He arrived at Dortmund via Bosnia and the US, now Serbia star Subotic is ready to dent Arsenal's Champions League hopes

Neven Subotic never dreamed he would one day play in Europe.

The defender has been a mainstay at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s vibrant Borussia Dortmund side for five years now and has, at one point or another, seemingly been a target for every leading Barclays Premier League club.

He has won two German titles, is a Champions League runner-up and is only 24 years old. But as a teenager in the US, Europe seemed out of reach.



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Case for the defence: Subotic is a mainstay in Dortmund's line-up

‘Back then I would never dream about playing in Germany because it was so far-fetched,’ he says. ‘I remember I had a friend training at Arsenal. He was very good but the way he talked about the kids at Arsenal you would think every kid was almost (Lionel) Messi – “these guys are so strong, you can’t go past them, this guy will tear you apart”. And for me, an American, it was like “wow, these guys are animals, all they do is train”.’

On Wednesday night Arsenal’s stars may well be describing Subotic and his Dortmund team-mates in similar terms. They did, after all, run a collective 11km more than Arsene Wenger’s side during their Champions League clash at the Emirates two weeks ago.

‘We have a tactic that we always try to put on the pitch and we want to fill this tactic with life,’ he says, relaxing in Dortmund’s home dressing room after training. ‘We cannot run like robots so we are just doing our job. Klopp wants us to do our job plus five or 10 per cent more to really do more than the other team.’



Marathon men: Dortmund are renowned for their hard work

Subotic has worked for seven years with Klopp, who signed him for Mainz and then Dortmund in 2008. ‘You go into a room and see people laughing and you know he is in the middle just being himself. He is very friendly, very funny but then as a coach he has that serious side too.

‘He stands out in the way he gets people to want to be on his good side, everybody wants him to be proud of them because he does so much for us. You see him always working and thinking about this tactic and that. He puts a lot of work and effort in and we all try to at least match that, if not top it.’

Klopp has a temper too, as he showed against Napoli in the Champions League last month. ‘He is very emotional because he is very heavily invested in this team. You can tell he cares so much that he acts on it. If something happens to a family member that we care so much about we would cry and for him it is kind of the same thing.’

Mentor: Subotic has worked with Jurgen Klopp for seven years

The spirit in the Dortmund squad is a key reason why Subotic has no desire to leave. ‘Most of us started here at a very young age and grew together,’ he says. ‘It makes it special that I can look at almost anyone in the team and recount 30 times where he saved my butt or I saved his. That is very unique now days and we all see the benefit of it.

‘I wouldn’t move to any other club because I’m still growing with this club at a very great rate where it would be silly for me to go somewhere and try to grow faster with a big chance of then maybe sitting on the bench.’

Subotic’s life has not always been so settled, however.

Nomad: Subotic lived in three countries growing up

Born in the former Yugoslavia, civil war forced his family to move to Germany when he was a child. ‘My mum used to clean in houses or work in an elderly home and my dad was in construction,’ he says, reflecting on of life in Germany. ‘For any Serb or Bosnian coming to Germany this was the only type of work you could get as an immigrant.

‘My dad had been playing soccer in Maribor in Slovenia but had to give that up for our future. My parents worked a lot of hours to help their family back in Bosnia.’

To avoid deportation back to Bosnia, the Subotic family moved to Salt Lake City in America in 1999. A year later, they moved again, this time to Florida as Subotic’s sister Natalija perused a tennis career at the prestigious Nick Bollettieri Academy.

The kids are all right: Subotic in Mozambique this summer, where he has set up a foundation in his name to help impoverished children

Subotic, though, had to do with sub-standard football. ‘It was a joke. You’ve got a kid who probably isn’t good enough to play, but his dad ends up being the coach - because nobody wants to coach - and the kid plays.

‘I used to go out with my dad and just cross, head, run. I’d go out by myself when my dad was working and just set up my cones and dribble through on my own.’

Such dedication eventually paid off as Subotic, out training on his own one day, befriended the coach of the Under 17 national team, who ran a residency program in Florida. He made the grade and was soon touring Europe with the US, where he attracted the attention of an agent and eventually signed for Klopp at Mainz.

International star: Subotic has made 36 appearances for Serbia since making his debut in 2009

Such a diverse background meant Subotic could represent Bosnia, America or Serbia at full international level. ‘I know for some it is difficult to understand why I didn’t continue (with the US),’ he says. ‘In the end what really decided it was that my parents are Serbian and all my family – my cousins, my uncle, my aunt, my grandma – are all Serbs. They live in Bosnia but they cheer for Serbia and now they cheer for me when I play. It was a step back to my roots. It was the only real option.’