The CF Montreal midfielder, Djordje Mihailovic, is now the biggest transfer the team has ever made. As a result, Mihailovic has now earned the right to prepare to make the move to Europe in January for AZ Alkmaar.
Djordje Mihailovic officially moves to AZ Alkmaar
Djordje Mihailovic est vendu au AZ Alkmaar et terminera la saison 2022 avec le CF Montréal >>> https://t.co/v3uosQSxYA
Djordje Mihailovic transferred to AZ Alkmaar, will finish the 2022 season with CF Montréal >>> https://t.co/HqLbyVtGsg#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/Tvk4fVLOGO
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) August 24, 2022
Mihailovic wants to move to Europe
Djordje Mihailovic had one goal when he first started in MLS and that was to make it Europe to play with the best footballers on the planet. This past week the dream came true after a record six million dollar transfer from CF Montreal to the Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
It’s kinda ironic that the week he is transferred the team is preparing to head to the windy city this weekend to face the Chicago Fire the team where it all started for him.
“The transfer was good and it was something we talked about when I came to the club that it was a goal of mine and the coincidence that the next game is at home is good because I will get to see my family.”
Mihailovic on why he chose AZ Alkmaar
👕 𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐣𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭
📝 Maak kans via onderstaande link!#AZ #WelcomeDjordje #DM30
— AZ (@AZAlkmaar) August 25, 2022
Mihailovic was asked why he chose AZ Alkmaar as he had plenty of choices and he elaborated on his reasoning and why it was a good fit.
“AZ has a history of developing young players and helping them reach levels that they couldn’t imagine reaching, I spoke with the technical director and the coach and they have a very similar philosophy to what they are doing here and I thought I filled in well and I felt very comfortable.”
The American spoke about dealing with this kind of situation for the first time in his career and the influence he had coming from his dad.
“There were few clubs for months now and this was a first-time situation for me where I had to deal with these kinda things and I honestly wanted to focus on playing and it took time to discuss potential moves and which ones were right for me and AZ came forward and showed how much they wanted me there.”
He had a lot of admiration for his coach who he says helped him and guided him as much as he could to get him where he is today.
“I would like to thank Will, he was hard on me but he took me under his wing and he knew a perfect balance between when to push and when to support me so coming to Montreal is something I will never regret because it made me take two to three steps in my career”.
Jozy Altidore helped Djordje Mihailovic make his decision
A fellow American who is also close with Mihailovic and played with AZ Alkmaar, Jozy Altidore also helped him make his decision and he spoke about their conversation prior to signing on the dotted line.
“It was a good conversation, he went there after playing at Villareal and that’s kinda where he blew up a little bit and he really showed who he was as a player and the conversations were nothing but positive and it’s an environment where they are going to push you to reach levels.”
As per the transfer agreement, Mihailovic will move to Europe and begin life with his new club as of January 1st, 2023. He has accomplished his dream of making it to Europe, with a bit of help from fellow American Altidore. Mihailovic did a great in getting CF Montreal to where they are this year. One of his greatest attributes is not just scoring goals, but giving his teammates scoring chances to score just like against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Atlanta United FC.
