Veljko Paunovic describes his life in football as a series of closing circles. As he prepares for his debut as Serbia’s head coach against England at Wembley, he sees the latest arc of his journey coming full circle, connected to a legacy that began with his father.
The new manager recalls the stories of his father, Blagoje, a former Yugoslav international, who often spoke of a famous victory over England in Florence. This Thursday, Paunovic begins his tenure against the same nation, tasked with reviving Serbia’s faltering World Cup qualification campaign. The team sits in a precarious position, needing a result against a formidable English side that defeated them 5-0 in Belgrade just months ago.
“It’s an urgent mission,” Paunovic states, acknowledging the scale of the challenge. With only two group matches remaining, even maximum points may not guarantee automatic qualification, potentially leaving a perilous playoff path. He was appointed suddenly, just weeks after an unexpected dismissal from Spanish club Real Oviedo, where he had recently achieved promotion.
Paunovic’s own playing career was shaped by disruption. He left Serbia as a teenager during the Balkan conflicts, part of a gifted generation of players who scattered across Europe. “We all left,” he reflects. His path took him to clubs in Spain, the United States, Russia, and Germany—a journey he says forged his resilience but one where his potential wasn’t fully realized. He now uses those experiences to guide his players.
“I think I was always a coach,” he says, noting that he began organizing teammates during his playing days. His managerial career ignited with Serbia’s youth teams, most notably leading an under-20 side featuring current senior stars to a dramatic World Cup title in 2015. That triumph, he feels, offered a form of redemption for a generation affected by international sanctions in the 1990s.
Since then, his coaching journey has mirrored his playing days in its globetrotting nature, with spells in the United States, England, and Mexico before his recent stint in Spain. He cites his time at Reading in England’s Championship as a pivotal “epiphany,” a harsh lesson in overcoming adversity that matured his managerial perspective.
Now, he returns to the core of that 2015 generation, players in their prime. “This is the last call, the last opportunity,” he emphasizes. There is no time for a long-term build. The immediate focus is on restoring belief and clarity to a squad he believes possesses a “fertile base.”
Paunovic speaks of fostering the right environment, paying attention to details like the music in the dressing room as an indicator of the team’s spirit. His goal is to liberate his players, to make them believe they can author their own legacy on the pitch at Wembley.
“Few get the chance in life to even see a game at Wembley; others get the chance to play one,” he plans to tell his team. “The people on the pitch can echo, leave a legacy.”
Clasping his hands together, he reflects on the sudden turns of his career, from the pain of leaving Oviedo to the duty of answering his nation’s call. “It’s not in our genes to give up,” Paunovic says, ready to close another circle where it all began—with Serbia facing England, and a father’s story echoing down the years.