In the academy of Werder Bremen, twins Jug and Vid Sekulić are coming of age. Although they are on the radar of the German national selection, they decided to play for Serbia – in a story where football, family, and identity intertwine.
Twins Jug and Vid Sekulić have been training at Werder Bremen for years, but recently they also took their first steps in the Serbian jersey. For them, the choice of a national team is not just a sporting decision, but a story of origin, family, and a love for football that is more than a game to them.
Tall and strong for their age, Jug and Vid Sekulić leave the impression of guys who manage more naturally on the pitch than in a conversation in Serbian. Football comes more fluently to them than the language, that is for sure, but it is not unusual for boys who grew up in Germany.
There is family heritage in it as well. Their father Aleksandar played football in the lower German leagues, which is enough to pass the basics of the game and the habit of hard work onto his sons.
German media have already noticed them, not in a sensationalist tone about wunderkinds, but as young Serbian national team players and footballers with obvious talent.
The path from Bremen to the Serbian jersey
In the broader story of identity, roots, and sports, there are boys who are just entering the world of serious football – Jug and Vid Sekulić, born in 2010. They took their first steps on the pitch as early as six years old, and today they wear the jersey of Werder Bremen, with whom they have a contract until 2027.
“Our father is our greatest support. We started training at six years old, and we have been at Werder since 2022,” stated Jug.
Although they are on the broader list of the German under-16 selection, in a conversation for the RTS Internet portal, the twin brothers say it was not difficult for them to decide whose jersey they would wear.
The decision of young players like Jug and Vid Sekulić is rarely just a sporting one. It is also familial, emotional, and a matter of identity. For the Sekulić brothers, the question of the national team is not just a career question, but a story of origin, family, the language spoken at home, and the matches followed on television.
“In conversation with our parents, we reached the final decision to play for Serbia,” the twins state briefly.
The Sekulić brothers recently played in the Serbian jersey in a friendly match for players under 16 against Montenegro. Serbia was defeated in Podgorica by a score of 2:1, and both received the opportunity to record minutes in the jersey of the young selection.
“It was nice, the organization was exceptionally good. We visited the Ostrog Monastery, we liked the experience there, we would love to visit it again. We could have beaten Montenegro, but we didn’t play very well. The selector got angry (Radovan Krivokapić, editor’s note) and said we have to do better,” stated the Sekulić brothers.
The next challenge for the Serbian under-16 national team awaits as early as May, when they will play a friendly encounter with Montenegro in Belgrade, followed by the start of the European Championship qualifiers.
The German system and the Serbian style
In the German system of youth football, discipline and structure are taken for granted, and it is precisely in such an environment that Jug and Vid have been building their football steps for years. As twins, they are used to sharing the pitch, the locker room, and a competitive instinct.
Jug is a defender, and Vid plays in the midfield, but they are united by the same thing, which is the feeling that football is more than a game.
The twins currently attend the ninth grade in Germany. Their day begins at seven in the morning, they are in school until 1 p.m., after which they finish their school obligations and then go to training at 5 p.m., where they stay until 7 p.m. They train four times a week.
“The coaches are satisfied with our play. Every three months we talk with the head coach and he points out to us what we could improve in our game. First he talks with us, and then with our parents in our presence,” Vid Sekulić points out.
The young footballers state in the conversation for RTS that there is a difference in the system of play in Germany and in Serbia.
“In Germany, they insist that we play forward, that is their ‘thing,’ while in Serbia more attention is paid to technical details and playing with the ball. In Germany, it is also physically more demanding to play,” Jug Sekulić noticed.
Vidić, Rodri, and the love for Red Star
The greatest football stories most often begin on the pitches of youth centers, but with an eye on already recognized players.
“My favorite player is Nemanja Vidić. Aggressiveness, calmness, and physical strength attracted me. He is my role model and I want to play like him,” emphasizes Vid Sekulić.
Jug, in accordance with his position, states that Rodri is the footballer he looks up to.
“Rodri from City… from him I learn how to move on the pitch, how to look over my shoulder, how to play with the ball and follow the movement of other players,” added Jug.
The young footballers also point out that, besides matches in the highest quality leagues of Europe and the world, they also follow the matches of Red Star, which is their favorite club in Serbia.
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Source: RTS; Photo: RTS