For many years, Zdravko Mamić was the first man of Zagreb’s Dinamo and achieved extraordinary results with his work.
However, today he is unwelcome at “Maksimir,” in Zagreb, and throughout Croatia. As a guest on the show “Sve u 16” on K1 television, Mamić told an incredible story from his life. As he claims, a Serb from Banja Luka, whose name he did not want to reveal, helped him when he was having the hardest time – and gave him 22 million marks without a word!
“That is not forgotten. Truly, this is for the Guinness Book of Records, or I don’t know, for Netflix, for some series. I don’t have a single euro, I don’t have an account, but I have an idea. And of course, people’s love has its limits, but this man had never seen me in his life…” – Mamić said.
He added that he found out about the gentleman, the owner of a bank from Banja Luka, and that he announced his visit. “I came with my daughter Iva, she was 26 at the time. When we arrived, I immediately felt that there was something special there. He welcomed me personally, along with the entire bank management. Of course, my football pedigree played a role – let’s not lie: whether they love me or not, they want to meet me. And that is enough for me.”
Mamić then continued:
“I find out that the gentleman is from Mrkonjić Grad, a big businessman, with many businesses in the region and Europe. And, although I had never seen him drink then – because we saw each other many times later – he told me about his plum brandy. The two of us polished off the whole bottle, and I don’t usually drink. At that moment he was building about 3,000 apartments in Banja Luka, his sons were working on those buildings. He immediately called them: ‘Mamić is our guest,’ and called them to come and take pictures. Word for word, I honestly tell him: ‘Listen, I came to ask – is there a chance you can help me? No European bank will give me a single euro of credit. Is there a possibility that you could finance my daughter’s projects?’ And he answers me: ‘I don’t give a f*** about reputational risk. You are my brother. I will give you a loan for whatever you need.’ And the man – in one day – 22 million marks! That was my new beginning.”
Mamić also described the gestures he experienced during the visit:
“One man comes and brings gifts – the host gets up, takes them, and hands them to my daughter. Then a lady comes, brings gifts – he receives them and gives them to me. It’s not a problem for me to open up emotionally when someone gives me such hospitality. During the whole conversation – and I saw this later – the man constantly holds a prayer rope in his hand, 24 hours a day. That meant a lot to me. I believe he is a believer. For me, that is a special dimension. Although, the most important thing is whether you are a human being.”
Then Mamić added:
“I told him: ‘I don’t know what you did to me – you wrecked me.’ When you find yourself in trouble, and someone shows you such love – it’s indescribable. I look at him and say: ‘Listen, I’m naked. I don’t know how to repay you. I have nothing to give. Should I take out a kidney? A heart?’ I take the watch off my hand – an expensive one – and say: ‘I want you to have a memory of me.’ Later, that man comes to Herzegovina to visit my projects – even though he has no time. He gives me – an equally expensive watch. That’s how we left a memory for each other.”
In the end, he concluded:
“I’m sorry that I can’t talk about him by his full name, although many people can guess who it is. There aren’t many people like that. I don’t care about anything – let what I wish for him happen to my children. And what I created with my daughters, thanks in part to him – if he needed it tomorrow – I would sign everything over to him. That’s how much I think about him.”
Source: Nezavisne.com, Photo: Antonio Ahel /ATA Images