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The former Yugoslavia international was flying high after finishing second in the Ballon d’Or vote, but says he made the wrong career decision.
Former European Golden Shoe winner Darko Pancev has confessed that his biggest professional regret is joining Inter in 1992.
In 1991, the Yugoslavia international was flying high, having won the European Golden Boot with the Red Star from Belgrade and finished second in the Ballon d’Or vote behind Jean-Pierre Papin.
Pancev’s form earned him a transfer to Inter when he entered his prime at age 27. But the move didn’t work as Pancev struggled at San Siro, eventually joining VfB Leipzig on loan in 1993 before sealing a permanent transfer to Fortuna Dusseldorf in 1995.
Pancev has regretted his move to Italy, saying he should have joined a different side by sparking the interest of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
“My biggest mistake was joining Inter,” said Pancev. objective. “Because I went to a team that had a bad environment, a team that played defense and as a stranger, they looked at me differently and I think they didn’t support me enough to adapt easily.”
“But the mistake is mine, because I could have gone to teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United, who were watching me during that period.”
Pancev, who would also play for Macedonia internationally after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, said the Italian press did not help matters during his time with Inter.
“Yes, absolutely,” he said when asked if the Italian media was too harsh on him. “It is not a pleasant thing, but I will repeat again, looking back today it is clear to me that their journalists will protect Inter instead of me. And I was a victim of the whole game.”
Having been a prolific scorer in his day, Pancev has stated that two legendary scorers in the current era, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, may not have experienced the same level of success if they had played in the 1980s and 1990s, when he says The strikers were not so protected.
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“Ronaldo is a bigger scorer than Messi, and on the other hand, Messi is more creative, with a broader sense in a game,” Pancev said when asked to compare the two.
“Everyone who has followed soccer in the last 20 to 30 years can clearly recognize the difference, and note that in my time until 2005 I would say that the players were not as protected, they were tested,” Pancev continued.
“Today, playing in the front is a great satisfaction, because the way of defending has changed. Duels are less difficult, the penalty area is more closely watched and goals are easier to score.”
