The 29-year-old has been experiencing a new adventure since the summer: The ex-Rieder is playing in Dubai at the Al Ittihad Kalba Sports Club in the highest league in the United Arab Emirates. In an interview with the OÖNachrichten, Zulj spoke about the kick in the desert, Christmas trees in Dubai and a possible return to Germany.
OÖNachrichten: Boxing Day is known from England – but you too were on the ball on Boxing Day.
Robert Zulj: We defeated the Second Al-Wahda 2-1. We have a block with a lot of games right now. The next game will be on December 31st, and then the games will continue on January 3rd and 8th.
That wasn’t the only reason your Christmas party was different than usual, was it?
Christmas is the best time of the year for me. Usually we are at home in Upper Austria and the whole family comes together. This year, not only was I missing, but also my brother Peter, who also had a game on December 25th (note: 0-0 with Istanbul Basaksehir at Trabzonspor). Fortunately, the parents are not angry with us. I celebrated on a small scale with my wife in our apartment in Dubai. Christmas is not that popular in the United Arab Emirates because almost exclusively Muslims live here. But I’ve still seen one or two Christmas trees in the huge shopping malls.
How do you look back on your first half of the year in Dubai in general?
In the beginning it was of course a huge change, but now my wife and I are doing very well. This is my first real time abroad, the culture is completely different, the weather is different, and football is also very different from that in Europe. The people are very religious, it is a safe country and everything is very clean. You could learn a lot from Dubai.
Such as the Corona vaccination quota …
95 percent of the people are vaccinated. Four months ago, my wife and I also had Corona. I lay there for five to six days and it took me a few weeks to get back on track.
Why did you decide to step into the desert?
When I was still playing at Union Berlin in 2019, I had a similar offer. Back then I wanted to prove myself in Germany. But I swore to myself that next time I would think twice. In the summer it was that time again: It is a blatant life experience that I don’t want to miss. I definitely don’t regret the move.
What are the big differences from a footballing point of view?
You can’t compare the level here with Germany, of course. Football doesn’t have that status. Above all, the conditions were a huge change for me: from summer to the beginning of November we only trained at eight or nine in the evening because the temperatures wouldn’t allow it any other way. If you’re in the sun in the afternoon, you can take a shower after a minute. It’s not as easy as everyone thinks to play football here either. It’s not like I’m playing with ten blind people.
Nobody can take this experience away from you – but wouldn’t returning to a European professional league be twice as difficult now?
It would certainly take a couple of weeks to adjust again, but I didn’t take a six-month vacation and just put my legs up. I’m too ambitious for that.
Recently there were rumors of a possible return to Germany. Your ex-club Bochum was mentioned again and again.
Should Bochum get in touch in winter, we’ll see what happens. There are also other interested parties. But as I said: I like it here very much. Dubai is a city with incredible opportunities.
The New Year’s Eve celebrations are certainly special in Dubai – are you looking forward to it?
We’re playing away on December 31st, let’s see if I can get back to Dubai at all. From what I’ve heard, all streets in Dubai will be closed from 4 p.m., everyone wants to be in the city that day.
Source: Nachrichten
