Ettore Messina, ahead of the 13th round EuroLeague game in which Partizan hosts Milano, gave an interview for Sport Klub.
As a reminder, the Italian expert recently extended his contract with Milano until the summer of 2026.
“Milano is led by very special people, who primarily run one of the world’s largest fashion companies. This is not just for me but also applies to the players. In a year where we suffer a lot due to injuries, due to some bad decisions, which can happen in life, of course, we lose games that we could have won,” said Ettore Messina, then added:
“I think there is a sense of perspective that they want us all to feel so that we can have a bad series, but in the long run, some things are not forgotten. Trust will be good in the future. It has nothing to do with me, but with the whole group. I am happy and satisfied, this usually doesn’t happen in sports.”
The “Fashion Men” seek a way out of their performance crisis against Partizan in the Stark Arena.
“It will be a tough game, it always is. When you lose a game like we did against Bayern, you are frustrated and sad. We had the game in our hands and managed to lose it in such a way.”
This will be the 31st time that Ettore Messina faces Zeljko Obradovic.
“We have met many times, both of us have long and successful careers. I have the utmost respect for Zeljko Obradovic, not only as a coach but also as a person. It’s a pleasure, a challenge, and a special moment when we meet on the court. My teams have exceptionally good results against his in the regular season, but he is the one winning finals. Those wins in the regular season don’t mean much in the end.”
The celebrated Italian strategist won’t be able to count on the injured Nikola Mirotic. In the conversation about the Montenegrin basketball player, Messina also responded to whether he had talked to him about alleged calls from politics and the church that reportedly prevented his arrival at Partizan.
“Unfortunately, he may be off the court for a longer period. I haven’t had conversations with him on that topic, I didn’t want to get involved in that (the reasons for not coming to Partizan). When we got the information that he was available and not coming to Partizan, we tried to sign him like other teams. That’s it. Remember, I put him in the starting five of Real Madrid when he was 19 years old. I have an important relationship with him that has been going on since that time.”
