Pazin goes west
Thursday, December 5, 2002
Article summary
FC Shakhtar Donetsk have signed Bulgarian international Predrag Pazin from Beijing Guoyuan.
Article body
'I could not resist'
"Shakhtar made me an offer I could not resist," said the 29-year-old defender. "I am happy to join such an ambitious team. I am interested to pit myself against players at a higher level – Shakhtar are a leading side in the league and are in contention for a [UEFA] Champions League place. This is a great challenge and excellent motivation."
Caps for adopted country
Pazin, who was born in Yugoslavia, joined PFC Levski Sofia from FK Partizan in 1999, and quickly became one the of the best defenders in the league. In 2000, the player accepted Bulgarian citizenship, and he has since won 17 caps for his adopted country.
Double with Levski
Pazin had a trial with English side Derby County FC in autumn 2000 before returning to Bulgaria to play for PFC Spartak Pleven. After a season there, he joined Kocaelispor. In February 2002, he signed a ten-month contract with Beijing Guoyuan and linked up again with Lubko Petrovic, who was Levski coach when Pazin helped them win the double in 2000.
'We will rely on Pazin'
"We have been looking for such an experienced and quality defender for quite a long time," said the head of scouting for Shakhtar, Yevhen Kanana. "The defence is not at its best at the moment, so we will rely on Pazin. At the Commonwealth Cup in Moscow in January, we will be able to see if our faith in him is well-founded."
