It’s an old footballing cliché to say forwards are remembered for the goals they score, yet in particular cases, such sentiment naturally progresses to the extent a strike itself becomes an embodiment of the scorer. There are perhaps few better examples of this manifestation than Ante Budimir’s brace against Valencia CF in an eventual 4-1 victory at Son Moix, just two months prior to Spain entering a state of emergency in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Although the first of his double on the afternoon is rightly overshadowed by the quality of goals which then followed, it does allude to a man who makes the most out of the little he has – an outstretched leg deflected Dani Rodriguez’s low cross wayward past Jaume Doménech. It was his second, however, which truly depicts a player who places the collective above the individual. The clever exchange between Salva Sevilla and Lago Junior is what ultimately earns the effort a place among our contenders for goal of the season, yet the Croatian’s patience, movement and reliance on his team-mates gave him the time and space to register the eighth of his nine strikes so far this term. There’s a brief moment, often missed by the naked eye, before Lago Junior tees Salva Sevilla’s defence-splitting pass, where Budimir shapes up to step in front of the Ivorian, yet suppressing individualistic desires, drags his marker away to receive the later through ball. It comes as little surprise the 28-year-old is level for most assists in the side with Salva Sevilla, Take Kubo, Aleix Febas and Dani Rodriguez all having created three goals each.
In an exclusive interview with Play Red, it’s clear the frontman’s approach on the pitch mirrors his outlook off it.
“We got into this sport because it’s a team sport,” he told Play Red. “You miss the people and you miss your colleagues. I’m doing a lot of individual work, so I’m enjoying things right now, but I miss my guys. I miss spending time with them - this is probably why I didn’t choose to play tennis! I like being in a group and this interaction we have. Now we have that interaction through group training sessions via an online app. We feel closer to our goal and being together. I miss football, but I’m aware this is a global situation and it’s much bigger than football. This is our life, and when we come out onto the pitch in front of a full stadium with our support from the fans, I think it will be hugely emotional and I’m looking forward to that.”
With training and fixtures suspended for the foreseeable future due to government regulations in place to help combat the spread of Covid-19, that hasn’t stopped Budimir from finding innovative ways to improve: “You have to work and you have to be sharp,” he added. “You have to work and it’s easier when you’re healthy and everything is normal on the pitch. Now you can do other things such as mental preparation, visualisation and other things. You can watch and analyse your past games, and see what was good, what wasn’t and what can be better. This can supplement what you don’t have. We can’t work on the pitch on certain things, but you can work on other aspects and try to keep it as high as possible. This is something I’m doing and I try to work on that too.
Much like the togetherness in dressing room, Budimir has been impressed with how society has united in the face of a global pandemic: “The people who are the most responsible in this situation and the people who are on the frontline, I want to give them a big hug and huge thanks because it’s a time when they’re not thinking about themselves but of others. It’s a disease which is killing people, so they’re putting their lives at risk for us and for the health of the community. This is something I really appreciate and everyone appreciates. I’m calling on every body to follow the instructions and remain disciplined. For our fans, I would like to say: up until the break, they’ve been our 12th man. Now here in Spain, they can rest assured we’re doing the best to keep ourselves in good shape so we’re ready for when the season starts again.”
This is an extract taken from the latest edition of RCDMagazine which you can read in English here.
