UEFA Conference League upstarts head to Easter Road defending 2-0 lead from first leg
The man who masterminded one of the worst European results in Hibs’ history will arrive in Edinburgh on a personal revenge mission this week. And Thomas Brdaric can take comfort from the knowledge that, unlike his only previous visit to Scotland, he won’t be up against a Zinedine Zidane-inspired team of Real Madrid Galacticos.
For Brdaric, this will be a first trip to the country since he played for Bayer Leverkusen against the great Real Madrid team in the 2002 Champions League Final at Hampden. Zidane scored a sumptuous goal in a game that saw the star-studded Spaniards, who also boasted the talents of Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and legendary forward Raul, carve out a hard-fought 2-1 win over their German opponents.
Bayer Leverkusen attacker missed early chance against Real
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The memories of that game are still fresh for Brdaric, who admitted: “It was a long time ago - but it was the biggest match of my life. So Hampden Park will always be special to me, even though we unfortunately lost the game to Real Madrid.
“I love Scottish football and the fans in your country. So it was fantastic for me to get the chance to play in that game there.
“It will always be remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s goal which, I agree, is one of the iconic goals of the Champions League. But the thing I remember most is that I should have scored because I had a big chance in front of the goal and but couldn’t get past Cesar [Real Madrid keeper].
“But still, it’s a big memory and a nice memory. I am looking forward to coming back to Scotland.
“I played against Paul Lambert, for instance, many times when he was in Germany. He was a very good player.
“He was really disciplined, very tough and he dominated games some days. He was a real Scottish midfielder who I remember very well.”
German coach on his 13th club
Malisheva had never even reached the second qualifying round of UEFA’s third-tier club competition before this season, with Brdaric earning massive plaudits for leading the young and ambitious outfit past Albanian side FK Vllaznia – where he’d previously been manager, ironically enough – in the first round. Since transitioning from playing to coaching in 2009, he’s spent most of his career far from the limelight, working in the German lower leagues, Albania, India and Kuwait before pitching up in Kosovo.
He’s proud of his record at 13 different clubs. And doesn’t rule out a crack at the SPFL in the future.
“I have coached in many countries and who knows, one day I could maybe come to the UK,” he said, admitting: “That would be a very good step for me in the future.
“I am a coach who likes to play offensive football, that’s what I always want to do. I have taken over a lot of clubs in difficult situations, saving them from relegations and promoting teams to better levels.
“Definitely, the UK and Scotland is a very interesting market. But, right now, I am very focused on my job in Malisheva and want to help this club develop.”