Ivan Ćurković (foto: uradna spletna stran kluba)
Ivan Ćurković's legendary status at Saint-Etienne is celebrated as he visits his former club and participates in a documentary, showcasing the deep respect and admiration still held for him in France.
Ivan Ćurković (80) has long since ended his football career. His journey took him from Velež, through Partizan, to the French Saint-Etienne, where he became a football icon. He played more than 300 matches.
Officially, the best goalkeeper in the history of this club. He is one of the greatest players ever. The Partizan delegation, which was in France with the youth team for a tournament, had the opportunity to see how much Ćurković is valued. Everywhere he goes, he is showered with attention.
"Saint-Etienne is my city, and I have many friends there. The current president, Roland Romeyer, took over the club about twenty years ago, and we have become close friends over those two decades. Whenever I'm in town, we always meet. I visit him at the stadium, and we talk about various topics, and of course, one of them is Partizan. In this French club, they know everything about us, follow the events, and always ask me what's new when I come. After all, the club's president and I watched the match between Partizan and Saint-Etienne together, even performed the kickoff, and we enjoyed watching the youth teams of the two teams play," says Ćurković.
The relationship between the two clubs is so good that, according to Ćurković, it wouldn't be a surprise if a friendly match between Saint-Etienne and Partizan is played in the near future.
"That option is always open. We constantly talk about it. The idea isn't problematic, the only issue is finding a suitable date that would work for everyone. Saint-Etienne is a small town with about 25,000 inhabitants, the club plays in the second league, and has sold 35,000 season tickets, so a match against Partizan would be a big deal for them."
Ivan Ćurković's latest stay in France was also used for the filming of a documentary about Saint-Etienne.
"It's a film about Saint-Etienne and all its successes, and we had a shooting day over the weekend. We talked about everything, mostly about the club's results from the 1970s when we managed to reach the semi-finals and then the finals of the European Cup. We touched on many topics, and I believe the final product will be good and interesting," highlighted Ćurković.