Roma midfielder Benjamin Tahirovic commented on his debut with the Bosnian national team in their recent win over Sweden.
Tahirovic – who also made his club debut earlier this season under Jose Mourinho – thanked the Special One for giving him an opportunity and mentioned Nemanja Matic as a friend and source of inspiration.
“Everything was great,” Tahirovic told Klix.ba. “From the moment I got the news that I was going to play, the emotions started flowing. From the warm-up, to the ovation, to going out on the pitch and to the national anthem, everything contributed to a wonderful feeling.”
“I am grateful to Mourinho. The players who play in my position are of high quality, there is competition on the roster,” he continued.
“I’m young, but I have to work and learn every day and the fact that I’m young doesn’t make any difference. The Special One is demanding and it’s not for nothing that he has such a nickname. It’s true that I have fewer minutes than anybody else, but the important thing is to be in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.”
“Matic? He is a top player, and an even better person. I try to learn as much as possible from him, what he does on the pitch at all times. We also have a good relationship off the pitch, he is a very good person.”
