\u201cIt was shocking news, as anyone would think,\u201d Stamenic tells the Herald. \u201cI just remember telling my mum, just be calm and just wait for me, I\u2019m going to be on my way now. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just remember catching the first flight out straight to Greece to meet with my mum and sister. That period where I was on the phone, I didn\u2019t really know what to make of it. I was trying to stay strong, more for them, on the phone and then when I got on the plane, I just broke down and cried. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was in complete disbelief. I didn\u2019t believe it. I didn\u2019t know if they were playing a prank on me \u2026 because it\u2019s just something you could never imagine. It\u2019s your worst nightmare, losing a parent and especially with a relationship I had with my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marko Stamenic with his father Niko. Photo \/ Instagram<\/p>\n
To say that Stamenic had a close bond with his father, Niko, doesn\u2019t do justice to the word. It was immense. They did everything together and Stamenic senior had been his first coach, his mentor and his guiding hand throughout his football career, from when he first pulled on a pair of boots to play for Stokes Valley. <\/p>\n
After watching the 2010 World Cup on television as an 8-year-old, Stamenic told his father he wanted to play in the tournament one day. It was the start of a long-held dream and many sacrifices. <\/p>\n
\u201cI remember him saying \u2018let\u2019s do it, son\u2019,\u201d Stamenic says. \u201cFrom that point onwards, we had made an agreement that he\u2019s going to do everything possible to get me to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Niko Stamenic was never too forceful, too intense, too pushy, though always honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just the right balance,\u201d says Stamenic. \u201cHe was always asking me, \u2018You want me to tell you the truth or you want me to be, you know, easy?\u2019 I would say, I love the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marko Stamenic in action for the All Whites against Iran. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
The pair would talk football endlessly, especially on the drives to Ole Football Academy in Porirua four or five times a week, a sometimes 90-minute round trip. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe would park aside the good things I would do and more tell me what the things I could improve on,\u201d says Stamenic. <\/p>\n
Stamenic also remembers sitting in his bedroom watching his taped matches. There would be \u201cfun conversations\u201d but also plenty of debate. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe would pause it and say maybe you could do this, maybe do that, then we would discuss it,\u201d Stamenic says. \u201cNinety per cent of the time it turned into us arguing but that was the love he showed for me. That was the massive role he played \u2026 I wouldn\u2019t be in this position if I didn\u2019t have my dad throughout those years.”<\/p>\n
One piece of advice, as he came up through the grades, always resonated. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe would always encourage me to do something special in a game, do something that someone would remember when they watch you,\u201d says Stamenic. \u201cYou only have two minutes, on the ball, if you look at a 90-minute game, so you have to build an impression in that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The youngster certainly did, good enough to make the New Zealand squad for the 2019 Under-17 Fifa World Cup, where he stood out in a match against Brazil. That led to being signed by an agent \u2013 who flew from Europe to ink the deal \u2013 then a move to Denmark in September 2020. From there, he has blossomed, part of title-winning teams in three countries with FC Copenhagen (Denmark), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) and Olympiacos (Greece).<\/p>\n
All Whites midfielder Marko Stamenic talks to Herald sportswriter Michael Burgess, in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
But back in October last year, Stamenic didn\u2019t know if he would \u2013 or wanted to kick a ball again, as he spent time with his mother, Kalala, and his sister, Lola \u2013 \u201ctrying to process everything\u201d after his father\u2019s sudden passing. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t have a plan of what I was going to do,\u201d Stamenic says.<\/p>\n
But he eventually decided that football was the only way forward. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Dad would have wanted is for us to continue,\u201d Stamenic says. \u201cHe would have wanted me to continue with football, my sister with her studies and my mum to continue with her dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call was made \u2013 but the return was still daunting. He decided to come back for the next international window, where the All Whites would face Colombia and Ecuador in the United States. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that would be the best transition back,\u201d Stamenic says, \u201c[But] I had no idea how I would react to it. I was quite scared, to be honest. How would it be? I didn\u2019t know if I would be still the same person, same player, same friend as before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marko Stamenic with All Whites coach Darren Bazeley: “We\u2019re pretty close as a whole group and we definitely got around him.” Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
All Whites coach Darren Bazeley<\/a> remembers the delicate phase.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a terrible, terrible time for him,\u201d Bazeley recalled. \u201cThen Marco came into camp and everybody was worried and supportive. Internally, he had support from everybody, but you know, Marco\u2019s such a great person.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had talked to him about what he wants \u2026 does he need this; does he need that? He was determined to play through and play on. We\u2019re pretty close as a whole group and we definitely got around him. But we didn\u2019t over-talk about it. He wanted to deal with it his own way. He was able to go out and represent his country, knowing he was playing for his dad. But in those moments, it\u2019s hard to know what he was going through internally.\u201d<\/p>\n Fellow All White and roommate Matt Garbett \u2013 a close friend for 15 years \u2013 was a great source of support. <\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t talking too much about my dad but he was just being there for me \u2026 that\u2019s all you want in that situation,\u201d Stamenic says.<\/p>\n It also helped that his mother, sister and girlfriend were there, while his teammates were immense. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve helped me get back into football,\u201d Stamenic says. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have thanked them any more for what they\u2019ve done for me, especially on that tour.\u201d<\/p>\n His club, Swansea, was also \u201cincredible\u201d in the circumstances, telling him to take as much time as he needed. After that tour, his mother and sister relocated to the Welsh city, so the family unit could be together. <\/p>\n \u201cIt helped all of us heal,\u201d Stamenic says. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it would be a good idea for us to be separate.\u201d<\/p>\n Stamenic made his All Whites debut in August 2021. He quickly became a mainstay and has barely missed a game since, earning 41 caps. He\u2019s a unique talent; strong in the tackle, fast across the ground, composed in possession and with the vision to play the right pass.<\/p>\n Those attributes have been demonstrated at this tournament. He was solid against Iran \u2013 in a game where he was forced to cover a lot of territory as it stretched out \u2013 then stepped up in the Egypt clash, shown with the forceful run as he beat three defenders before setting up Elijah Just for a chance. <\/p>\n On Friday (Saturday 3pm NZ time), Belgium will be the biggest test yet<\/a>, with the quality of their players, headed by former Manchester City supremo Kevin De Bruyne. Stamenic, as always, will be vital. And as always, he will look to the heavens as he runs onto the field, thinking of his father. <\/p>\n \u201cI know he\u2019s not here physically, but I know he\u2019s here spiritually,\u201d Stamenic says. \u201cI\u2019m a big believer in that and I see signs of him in many different ways. I know he would be proud of me.\u201d<\/p>\n Bazeley, like everyone in the All Whites environment, recalls Niko Stamenic with great fondness.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody knew him,\u201d Bazeley says. \u201cHe came into camp and followed the team around the world. He was so proud of Marko and they are such a tight family.\u201d<\/p>\n After the World Cup, Stamenic will return to Swansea. His mother will relocate to London \u2013 only a few hours away \u2013 while his sister plans to study in England. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of change has happened in our life,\u201d Stamenic says. \u201cAnd as horrific and bad as it is, losing my dad, now we\u2019re just trying to make the most out of it and make the most out of life because that\u2019s all you can really do.\u201d <\/p>\n Michael Burgess<\/a> has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America\u2019s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\nMarko Stamenic acknowledges Kiwi supporters after the All Whites World Cup match against Egypt. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
All Whites midfielder Marko Stamenic refuels in a refreshment break. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n