Singapore legend Aleksandar Duric finally gets his National Stadium debut

SINGAPORE — Aleksandar Duric sees the National Stadium pitch almost daily, but he has never been able to step on it.

The principal of the ActiveSG Football Academy, Duric’s office is located in Sport Singapore’s premises at the Sports Hub, just steps away from the 55,000-seater stadium. The former Singapore international retired from the national team in December 2012 after amassing 24 goals in 53 appearances, one and a half years before the facility opened its doors.

The 47-year-old will finally get his chance to play in the iconic venue on November 11, when he takes to the field for the Singapore Masters as they take on their Liverpool and Arsenal counterparts in the Battle of the Masters.

“I see (the field) from upstairs every day,” said Duric, who was speaking on the sidelines of the pre-event press conference.

“Finally, I am going to have a chance to play there. I’ve been very close to it a few times, especially during the ICC (International Champions Cup) earlier this year when I was just outside the field, but I never (got to) step in.

“I am really looking forward to play there… because it’s an icon. I was lucky enough to play at the old Kallang Stadium and now, stepping in the new National Stadium, it’s an honour.”

His experience will be made even sweeter as the ex-Lions striker and Arsenal fan will be up against former Gunners such as French maestro Robert Pires and striker Nwankwo Kanu, whom Duric described as having “fantastic technique”. 

Each match in the round-robin tournament will last 40 minutes but Duric knows there will be no easy ride for any side, having played against Liverpool in a 1-3 defeat in 2014 during his testimonial match at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

“Those players still can play, they are competitive,” he said. “They may not be as fast as they used to be but trust me, they can do wonders with the ball. 

“It’s just a fantastic opportunity for the fans to come and enjoy this kind of football. There’s less pressure, so the players can do some tricks, which they will probably never do in competitive games.”

Bosnia-born Duric, who scored 376 goals in 520 S.League matches before hanging up his boots in November 2014, is confident that the Singapore Masters, which include Fandi Ahmad, Noh Alam Shah, Indra Sahdan, Rafi Ali and Malek Awab, can give their Premier League counterparts a run for their money.

“There’s a good blend of experience… I am looking forward to this time, hopefully we can do much better,” he said.

Looking leaner and fitter this year, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is looking forward to his second outing in Singapore, as he said at the press conference on Tuesday (Sept 19): “The one thing with football is that it is competitive and it doesn’t change over the years. 

“Even as you get older, you will still want to play the game in the same manner. I’ve been working on my fitness and the others, including the likes of Luis Garcia and Robert Pires, are looking very sharp too. The standard will be good and we are looking forward to it.”

Issuing a friendly warning, ex-Gunner Nigel Winterburn added: “It’s going to be friendly before the game but things will change once we hit the pitch. It’s going to get really competitive, I’ve played against Danny just three weeks ago and he’s really competitive!”

Visit www.mastersfootball.com for more information on the Battle of the Masters.