This week we feature Eugene Galekovic in our match day programme, ADLUNITE. To read the full piece, make sure you get a copy at #ADLvNEW!
Iconic Red
Each football club has one talismanic player – a player that does the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the impossible. Everything he does looks effortless and oozes brilliance and almost as if he choses when he lets his opposition get the better of him, never the other way around.
Sometimes these players appear for a while before moving on elsewhere, looking for a new challenge, a new set of supporters to impress and dazzle. Or, they demonstrate their incredibility only for a short period of time before they lose touch with it, but by that stage true football fans can see that they weren’t ever the real deal, merely luck mixed with an extended period of good form.
You see, the authentic marvels of the game personify their football club, they live it, they breathe it, they bleed it. Their presence alone creates a unique aura that transcends well beyond the realms of normality, yet it’s clear that they know their name on the back of the shirt will never be of greater importance than the crest sown deep in the fabric on the front.
Ours joined us in 2007, crossing the boarders from enemy territory. Not much was known of him at the time of his arrival, but he soon made his mark, etching his name into the hearts of every genuine Red with each outrageous goal line save.
His return is imminent, but Eugene Galekovic’s role as a mentor and as the Adelaide United Captain has not changed, despite his six-week absence from the starting XI.
Galekovic elected to have surgery on a long-standing knee issue just after the start of our campaign, but is ready to reclaim the Captain’s armband and lead the Reds from the depths of the Hyundai A-League standings.
“My knee is coming along good,” Galekovic said. “It’s been nearly six weeks and I’ve been doing all my rehabilitation and trying to strengthen it as much as possible, so hopefully it’ll help me continue playing at a high level into the future.
“These things take time and you have to be patient with them. It’s still a bit day-to-day and seeing how it is after training, but I’m at a stage were I’m very confident in it.
“It’s been really frustrating not being involved in our opening games and it’s the first time I’ve not actually played a part for United during a season because of an injury.
“It makes watching the boys much harder, especially considering we’ve been struggling and haven’t been able to secure our first win, so I’m dying to come back and help the team and hopefully get the points that we need.”
The full version of this feature is available exclusively in the ADLUNITE match day programme available at the game between Adelaide United FC and Melbourne City FC.
Adelaide United will face Melbourne City in Round 5 of the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season at Coopers Stadium on Thursday, 5 November 2015. Kick-off is at 7.30 pm.
