Delibašic seeks Spanish highs

By Jonathan Wilson

History suggests that Serbo-Montenegrin strikers tend to be passionate men who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Andrija Delibašic, who joined RCD Mallorca from FK Partizan in January, breaks the mould.

Quiet man
The 22-year-old is reserved and modest to the point where he regularly thanks journalists who have praised his performances. There is not much else for them to do - Delibašic is certainly not somebody who makes headlines off the pitch. "I don't like noisy discos, that's for sure," he told uefa.com. "When I go out I like to go to small, quiet restaurants. I watch television - a lot of football - and I like to read. I'm not so keen on Serbian writers. I'd say my favourite is probably Paulo Coelho."

Sole concern
Not many footballers express an interest in contemporary Brazilian literature, but while his bookish tastes may set him apart from other players, his footballing philosophy is remarkably simple. "All that matters to me is that I am sure of myself and scoring goals," he said.

Goal flow
Scoring goals has rarely been been a problem. When Delibašic broke into the Partizan side as a 19-year-old, he scored in each of his first seven games. By the time he left Belgrade, he had hit 47 goals in 100 appearances, and he immediately got off the mark on his debut for Mallorca, a 3-1 win against Real Zaragoza.

'Special feeling'
"For me, the whole meaning of the game is the goal," he explained. "It is a really special feeling to score and then to celebrate with the fans. I always run to the fans to share my happiness. Even when I played football against a wall with kids in my neighbourhood, I was happy with every goal I scored. Each one is something special. As a kid I played basketball for a short time, but I didn't like it because everyone scores in that sport."

No favourites
So much does he relish every goal that Delibašic refuses to single one out as his favourite. "In football every goal is special," he said. "Maybe if one day I score in the [UEFA] Champions League final, I will be able to say that one is my favourite, but for now, every goal gets my adrenaline pumping."

Bad run
Since registering on his Spanish league debut, Delibašic has found the net only twice in seven matches, as Mallorca have slid down the Primera División table. They have won just two of the last 13 games - a run that has seen them slip to fourth from bottom. "This is a huge challenge for me," Delibašic said.

Partizan style
He would not be the first to find it difficult to adjust to life after Partizan, although the success of Mateja Kezman - the man he effectively replaced at Partizan - at PSV Eindhoven gives him a fine role model. "Maybe it's easier to play football at Partizan than at some other clubs," Delibašic said. "Partizan have their own way of playing, a passing game - they are like a football school. We passed the ball around a lot and had skilful midfield players who always looked to play the ball to feet."

Foreign ambitions
If anybody has the temperament to adjust, though, it is Delibašic. He had always recognised that he would end up leaving Partizan sooner or later. "As a young player, the aim was always to establish myself at Partizan, and then find an ambitious club abroad," he said. "I believe I have done that."