{"id":297243,"date":"2016-05-27T20:45:53","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T17:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paokfc.gr\/?p=297243"},"modified":"2016-05-28T12:17:12","modified_gmt":"2016-05-28T09:17:12","slug":"life-story-of-gojko-cimirot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paokfc.gr\/en\/news\/life-story-of-gojko-cimirot\/","title":{"rendered":"Life story of Gojko Cimirot"},"content":{"rendered":"

He realized it early on and had the ability to achieve his goal. He did it his way, based on the principles conveyed by his parents. Radoslav and Milica still reside in the small Bosnian town and are proud of their son.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways be true to yourself, don\u2019t be arrogant, show respect and never forget your family\u201d, his parents told him when he was a child. He follows their advice to the letter. Cojko Cimirot<\/strong> is one of the nicest guys in PAOK\u2019s dressing room.<\/p>\n

Always smiling, eager to listen, to learn, to help, to evolve as a footballer and as a person. Igor Tudor<\/strong> was a fatherly figure at the start of the season, as the young player embarked on his first journey away from Bosnia. The Croatian coach was very satisfied with Cimirot\u2019s response.<\/p>\n

He had to work hard to recover from an injury and to shake off 2-3 kilos from his body, while also getting accustomed to different, more advanced training circumstances.<\/p>\n

Cutting school<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"lt_cimirot_inblog_1\"<\/a>\n

Next challenge for the 11888 MVP of December? To learn English in order to communicate with his teammates. Studying is not his strong suit however. \u201cI was a good student, until football took centre stage in my life. I didn\u2019t pay any attention to school afterwards\u201d, he says to Toumba Magazine.<\/p>\n

This shift happened at the age of 12. After spending five years at the academies of Leotar and having his elder brother and teammate Milorad as role model, Gojko started envisioning his life and future around football. At the same time, he stopped caring about homework.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked school, geography in particular, but I loved football more\u201d. He would also cut classes \u2013the only mischief that a quiet boy like Gojko introduced in his program. \u201cWe would learn when there was a test coming up and we would cut school with my friends\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a small society like Trebinje, where most people know each other, it was difficult for a bunch of youngsters to hide while roaming around at school hours. So his father and mother would learn that their child was not at school, but Gojko had a solid alibi: \u201cOne of my coaches at Leotar liked me and believed in my talent. So he would cover for me and tell my parents that I skipped school for a special training with him\u201d. And his parents would pretend they were convinced, hoping deep inside that these\u2026 special trainings would eventually bear fruit.<\/p>\n

First transfer<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"lt_cimirot_inblog_3\"<\/a>\n

Their hopes were well founded. Before his 17th birthday or even finishing high school, young Cimirot made his debut in Leotar\u2019s senior team. Always by his brother\u2019s side. \u201cI remember my legs shaking. A few minutes later however, I forgot everything and felt as though I was playing with my friends\u201d.<\/p>\n

His ease on the football pitch made him a regular at Leotar and Trebinje was becoming too small for him. He moved to Sarajevo, to the country\u2019s biggest club. His talent got the space to evolve further, thanks to the free role he was given in midfield.<\/p>\n

As a modern box-to-box midfielder and having lined up good performances in Sarajevo\u2019s European encounters, he soon earned a call at the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He met all the stars but was flabbergasted by Edin D\u017eeko.<\/p>\n

PAOK and the other offers<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"lt_cimirot_inblog_2\"<\/a>\n

Young, talented, Bosnian and international are player qualities that lure every agent. The stands in Sarajevo\u2019s game hosted several agents who wanted to check Cimirot up close and see for themselves the player that topped every ergometric test with his uncanny endurance and aerobic ability. LOSC Lille, Hamburger SV, FC Basel, Crvena Zvezda, KRC Genk and Freiburg all made an effort to sign him.<\/p>\n

After a one-month saga, Cimirot opted for PAOK. \u201cIt was a difficult period for me\u201d, he explains. \u201cI had many offers and that wasn\u2019t easy for me or satisfying. There was too much stress. I joined PAOK because I considered it the best option for me to evolve as a player and to launch my career. It was my decision. My parents supported me, but I am old enough to take responsibility of my choices\u201d.<\/p>\n

This demure stance is trademark of his character and his everyday life at PAOK. He follows his program faithfully, he spends most of his time with his girlfriend and his friends \u2013mostly Marin Leovac<\/strong> and Giannis Mystakidis<\/strong>-, but he snobs Thessaloniki\u2019s nightlife.<\/p>\n

He knows that, in order to have a great career, he needs to adjust his life accordingly. Otherwise, he would have remained at Trebinje\u2026<\/p>\n