Dejan Kulusevski has had the privilege of learning from some of football’s finest talents throughout his career. The 24-year-old’s experience with past teammates includes playing alongside Zlatan Ibrahimović with the Swedish national team and sharing the field with Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur. During his tenure with Juventus, Kulusevski worked alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Although their partnership only lasted a single season, it provided Kulusevski ample opportunity to observe and absorb insights from the Portuguese star.
Ronaldo imparted advice that initially puzzled the young Kulusevski but eventually became clear. Kulusevski reflected on this during a press conference for Sweden, as reported by Fotboll Skanalen.
Dejan Kulusevski said, “To not be satisfied with being good, but to be the best every day. That’s the only thing that matters. As hard as it is to try to be the best. I think that you learn over time, that you begin to understand much more about how the world and the brain work. You can’t be 17 and know everything. Yes, I always change. I’m starting to get to know my body. When I was younger, I didn’t understand when [Cristiano] Ronaldo told me: ‘You will get to know your body’. Because I didn’t know my body then. So I feel like everything is getting easier. I know how to train the day before a match, two days before a match, what to do when I’m tired and so on. All the little details that in the end make a big difference.”
Kulusevski’s efforts are now evident on the pitch for Tottenham. He plays a critical role in manager Ange Postecoglou’s midfield trio, delivering stellar performances in the early season. One of his standout moments came during Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United, where Kulusevski showcased his skills by creating nine chances and demonstrating his dominance.
Reflecting on the match, Kulusevski described his approach and growth:
Dejan Kulusevski said, “It [being a protagonist] came out in that match, but I have worked incredibly hard to be able to play at that level. I’m not shocked. I’ve just been waiting for it. Every match has felt good, but that one was perhaps extra good. I want to try to maximize this career as much as possible and never be one of the crowd. It has been the whole season. I really feel that I am stronger mentally and physically this season. I have changed the ‘mindset’ a bit. I think that is to my advantage. I have grown off the pitch as well. I think I take a lot more responsibility defensively now. Maybe it was difficult to put me as ‘ten’ or ‘eight’, as I even played in Tottenham recently, before. That would never have happened a few years ago. As a young person, you don’t think it’s important to defend. But today I know that it is at least as important to defend as to attack.”
