Mirotic: “I always try to be myself, but taking the best from other people"

Nikola Mirotic is ambitious and excited ahead of the upcoming season. The new FC Barcelona signing was the subject of a special programme, called ‘Benvingut: Nikola Mirotic’, on Barça TV this week, in which he looked back on his professional career so far. Here are some of the most interesting quotes that the power forward provided:

His start in basketball

"Initially, I played football from the age of 6 until I was 13, with my brother. However, when I started to grow taller, a cousin of mine told me that I had to try basketball. I told him: 'Football is my thing.' Nevertheless, one day I went to a training session, it went well and I decided to switch from football to basketball."

Early heroes

"People who went to the USA and played in the NBA: Predrag Stojaković, Vlade Divac… But when I began to be around professional players I looked up to Dirk Nowitzki. He was a player who stood out in Europe, the USA and with his national team. I played against him one day, and it was a dream come true."

Pau Gasol

"Pau was a very important player in my development in the NBA, above all because I didn't know much about things. He was always the one who guided me, who told me what to do in the NBA. Above all, he helped me to be patient, because I'm very ambitious and I already wanted to play and be the best on Day 1."

NBA

"It was a dream come true for me. I wanted to be there, I wanted to compete in the best league in the world, and I wanted to be amongst the best players. I didn't want to be one of those who never made the move. The experience made me improve individually. It was a good experience that lasted 5 years."

Deciding to sign for Barça

"The first thing that I was looking for was stability for my family. I've changed teams several times recently, and moving so often makes it difficult for both a player and his family to adapt. I also missed winning, because where I was there was only one title, whilst here you have the Liga Endesa, the Euroleague, the Copa del Rey..."

Goals

"The Final Four would be a clear objective for me. I think that the team deserve to be there. The league is another goal. Both of these competitions are the two most important for my first season, but we have to take things step-by-step."

Language barriers

"Languages were never a problem for me. I speak Spanish, Serbian and English. Now I'll have to learn Catalan; it's another language, but why not?"

The magic of the Palau

"For me personally, my first game at the Palau is going to be very special. The only thing that will be in my mind is winning. I ask that the fans come along to support us, so that they see that FC Barcelona are taking things very seriously this year."

The role played by his family

"I've received a lot of affection from the club and from my family. My son was keen to stay in one place and not move around any more. He also asked me about the weather here, and when I told him, he said: 'We'll, let's go to Barcelona.' The food and the lifestyle are very good here, it's my wife's favourite city and she was the happiest of all of us when I told her about the option of living in Barcelona."

His winning, ambitious character

"We players will do what is necessary for the team to have success. We are real warriors and we like to do the impossible, win and make history. I always try to be myself, but trying to take the best from others."