The Croatian stable in Shakhtar, consisting of Srna, Pušić, and Stanić, had an exceptional debut on the bench. They celebrated a victory against Barcelona in the Champions League, just a few days after Pušić and Stanić took their seats on the bench of the Ukrainian champions. Pušić assumed the role of head coach, with the legendary “fireman” sitting on the bench as the first assistant, and they were joined by Darijo Srna, the sports director at Shakhtar, who sacrificed himself and sat on the bench until a coaching solution was found.
Reflecting on this experience, Mario Stanić shared that he made the decision to join the team with his heart, without much time to think due to the rush in taking over the team before the game against Barcelona. Stanić and Srna have known each other since their time playing for the Croatian national team, where Srna replaced Stanić in the position of right back. Stanić praised Srna’s talents, highlighting the moment that influenced his decision to leave the national team and hand over his position to Srna. After 2-3 months, Stanić decided to leave his position to Srna, acknowledging that his time was up and that he was leaving his position in better hands. As a result, Srna played for Croatia for 10 years and became the captain of the team. Stanić concluded that it was a great story.