It's nice to be champions, but... it's nothing special to win the title with Dinamo, jokingly highlighted Maksimir coach Mario Kovačević in a celebratory tone to journalists immediately after the 2-1 victory against Varaždin, which marked a celebratory Sunday evening in which the club, alongside its 115th anniversary, also celebrated a new championship title. Dinamo mathematically secured its 26th title in independent Croatia this Sunday, and 36th overall.

– I've done harder things in life, Dinamo is used to winning championships anyway. Before the season we changed many players, many who had previously won championships left. We arranged everything well in time. Maybe too well... Nobody expected that we would, here we are, secure the title four rounds before the end. I thank the people who gave me the opportunity, I thank my coaching staff who did the biggest job and, of course, the players who deserve it most because they are the ones who do everything on the pitch. We did particularly well in this spring part. Our fans had something to see, many beautiful goals. We wanted to round off this atmosphere in a celebratory way, we knew even before the start of the match that we had secured the title, but we also won this match against a tough team like Varaždin – added coach Kovačević.

The Maksimir strategist has faced doubts from parts of the public since the beginning of the season.

– Well, I'm constantly under some doubts, I remember when I entered the first league with Varaždin... And I've won every league I've competed in. I didn't doubt this team, I knew it would take time to arrange everything as we wanted. And the team believed in me too, if there had been anyone who felt differently, we wouldn't have been able to achieve this. Thanks to the people who gave me that time. I do my job the best I know how, I wasn't in panic... And I thank you all. Wherever I've gone I've achieved more than was required. Maybe it's a joke when I say "it's nothing special to be champions with Dinamo", here at the club there are wonderful people, everyone who works here, everyone has helped me from day one, I'm happy and satisfied because of that. I also thank you, criticism gives me strength to work even better. Look, we have five, six players with the best statistics. I don't remember when Josip Mišić had such numbers. And Luka Stojković, Miha Zajc... In all clubs I've extracted the maximum from my players. In this spring part we played particularly well. It wasn't easy, there are many new players. But I'm glad that many things we insisted on are visible on the pitch. Everything I do is for the players, I want them to enjoy themselves on the pitch.

The turning point of the season?

– I have the feeling that I was somehow a burden from day one, and we started excellently, in the first five rounds we won 13 points, we didn't even concede a goal. In the first two rounds of the Europa League we were at the top of the table, we drew against Malmö, but despite that there was always something negative... It was a new team. I don't know which team came together so quickly and won the title so early, having previously changed so many players. Here we are, champions four rounds before the end. So what should have been said last year when the midfield consisted of Josip Mišić, Luka Stojković, Martin Baturina, Petar Sučić... And they weren't first. Okay, we had a crisis, that match against Istra when we lost in Pula, but that was one of those "Dinamo" defeats where we had many shots but didn't score. The weakest was the match against Vukovar. Immediately after came the international break and it was important how we would react in the first following match after that break. And that was the match against Varaždin. We won there and that was the turning point match. I remember well, snow was falling... That's when the series started.

And now the celebration begins...

– Well, it will be the biggest celebration. After the last round we'll celebrate properly, I'm happiest about this title because Dinamo is the biggest club in Croatia, with the most fans – added coach Kovačević.