Article by Djuradj Vujcic
Centre-forward Bojan Zoranovic was born in the Serbian town of Gornji Milanovac on April 12, 1990. He went through the entire youth academy of FK Takovo and made his debut for the senior team at the age of sixteen. After Takovo, he played, among others, for clubs such as Metalac Gornji Milanovac and Radnicki Kragujevac.
“Gornji Milanovac is a city that I always carry in my heart and thoughts. Takovo is a club that has a special place in my heart, and I played for Metalac on two occasions. First as part of the team that won an historic entry into the Serbian SuperLiga and it was for Metalac where I made my debut in the Serbian SuperLiga so I have good memories from that side. On both occasions I had problems with serious injuries and that is one of the reasons why I did not leave a deeper mark. Unfortunately, it’s generally a tough environment for local players and I hope that changes in the future. I want the club to avoid relegation in the First League. I also have good memories from Radnicki. But even there I had an injury that hindered me. Radnicki is a big club with a large number of fans who are the biggest fan group after the Partizan and Red Star fan groups. At the same time, I also had an offer from OFK Belgrade, at the invitation of Zvezdan Terzic, but I chose Radnicki.”
He left for Canada in 2018, where he played for York Region Shooters, Unionville Milliken, Pro Stars, Scarborough and for our Serbian White Eagles, for whom he has been playing since 2020.
“Coming to Canada was accidental, but staying is intentional. The reason is the excellent adaptation to life conditions as a whole. I like the country and I am happy with my decision. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dragan Jankovic, former player and official of the Serbian White Eagles, on whose initiative I came to Canada to play in League1 Ontario.”
Zoranovic says that League1 Ontario and the Canadian Soccer League have similarities.
“I spent two years in League1 – a league that prefers mostly under-23 players with a few more experienced players. Organizationally, it is at a solid level. It is a league owned by the newly formed Canadian Premier League, which has the potential to be a respectable league by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks off, which will be played in Canada among other countries. The CSL is mostly based on more experienced players, so I would say that’s where they differ the most. League1 is physically more dominant with more running, while the CSL is better tactically and technically.”
Zoranovic joined the coaching ranks last year as a coach of our team.
“First of all, I would like to express great pleasure to be a coach of the Serbian White Eagles, a club with a great tradition, in which the coach was once the famous Dragoslav Sekularac. I was appointed to the position of coach on the initiative of Uros Stamatovic, with the support of president Dragan Bakoc. The role of the coach is an extremely important function, especially in top football where we can easily see this in big football systems. The coaching position is diametrical to the playing position and I’m getting used to that change.”
He also shared with us a little about his coaching philosophy.
“I am of the opinion that the attitude of the players and the discipline in the game are of great importance, as well as the team spirit. I prefer offensive football with strong discipline in defense. Balance on the field (being equally committed to attack and defense) is what matters a lot in football. I worked with several excellent coaches and realized that the formation is not of crucial importance, but rather the achievement of the given requirements in the game.”
Zoranovic has words of praise for the Serbian community in Canada.
“The Serbian community plays an important role and is a support for all our people who come and live in Canada. I would especially emphasize the importance of the Church for all faithful. It made it possible for us to feel a lot like in the countries from our area. I would like to thank the fans for their support and wish for them to support us in even greater numbers. All these people have merit in the existence of our club.”
Thanks to Bojan for taking the time to speak with us for our website. We are pleased to have him as part of our team. Onward, to new victories!