, those who followed the Canadian Men’s National Team closely, and the fortunes of their players, would have been discouraged to see one of their future number one goalkeepers not only lose his starting position at his domestic club, but place in the gameday roster all together. It was a dark time for Milan Borjan who took a huge step up from the Serbian Super League to the Turkish top flight.
However, a year later he has reclaimed that starting position with Sivasspor, having most recently helped back his club to a 2-1 victory over Bursaspor in the Turkish Cup, and been able to improve his game to where he once again has put himself in the position as their heir to Lars Hirschfeld’s spot between the posts for Canada.
Milan Borjan came into the Canadian soccer supporter’s consciousness with huge fanfare. Born in war-torn Yugoslavia, he came to Canada as young boy, but developed here only briefly before going to South America and eventually to his birthplace of Serbia to continue his career. When his name emerged as a potential international keeper, he went against what many supporters had sadly become accustomed to – he chose Canada over his family’s nationality.
There was much promise for Borjan. In his early 20s, standing at an impressive 6’5 and having beaten out the U21 Serbian National team keeper to start each week for FK Rad in the Serbian Super League, there looked to be the next Canadian keeper waiting in the wings. At the end of the 2010/11 season, he took the next step in declaring allegiance to Canada, which lead to the next progression in his club career.
“It all happened when I got called up to the National team. I had been having a good season with FK Rad, and right in that I got the call from Stephen Hart and the CSA that they wanted me on board. I was really excited, because as I have said before, it was a chance to repay the country that helped my family and give them a better life,” recalls Borjan. “I played in the Greece friendly and a few more games for Canada and Sivasspor was watching me. They liked what they saw, needed that position filled, and made a deal for me to come over as their number one goalkeeper.”
It was a positive move and one that supporters would have been encouraged by. However, the gap between the Serbian Super League and Turkish Super Lig is truthfully more like a chasm. With teams such Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Besiktas, Trabzonspor and Bursaspor throughout the years having made appearances in the group stages of the Champions League, and even into the knockout rounds, Borjan would have been up against some of Europe’s bigger clubs.
“Obviously for any player it’s a big step and there was a lot of excitement to come to a bigger league and more competitive environment than the Serbian league. My dream is to get to the highest league in the world, from when I was a little kid. So it was really good for me, the step that I needed to improve myself and prove that I can do more.”
Borjan continues, “I noticed how big this step was when I played my first friendly. It was so much faster than in Serbia. The speed of the game here was much higher, the balls were much faster and it feels like every 10-15 seconds there is a chance on goal. I needed to have a very high level of concentration, and in the beginning I wasn’t meeting that requirement.”
Borjan openly admits he struggled in his first few months at Sivasspor, that his game wasn’t at the level it needed to be in order to help his team succeed. Even with huge results like a 2-0 victory over Fenerbahce in November 2011, they were followed up with disappointing performances where he could have done better in 2-2 draws against both Trabzonspor and Manisaspor. Perhaps it was too much too soon and the club began to think getting time in a league where he could fit in immediately would be better for his long-term future with the team.
“I had bad games, the other keepers got their chance and played well. It was a tough time between myself and the staff because they had high expectations for me. And it wasn’t just the staff, but the entire club and city. If you’re coming from another country, into someone else’s country, their city, they are expecting you to do the best every game. I couldn’t deliver that right away because the adjustment was too much. The club was a little disappointed so they thought it was best to get me into a league that was between Serbia and Turkey, to gain more experience and reassess after that.”
Unfortunately that move did not happen immediately and Borjan would languish outside of the first team, and a starting position, for the better part of three months. It did not look like any kind of loan or transfer would happen and what initially was a promising career move was in limbo without much indication it would be back on track any time soon. In this time, Borjan had to look to those who had gotten him to this point. His father, a former keeper himself at Hajduk Split, and mother both had sacrificed much to give him his chance and would be there to encourage him.
“It was very hard, but I stayed confident and positive, really only because of my family. Without them I wouldn’t be confident or calm,” he explains. “My father used to play and he knows and understands the game. He’d always tell me to stay calm, wait for your chance, it’s going to come. So I took that advice. My mother and father were always there supporting me when I needed it the most and that gave me confidence.”
That chance did come – on the last day of the transfer window. Romanian-side FC Vaslui were in the hunt for a Europa League position and needed a keeper to improve their chances. It was a no-brainer. Staying at Sivasspor meant seven or eight games where he would likely not get a chance to play, but at Vaslui he was assured the chance to start from the get-go, with over sixteen games left on their schedule.
Vaslui were lead by five-time Portuguese Primeira Liga, and Champions League, winner Augusto Inácio. With titles in his playing days from Sporting Lisbon and Porto, and also having coached Sporting to a league title in 1999/2000, there was potential Vaslui could make a solid run at the top of the table.
“I first arrived to their camp in Antalya, Turkey and the guys were really nice right from first day, just really amazing. The Romanian guys, international guys, they all told me ‘we need a good keeper because we want to make something of this season’. I was ready for this and was really motivated to change my season around, have this in my CV, put something in my football career that people can remember me for something.”
Borjan continues, “After a good camp we went back to Vaslui and when the season restarted I played really well because I got close with team right away, both the coaches and the players. Inácio was amazing, he said to me, ‘don’t worry if you make a mistake, I’ll be there to support you. I’ll give you chances to get your confidence because I can see you are a good keeper - I asked for you to be here’. It was a great move and time for me to build my confidence.”
Vaslui would go on an incredible run that saw Borjan start sixteen matches, earn seven clean sheets and help propel his side to a second-place finish and secure a Champions League qualifying spot. The question now would be after a great spell in Romania, would Vaslui make the move permanent? Would Sivasspor let him go?
“We talked when the last game finished, to see if I wanted to stay there and if they wanted me. Unfortunately though nothing lined up in terms of the right salary, transfer fee, anything. So I was going to go back to Sivas.”
“But truthfully after that, I wasn’t thinking about Vaslui or going back to Sivasspor. The next thing on my mind was Canada, and right after the season I went to play for Canada with big games in June. So I wasn’t thinking clubs, I was thinking about playing for Canada and being prepared to play for them and do my best there. I got a chance against Cuba and Honduras, and I was really just excited for that.”
Even with positive results and performances with Canada, the return to Sivasspor still loomed, and the uncertainty of where he fit in. The opportunity was still there and the question would be how much had Borjan improved over the last eight months and if he could prove to the club and supporters he was ready to be their number one. Upon his return the mandate from the coaches was simple for him to reestablish himself between the posts.
“There was no real discussion about me, just that I have to really work hard and fight for my place. All preseason I played well and the feedback was positive. I then went to my call-up for Canada, came back to Sivas from those games and the team said ‘we want you to stay here to fight for your place, you’ve improved and you did well in Vaslui – you will get your chance'.”
Borjan got his chance. Having waited patiently early on with Korcan Celikay getting the first starts of the year, he got the nod at home against Fenerbahce in early September and kept a clean sheet. From there on he has held onto his number one position and helped Sivasspor stay in a solid mid-table position that is only three points out of fifth place and a few wins at sneaking into the top four.
With a crucial loan spell that boosted his morale, ability and experience, Borjan has returned to Sivasspor better than a year ago and has earned the backing of the coaches to allow him start week in week out. What has been the biggest difference coming back to Sivasspor for him?
“The confidence from coaches has been the most important thing. I lost my confidence early last season and they’ve helped give it back to me with the loan to Vaslui and return this year. I also lost their trust when I first came, so I had to work very hard to prove to them they could trust me and that’s what I did. I’ve made mistakes this year too, but they’ve supported me and they did not take me off, they gave me the chance to rebuild myself and it’s paid off.”
A team with enough talent to compete at the top of the table, the likes of Kamil Grosicki, Erman Kilic and Michael Eneramo are some of the top players in the league, Borjan sees Sivasspor as a good opportunity to reach many of his professional goals. Twice he has missed out on Europe’s top competitions, first the Europa League with FK Rad, then this year with Vaslui in the Champions League. Instead of dwelling on what he missed out on, he has remained focused on what he needs to do to keep improving, and become an integral part of his club’s success.
“Right now, I need to continue to just work very hard, have a coach that is going to work with me hard and teach me a lot of things. I’m still young at 25 and know in my position you peak around 28-29. So right now I need confidence from my coaches and someone who can guide me in everything that is there is about keeping. That’s what is happening now. My game is improving overall in matches, dealing with crosses, and distribution.”
With the two lost opportunities to compete in European club competitions, Borjan remains positive about his future with Sivasspor. Instead of dwelling on what he was not a part of he is focused on looking ahead and building on something that will help his career, as well as repay those who have helped him get here.
“It’s difficult when things just don’t go your way, but you have to take care of what is in front of you. I didn’t get a chance to play in some big games, but I stay positive. With Sivasspor I think we can do it. My goal right now is to get Sivasspor to the Europa or Champions League. I want to make history and if we can do this as a team, it would be huge for the city and the club.”
Even with these goals set, Borjan remains grounded in his motivations. He has worked to repay his coaches, the club and fans but with still more to do, he draws on those who helped get him to this point in his career.
“Everything now is to return to my family the hard work they did for me. They sacrificed everything so I could play and that is still one of my goals for them to see their sacrifice was worth it.”
|