Former Atletico Madrid stalwart opens up on 2024 exit | OneFootball

Last summer, Stefan Savic ended his stay at Atletico Madrid. Having joined the club back in 2015, he departed after nine years for Trabzonspor, who picked him up on a free transfer.

As per Relevo, Savic opened up on his departure, which he admitted to finding tough to come to a definitive decision.

“It was not an easy decision. It was difficult for me, it was difficult for me to decide. After almost 10 years at the club… Also right now I am not alone in that decision, I have a family, a wife, a one-year-old girl… It was a difficult decision because of the emotions, for many reasons, but correct, good. Every player has to know when it’s time to switch. And I saw that I had reached this point, that the best thing for everyone was for me to change the club, although I had one more year left on my contract.”

Savic also revealed the reasons why he and Atleti came to the decision to end his stay one year early.

“It wasn’t because of performance. In my last season I had the problem of pubalgia (groin pain), which had a lot of pain, although it was not the first time it happened to me. I don’t know, that’s coming to you, there’s not a single reason you say ‘now I have to change’. We have reached the point that I see that I also need a change. Talking to the coach I see that it is probably the right time. When I spoke to the club or the coach I always said ‘that time will come’. And when it comes, I want us to talk and agree. If I have to continue or I have to leave. And we had that talk, especially the coach and I, before the end of the championship. And when I see that someone is not 100% convinced that I have to continue, and I don’t feel 100% that I should continue either, that’s the moment when you have to take a step and make the decision.”