Ažbe Jug : “A Bordeaux, on m’a jeté à l’eau et j’ai dû apprendre à nager”
For the Metropolitan, Jug from Ažbe, after playing in his country, Slovenia, joined the Girondins de Bordeaux. It was first with the reserve, then he participated in training with the pros, to lead to 4 professional matches, in four years. The porter, now in Maribor, looks back on his French adventure.
“The move to Ljubljana was not a problem for me, to be honest. Anyway, I went home at the weekend, and during the week I stayed in a dormitory in Šiška. Of course, I had to become independent, but it was great preparation for what was to come. When I went abroad, I was actually prepared for a life so far from home. I look at my stay abroad from several different angles. Above all, Bordeaux was a great life experience and a test for me. They threw me in the water and I had to learn to swim. Among other things, I had to learn the French language very quickly. We don’t say that we become French for nothing… No one wanted to speak to me in English, so the first task was crystal clear: learn a new language. Then it was easier”.
All was obviously not rosy.
“While I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad time, there have of course been a bit more difficult things. If I remember correctly today, the hardest thing for me was that my girlfriend, who is now my wife, and I didn’t see each other much. I went to play football in France, she stayed in Slovenia to study. I missed my family too, but of course we talked to each other regularly on the Internet, so it was easier. The people closest to me were always there for me, to support me. Even though they were far from me, I felt their support. That’s why I say that I have almost no bad experience from my first experience abroad, even though I was really very young. »
And in addition to football, if he knows how to cook today, it’s thanks to France…
“Thanks to my stay in France, I dare say that I am a fairly good cook today. On the other hand, I have never tried snails in France. It would be a bit too much for me (laughs).