His name was revealed last week by the president Lucio Fusaro during the press conference to present Matey Kaziyski. “Do you want to know the name of our new opposite?” Fusaro had said: “It begins with Dir and ends with Lic”.
Petar Dirlic is officially a new Allianz Milano player. The Croatian, born in 1997, 205 centimeters tall is thus ready to live his fourth Superlega season after the positive experiences in Vibo and above all with coach Fabio Soli’s Top Volley Cisterna. We catch up with Petar as he is spending a rare moment of rest with his fiancée and family at his home near Split, awaiting his return to training camp with the national team.
Raised in the Mladost Kastela nursery, Petar Dirlic won seven national titles in Croatia and Slovenia, with the Ljubljana shirt he also won three Slovenian Cups and two Mevza Cups. He has already participated in the Champions League, Cev and Challenge Cup. In the last regular season Dirlic scored 409 points, second after Lagumdija and ahead in a podium closed by Kaziyski with 372. He was first for winning attacks (362) and first (non-central) in the ranking of blocks. In short, heavy numbers and there is great expectation for his first season in Allianz Milan. And here are his first words spoken in a discreet Italian.
“Yes, I must say that I feel the responsibility of this career leap – admits Dirlic – Also because Milan played an incredible playoff and we will certainly want to at least repeat the performances of the last championship. The project is ambitious and having brought Kaziyski, the MVP of the Superlega, the first striker in the world to Milan, I think it requires us to do something more than last season”.
What will it be like to play alongside Kaziyski?
“When I started playing my idol was Igor Omrcen, also opposite and Croatian – says Dirlic – But after Omrcen there has always been a player I have admired and it is Kaziyski. Maybe once upon a time I would have been satisfied with taking a picture with him, but now we will play together and I am convinced that I can learn a lot from Kaziyski, also considering his last experience in the opposite role.”
In the team you will play diagonally with a young dribbling talent like Paolo Porro. Brilliance and speed, are these characteristics that can enhance your game like in the last championship, thanks to the balls that came out of the hands of Michele Baranowicz?
“We are waiting for coach Piazza to give all the indications for attack, defense and block.
