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FIFA: Petric sets sights high

/noticias.info/ Mladen Petric is one of a small breed of top-notch strikers in Europe to have proved his pedigree over a number of seasons. The Croatian began his professional career with Swiss outfit FC Baden and was already playing first-team football by the time he was 17. And while the prodigious youngster may have only scored four times in 22 appearances there, his raw potential made observers and opponents sit up and take notice.

It therefore came as no surprise when Petric, born in Dubrave in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina, was poached by leading Swiss side Grasshoppers Zurich after just one season. After two league championships there (2001 and 2003), he moved to FC Basel at the start of the 2004-05 season and rounded off a remarkable first year at the club with a league and cup double.

There have been no shortage of honours in the 27-year-old's career to date, but the 2006-07 season was impressive even by his standards. A persistent ankle injury meant Petric had only 25 starts that term, yet he still finished as the Swiss league's top scorer, finding the net 19 times to pick up the country's Player of the Year award.

Since mid-2007, the Croatian international has been defending the colours of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, where he has wasted little time in establishing himself as top scorer.

A mainstay in the national team for over six years now and highly regarded by current coach Slaven Bilic, Petric made a vital contribution in attack alongside Eduardo in the team's successful qualifying campaign for UEFA EURO 2008.

FIFA.com: Mladen, your 11 goals this season in the Bundesliga means you are currently the third highest scorer in Germany. How do you explain this purple patch?
Mladen Petric: I wouldn't really call it a purple patch. It's more like years of hard work beginning to pay off. I've settled in well at Borussia and am really enjoying life in Dortmund.

You started the season in midfield but are now playing up front. In which position do you feel most comfortable?
I prefer playing as an out-and-out striker. I have never made any secret of that. That's where Thomas Doll is playing me now at Dortmund and that's where I feel I'm at my best.

The strangest incident in your professional career must have been when you saved a penalty for FC Basel in a UEFA Cup tie against Nancy. Do you still have clear memories of that match?
I can't really remember it very well at all. I just know I was in goal from the 93rd minute and that I saved a really important penalty.

In 2001 you opted to play for international football for Croatia rather than Switzerland. What lead to that decision?
It was first and foremost a sporting decision. At the time I had to make up my mind, Switzerland were seldom in contention for major tournaments, whereas Croatia were regular qualifiers.

Croatia looked very impressive in qualifying for EURO 2008. How important has the role of Slaven Bilic been in the team's recent success?
Slaven Bilic has had a massive impact. Not many people thought he could qualify with such a young set of players and hardly any established names. I think he's found an ideal blend of youth and experience.

This summer the European Championship is taking place in Austria and Switzerland. How do you expect the competition to go in your former country of residence?
I am sure we're going to see a superbly-organised tournament in Switzerland. I mean, the Swiss have precision-planning off to a fine art.

And how do you rate the opposition in your group, Germany, Poland and Austria?
Germany are obviously one of the favourites to win the tournament, so Croatia really need to beat Poland and Austria. That'll be a hard job in itself because Poland were fantastic in the qualifying stages and Austria will have home advantage.

How big a blow was it to lose Eduardo to injury in the run-up to EURO 2008?
It is a bitter blow to our country's chances as Eduardo is an unbelievable striker. He scored 11 goals in the qualifying round, so we'll miss him a lot.

Looking further ahead, European qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™ gets underway in September and you have been grouped with England once more. Does facing them again have a special significance, having ended their chances of qualifying for EURO 2008?
Obviously, I'm looking forward to the games against England. I actually would have liked to see them at the EURO 2008 finals but, like everyone else, I had a job to do and my goal at Wembley helped Croatia to qualify.

The other teams in your qualifying section are Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. How do you see the group panning out?
Ukraine and England will be the two toughest teams to beat, but you can't underestimate Kazakhstan. On the whole, I would say we've got a tough group. notas_de_prensa_archivo