When, in January 2012, Vojvodina brought Almami Moreira and Stephen Appiah, fans and the sports public thought that the time had finally come for what has been awaited since 1989, and that was the arrival of trophies in the showcases of the Old Lady.
However, as time has shown, Vojvodina had to wait a little bit more to win the trophy, more precisely until 2014, when Voša won the first Serbian Cup in its history. However, regardless of the fact that it was left without a trophy with Moreira and Appiah in the team, the very fact that two such football aces wore the Old Lady jersey shows its greatness as a club and unequivocal aspiration to always be among the best in Serbia and respected and esteemed even outside the borders of our country.
Almami Moreira played for Vojvodina for a year, more precisely from January 2012 to January 2013. During that time, he played 18 games in a red and white jersey and scored two goals: one against Suduva in the qualifications for the Europa League, and one by “scissors” against BSK Borča in the domestic league, which was also the only goal in that match.
After leaving Vojvodina, he continued his career in Spanish UD Salamanca, and then in Portuguese Atlético CP, where in the summer of 2014 he stopped playing football. After that, he dedicated himself to managerial work, which he still does intensively.
– My life is good, but to be honest, I miss playing football. Now I work in football and with football players, I have my own company, so I can’t complain. However, I would most like to be able to play again. I miss that a lot, but well, my life is like this now – says Moreira.
Although he does not watch many matches, he still follows what is happening in Serbian football, so he knows that Vojvodina won the Serbian Cup last season with a victory in the final against another of his former clubs – Partizan.
– Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to watch a game of the Serbian league, but it is difficult to find broadcasts of the Serbian league from abroad. Of course, now I pay more attention to the players themselves, and if I notice someone young and talented, I try to find out as much information about him as possible – Moreira points out.
Before he came to Vojvodina, he changed a large number of clubs, so he also played for Standard Liège, the next opponent of the red and whites in the qualifications for the Europa League. For the team from Belgium, Moreira played from 2001 to 2004 and then again from 2005 to 2006, during which he recorded 114 appearances and scored 18 goals. In the selection of the fans of that club, he was once named the best player of Standard in the season (2002), twice he was the second best player of the team (2003 and 2004), and once the third (2006).
Of course, he also knows that Standard and Voša will soon meet in the qualifications for the Europa League, and he believes that both teams have equal chances to advance.
– Honestly, I think the odds are 50:50. I know both clubs and I know that both Vojvodina and Standard are always looking for talented players, and that they regularly have a good team. I think both teams see their chance to pass. There are always promising football players in Serbia, including Vojvodina, which, along with Partizan and Red Star, is one of the best clubs in the country. I am sure that it will be a good match – Moreira notes.
Until recently, his son was a member of the younger categories of Standard, but since he left, he is no longer in contact with the club from Liège.
– I’m not in contact with anyone from Standard. My son played there, but he moved to Benfica this year. Since then, I haven’t heard from anyone from the club, not even their sports sector. However, considering that I deal with transfers, I know that Standard brought several very good players this year, although I am not familiar with their qualities in detail – said Moreira, adding that he will be very glad to use his next visit to Serbia for a visit to Vojvodina, to which he wished good luck in the upcoming match.
That summer, when Moreira wore the Vojvodina jersey, the Old Lady played a legendary duel in the qualifications for the Europa League against Rapid Vienna, when it won 2-1 at home, and in the return match, after a red card before the end and a penalty in literally the last minute of the match, it was defeated and forced to say goodbye to the further course of the competition.
Many still believe that Vojvodina was subjected to sports injustice at that time, which interrupted the dream of its players and fans about participating in the group stage of the Europa League. However, for each dream, the longer you wait, the greater is the joy when it finally comes true.
