Duško Pijetlović postponed his retirement and reinforced Radnički!
At the end of the transfer window, just a few days after the transfer of the captain of the Serbian water polo team, Nikola Jakšić, to Radnički, another "transfer bomb" rang out in Kragujevac, in the form of one of the best centers of all time and a member of the golden generation of "dolphins". , Duško Pijetlović (39).
It is difficult to count the successes achieved by our trophy-winning representative. He won four Olympic medals, of which two gold (2016, 2020) and bronze (2008, 2012), as well as four at the World Championships - two gold (2009, 2015), silver (2011) and bronze (2017). With Serbia, he was European champion five times (2006, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), once second (2008) and third (2010). He won the World League 11 times, with a bronze in 2009, and the World Cup three times, with a bronze in 2018...
He was equally successful on the club scene, playing for Vojvodina, Partizan, Pro Reko, Crvena zvezda, Sintez from Kazan, Dinamo from Moscow, Solnok in Hungary and Novi Beograd. He won the Champions League four times with three different clubs – twice with Pro Rek (2012, 2015) and once each with Partizan (2011) and Zvezda (2013). With Solnok, he won the Eurocup (2021), and in his treasure trove of medals he also has one from the European Supercup with Pro Rek from 2015. He was the champion of every country in which he played at least once - eight times in Serbia, four in Italy, two in Russia and once in Hungary. He also won the Adriatic League three times...
This transfer came somewhat unexpectedly because Pijetlović "hung his cap on a peg" about fifteen days ago, but at the invitation of Radnicki, he changed his mind in a short time and came back from "retirement".
– Simply and honestly, I got an invitation I couldn't refuse. I had conversations with Uroš Stevanović, who recently became the winner of the Olympic Games, and it is difficult to refuse a coach who has achieved such great success. Our ambitions match, we want to win in every game, in all competitions, and if it wasn't like that, I wouldn't even come – Pijetlović pointed out.
The reliable center has spent the past three seasons in the ranks of Radnicki's biggest rival for domestic trophies, Novi Belgrade, so he knows the opportunities in the Kragujevac camp very well.
- I am very familiar with the happenings in Radnički, above all "through the sights" in the past few seasons. Continuity of work and constant improvement of quality are to be respected, this is a fact that no one can dispute. Radnički is a good club, especially for the work and progress of the younger players, and I hope that the older ones will also fit in and that with a mix of youth and experience, we will achieve the desired results - added Pijetlović
The people of Radnicki have created a respectable team, which will without a doubt attack all four trophies, and they will have their first challenge in ten days, when they will host the qualification tournament for the Champions League in Kragujevac.
Ambitions are high, but he can't do everything at once. It takes some time for the new players to adapt to the midfield, as well as for the old players to get used to the new ones. I hope that we will fit in as soon as possible for this first, extremely important qualification tournament for the Champions League, and as time goes on we will be better and ready for the biggest challenges at the end of the season - concluded Pijetlović
Remember, during the summer transfer window, Radnička was previously strengthened by five gold Olympians from Paris: Nikola Jakšić, Strahinja Rašović, Radomir Drašović, Radoslav Filipović and Petar Jakšić, as well as the Montenegrin center Nikola Murišić and the Serb under the cap of Georgia, Dušan Vasić.
