The year that is coming to an end can be characterized as one of the saddest for humanity in recent history. The dangerous virus killed almost two million and infected about 80 million people, and given that its appearance caused drastic changes in social life and left a mark on the functioning of the whole world, it can be said that the corona certainly negatively affected each of ous.
However, the same year 2020, in the memory of Vojvodina fans and the history of the Old Lady, will be recorded in something beautiful, considering that this year Voša won its second Serbian Cup trophy and achieved exceptionally good results practically throughout the year. Unfortunately, for the most part during the previous 12 months, the fans of Vojvodina were deprived of watching their team live at Karađorđe, just as the players were deprived of the selfless support they receive from their loyal audience at every match.
However, even though the stadiums remained empty, that does not mean that Voša’s games and results were not followed by all those who have the Old Lady in their hearts, including many of its former players. Among them is certainly Enver Alivodić, a member of the generation that won the first trophy of the Serbian Cup in the club’s history in 2014, the goal scorer in the final against Jagodina, and the player who the fans included in the ideal team of Vojvodina in the past decade.
After finishing his career at the end of last season, he moved to Denmark, but from there he also follows what is happening regarding his former club.
– Yes, it is true that I moved to Denmark with my family after the end of my career. My wife and children are Danish citizens and, after some thinking about what and how we will proceed, we decided to move here. Honestly, I’m still in the phase of adjusting, arranging papers and similar things, so I still haven’t decided what I will do next. For now, I only have some ideas and thoughts, but only in the next period will I make a concrete decision – says Alivodić.
He had an enviable career, played in Serbia and abroad, started and finished in his Novi Pazar, but the impression is that he had the brightest moments in the Vojvodina jersey.
– The time spent in Vojvodina is definitely the best in my career and I will never forget that period. Then I played at the highest level and certainly provided the most during my entire career. However, I am very happy because I finished my career in my Novi Pazar. I started with football there, so I think it was most natural for me to end there, because I owe Novi Pazar for everything I am and what I did later in my career – Alivodić points out.
In addition to Vojvodina and Novi Pazar, he also played for Radnički Niš, Čukaricki, BSK Borća, EN Paralimniu (Cyprus), Newcastle (Australia), Napredak and Apollon Smirnis (Greece).
– As for my career, honestly, I would not change anything. Financially, I may not have gone the way many players want, but the experience and friendships I gained cannot be expressed in money, at least that’s how I see it. For example, after I left Vojvodina, I always received applause from Voša’s audience whenever I came to Novi Sad, and for me it is more valuable than any money – notes Alivodić.
He played for Vojvodina for two years, appeared in 73 games, scored 18 goals, had 15 assists, and won the Serbian Cup.
– Even if everything else is forgotten, the Cup we won will be remembered forever and I think it is a great thing to go down in the history of a club like this. Without a doubt, for me, those two years are the most beautiful and, in many ways, an unforgettable period in my career – says Alivodić.
In the season when the first Serbian Cup in the history of Vojvodina was won, many players left the club in the half-season, and he was one of the few who remained and later, with a team composed mostly of players from the Youth Academy Ilija Pantelić, succeeded to win the cup.
– It is really not easy when more than half of the team leaves you in one transfer window, and those were the players who formed the backbone of the team at that moment, so we had to do everything from the beginning. However, Vojvodina was lucky to have the best Youth Academy in the country in that period and players who later became U-20 world champions. Many of them had already made their debut for the first team by then. Somehow, everything fit together quickly, and it turned out to be a good path, because many players from that generation later made great careers, and even today they have a notable role in big European clubs – Alivodić points out.
Although he is retired as a player, he still follows football, including his Vojvodina.
– Of course, I follow Vojvodina and I will certainly not stop doing that. I think that this current team has quality for much greater achievements, which it has shown with its results. Coach Lalatović is doing an extraordinary job and he transfers that incredible energy to the players, which can be seen on the pitch, because the guys are dying and fighting for the jersey they wear to the last drop of sweat. The Cup final against Partizan was unbelievable and uncertain until the very end, and after the penalty, which is the sweetest, the guys deservedly won the cup and thus repeated what we did in 2014 – said Alivodić.
He used the opportunity to greet all the fans of Vojvodina and wish them a lot of health and success, with the hope that he will be able to see them at a game in the near future.
