Dejan Ljubičić on swapping shirts with big names, saunas and ice baths and a long-awaited reunion

One espresso later and Dejan Ljubičić is ready to go – he’s made a habit of having one after a meal. On a glorious day in the Stubaital, he takes a seat on the terrace of team hotel ELVA, coffee in hand, and begins to talk. At that stage, he has no idea that another Austrian, Maximilian Wöber, will become his Schalke teammate the following day. Another of his Austrian teammates comes up later in the interview…

Dejan, you’ve had quite a summer. So let’s start with the simple but important question: how does it feel to be back with Schalke?
I feel good and I’m happy to be here with the team. I really missed being around the group and the day-to-day routine. After having some time off following the World Cup, I’m now gradually stepping things up again.

Before we talk about being back here and look ahead, tell us how your World Cup call-up came about.
I was on holiday in Split with my friends. On the day I got the call, I slept until around 10am. When I woke up, I already had two messages on my phone from players in the Austria squad. Then I saw I had a missed call from Ralf Rangnick. I called him back and everything happened very quickly after that. I travelled from Split to the ÖFB Campus in Vienna, packed everything I needed there and then flew on to Los Angeles.

Which of the Austria players had already been in touch?
Kevin Danso from Tottenham and Saša Kalajdžić from Wolverhampton. They both messaged me straight away to say they were looking forward to seeing me. I ended up spending most of my time in the US with Saša.

What did you get up to in your spare time in the States?
We usually trained in the morning and had a few afternoons off. So I went into Los Angeles a couple of times and explored the city. I used to play Grand Theft Auto V, so some parts already looked familiar. (laughs)

For Austrian fans, the most emotional moment of the World Cup was probably the final group game against Algeria. You looked to be heading out in stoppage time before securing qualification right at the death.
It really was incredibly emotional. For the last 20 minutes against Algeria, neither side really wanted to take any risks because a draw would have sent both teams through. Then Algeria scored and it felt like we were already out. But Saša Kalajdžić came off the bench and made it 3-3, and then it was pure ecstasy. We were absolutely delighted and celebrated in the dressing room and again on the bus.

You were one of the first players to reach Saša Kalajdžić after the goal. What did you say to him?
I’d told him before the game that he was going to score the crucial goal, so I reminded him of that. (grins)

You then lost 3-0 to eventual champions Spain in the round of 32. Does the fact they went on to win the tournament make the disappointment of going out any easier to take?
Spain played outstanding football. They barely made a mistake against us and fully deserved to win the World Cup. After our game, I knew there was really only one team that could stop them, and that was themselves.

You mentioned when speaking to the media that you managed to get Alexis Mac Allister’s shirt at the World Cup. Did you pick up any other special shirts?
Yes, I also got Dani Olmo’s shirt. He speaks Croatian, like I do, and he also played for Dinamo Zagreb.

Where have you put the two shirts?
They’re both at my parents’ place in Vienna, where I keep all my shirts. I’ve got one from Kylian Mbappé there too, among others.

Let’s come back to Schalke. You said earlier that you’d missed the day-to-day routine. What exactly did you mean by that?
I just missed having that structure to my day. Here at the training camp, or back in Gelsenkirchen, you know exactly what the day looks like, when the next session is and which opponent you’re preparing for.

You joined up with the squad for pre-season here at the training camp after the World Cup. How are the legs feeling after the first few sessions?
My legs were burning after the very first session. (laughs) I knew straight away that I still had a bit of work to do. But that’s completely normal. I’ve been through enough pre-seasons in my career to know that.

What works best for you when it comes to recovering after a hard day’s training?
Junior Adamu and I have already been in the sauna in the evenings and then gone straight into an ice bath. That always does me the world of good.

You mentioned new signing Junior Adamu. When he joined, he revealed that you’d messaged him quite a few times beforehand. What were you telling him?
He’d been calling me quite regularly since last winter to ask what Schalke was like. I was still new myself, but I felt at home here straight away. So I told him how much I was enjoying it at Schalke, and I’m really happy he’s here now. He’s a great guy and always so positive.

How do you two know each other?
We know each other through the Austria national team and have always got on really well. Now we’re even sharing an apartment here.

Which of you is up first here?
We actually decide the night before who’s going to wake the other one up. This morning, Junior woke me up.

And which of you takes longer in the bathroom?
I’d say Junior.

Are there any Austrian specialities you still want to have before heading back to Gelsenkirchen with the team?
Kaiserschmarrn, Sachertorte and Wiener Schnitzel with potato salad – I had all of those with my family in Vienna before coming to the Stubaital. So I’ve already had all my favourites. But if any of the lads fancy having them again, I’m happy to join them.

You’ve said you want at least as many goal contributions in the Bundesliga next season as you managed in the second half of last season. Where would you most like to play to make that happen?
I can play a number of different roles and in several positions. I’ll speak to the coach about that and we’ll see where he sees me. I’m completely open. I’ll give absolutely everything wherever I play.

You know both the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. What would you say are the biggest differences?
Teams read the game much better in the Bundesliga and are usually very good at shifting across as a unit and then stepping in to win the ball at the right moment. In the 2. Bundesliga, games tend to be a bit more open and unpredictable.

What are your aims with Schalke in the Bundesliga?
As well as establishing ourselves in the Bundesliga, I want us to have the same positive feeling we had during my first six months at Schalke. We lost my first game against Bochum in January, but there was no negativity afterwards. We want to keep that mentality, and the coaching staff are doing a really good job in that respect.

Matchday 7 will take you back to Cologne. How much are you looking forward to facing your former club again?
There have already been a few cheeky messages going back and forth with people in Cologne. (laughs) There’s no doubt that game will be a special one for me. And of course I’m really looking forward to my first derby as well. Those are the two fixtures that will have that little bit extra for me.