Duric All set to give back

SINGAPORE — Tomorrow, Aleksandar Duric will wake up at 6am and set off on a routine morning jog around his home. But Nov 1 will be a very different morning for the veteran footballer, for it marks the first day of his post-retirement life as he ends a 16-year professional career in Singapore with 321 league and cup goals, 16 domestic titles and 24 international goals.

Regarded as Singapore football’s most hard-working and prolific striker, 44-year-old Duric will hang up his boots after his final match with S-League club Tampines Rovers against Brunei DPMM tonight, playing in what is the 2014 season’s title-decider.

His testimonial match on Nov 15 will see the naturalised Singaporean — he became a citizen here in October 2007 — linking up with local legends Fandi Ahmad and V Sundramoorthy against the Liverpool Masters at Jalan Besar Stadium.

At Jalan Besar tonight, many thoughts will be going through Duric’s mind as he looks back on the life of the small-town boy from Doboj — which was once part of the former Yugoslavia and is now located in Bosnia and Herzegovina — who escaped the Bosnian War, in which his mother was killed, to play football professionally in Europe, China and Australia before finally finding a home in Singapore.

“It will be an emotional day tomorrow ... some tears will come but I will try to hold myself together and not embarrass myself too much by crying,” said Duric, who made his S-League debut in 1999 with Tanjong Pagar United and earned a national team call-up in 2007.

“People asked me why I decided to come to Singapore, but I think it was the right move and I have enjoyed every moment. I didn’t make millions, I don’t drive a Ferrari or Mercedes, I don’t live a glamorous lifestyle like (rich) footballers.

“But so many people didn’t get to play professional football and enjoy what I did. My three kids have grown up here, Singapore has been a huge part of my life and that’s the best part.”

While he has yet to receive any job offers, Duric is working on attaining his coaching “A” licence by the end of the year and hopes to continue working with Tampines Rovers. The self-confessed fitness freak will run the 21km race in the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore in December and wants to continue with his charity work with Beyond Social Services as well as work with the S-League and RHB Bank to help under-privileged children here and in Laos and Cambodia.

A life of personal hardship and sacrifices had turned the 1.92m-tall former canoeist — he represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the C1 500m at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona — into a fierce competitor on the field, and Duric is keen to pass on his life lessons to younger footballers. He added: “I didn’t have much as a kid ... That taught me lessons in life, that nothing came easy. It’s not luck; it’s hard work. That’s why I’m not scared of challenges.

“Singaporean kids should know some toughness and the younger footballers are missing mental toughness. I can help with the S-League, the national set-up, and I just want to be part of any team.”

Top on his list is helping the league that got his career here started, and while the S-League continues to struggle with fan attendance and corporate support, Duric believes a revamp is overdue.

“In 1999, we could say we were No 1 in South-east Asia and one of the best leagues in Asia, and so many players wanted to come here. Now, everybody wants to play elsewhere and that shows that something is wrong,” he said.

“The biggest problem is the Malaysia Cup (and the Malaysia Super League, or MSL), and because of that, they are struggling to get people into the S-League. I believe it is time for (the league) to be refreshed with a smaller number of eight to 10 teams and to play more games at weekends so families can watch.

“The best players are going to the MSL and it is difficult for clubs to get players when there are too many teams in the S-League.”

The father of three — Isabella, Alessandro and adopted son Massimo — is also looking forward to cheering on his former team-mates when Singapore open their AFF Suzuki Cup defence against Thailand at the new National Stadium on Nov 23 before facing Myanmar and Malaysia.

While it has not been a good year for Singapore football after a slide in FIFA’s world rankings from 149 to 161 this month and with the Under-23s failing to advance from the group stage at the recent Incheon Asian Games, Duric is nonetheless keeping faith with the Lions. “There is huge pressure and it is never easy to start a tournament as defending champion as they are playing on home soil. Nobody believed in us at the Suzuki Cup in 2012, but we won,” he said.

“I believe we have a good team, with a beautiful mix of experienced and young players. I know they will deliver at home in the new stadium. I enjoyed every moment playing for the Lions and now, I will enjoy every moment in the stands with my kids, supporting them.”