Mladen Ramljak was a Croatian footballer who died in a road accident near Novska in 1978. Dinamo Zagreb hosts an international memorial tournament in his honor each year, which is one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in Europe today.
From August 9-12, Maksimir stadium will host a new edition of the Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament for players up to 19 years of age, reports Goal.hr on August 8, 2018.
Competing with Dinamo is Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Zaglebie Lubin, Copenhagen, Maribor, the U-19 Croatia national team, and Feyenoord, who arrived in Zagreb with the legendary footballer Dirk Kuyt (38).
The Dutchman, who played for Utrecht, Feyenoord, Liverpool, and Fenerbahce, started his coaching career with the youth category of the Dutch champion.
“I’m happy to be back in Croatia, we started preparations two weeks ago, they only played one game, so now we are ready for a very interesting tournament. For now, we are enjoying Zagreb, we are delighted with the hotel, the food, and all the conditions, and we are happy that we will compete here with exceptionally high-quality teams,” said Dirk Kuyt, and continued:
“The World Cup? Croatia did a great job at the tournament, it was nice to see how your players fought for the national team. They did not give up at one point, they played the most minutes in Russia, and in the end probably deserved a little more. Nevertheless, France is a great team, and you have to be aware of how great a thing it is for a national team to reach the World Cup final, it’s a miraculous success.”
The Dutch legend immediately gave his opinion on Dejan Lovren:
“Lovren is a great guy, I played for Liverpool for six years, I’m a big fan of that club, and I’ll be watching them all my life. I’m watching him on social networks, I saw he finally joined the team preparations, and I believe he will have a great season. Dejan played an excellent World Cup and played at the top level, and I’m sure Liverpool this season can make a big step forward. And they’re opening against Manchester City to fight for the title of the Champion.”
Kuyt continued:
“I’ve experienced something similar with Feyenoord, we won the title after 18 years and I believe Liverpool will do it after 29 years. Lovren will be an important part of Liverpool this year and I believe that this year’s title will finally land on Anfield. Liverpool fans love Lovren, I also appreciate him, and with my friend Van Dijk, they are a great defensive tandem.”
Mateo Kovačić is getting closer to Chelsea, do you think this is a good move for such a young player?
“Kovačić is a great player, I know how he feels. It’s hard to be patient once, everybody always wants to play, and I was that type of player – I always wanted more time, I had to play in continuity to be better. Real is one of the best clubs in the world, but Chelsea is also a European giant. There is a new team there now, in front of him is a great opportunity to prove himself if he ends up at Chelsea. Kovačić is a great player.”
And can Luka Modrić win the Ballon d’Or?
“Modrić has a brilliant season behind him at Real, and then he delighted everyone all over again at the World Cup in Russia. There is no doubt, he is the world’s best midfielder for me, but I am particularly impressed by his character. That situation when he failed to score a penalty against Denmark and went to shoot the penalty again in the shootout and then scored it. Such things can only be done by great players. I wish him all the luck in the Ballon d’Or fight, but that decision is not up to me,” Kuyt concluded.
