EIGHT-YEAR-OLD ON THE PATH TO BIG DREAMS: NEMANJA TRAINS WITH RED STAR AND SPARTAK

SRBAC, MAY 16 /SRNA/ - Eight-year-old Nemanja Ljubojević from Srbac has already managed to attract the attention of the football public through participation in various tournaments, leading to invitations from major football clubs such as Belgrade's Red Star and Moscow's Spartak.

He took his first football steps at the "Dream Team" football school in Srbac, before soon moving to the "SB Academy" in Banja Luka, where he now trains and continues to develop his talent. Dedicated work and discipline quickly produced results. At one tournament, Nemanja caught the attention of Red Star coaches, who invited him to join their selection of boys born in 2017. For the young footballer, it was a special moment. He says he was overjoyed and openly admits that he supports the red-and-whites, a passion he inherited from his father. His progress was further confirmed by another major experience last week - a trip to Russia, where he trained and played in the jersey of Moscow giant Spartak. "Playing a match for Spartak was really wonderful, and I'm proud of my success. I saw Moscow, Red Square, and met many new friends," Nemanja told SRNA. He most often plays as a left-back, but he is equally comfortable on the right side. His football idols are Serbian international Aleksandar Katai and French star Kylian Mbappé, and one day he hopes to play for Liverpool. "I would like to become a professional footballer," said eight-year-old Nemanja. His father, Miroslav, told SRNA that Nemanja started training football before he was even five years old and has not missed practices since. He added that while most children his age are only beginning to discover sports, Nemanja already has experiences that many much older footballers dream about. Nemanja's love for football appeared very early. His father says he started kicking a ball as soon as he learned to walk, and it quickly became his favorite toy. "We never forced him in any direction, we simply followed what he naturally showed interest in," Miroslav said. Invitations from major clubs, he added, brought joy but also additional responsibility. "Talent is only the beginning. Without hard work, discipline, and character, there is no success. The most important thing is that through sports he learns life values, perseverance, respect, and responsibility, and that he remains happy and a good person. Football is his great love now, but life is long and he is only at the beginning," Miroslav concluded.