An Interview with Ilija Nestorovski, Footballer

Hello, Tose. Thank you for having me. Above all, Ilija Nestorovski is a family man, a husband, and a father of two beautiful children. I am a dedicated professional footballer, currently in Udinese.

I cannot spend a day in my life without training and playing football. Still, I want to use every free moment I have with my family. Usually, I take each opportunity to travel off-season and during breaks.

To be honest, my love for football was born at the age of six. It was the first time I kicked a ball and started training. From that moment until today, this dedication only grew stronger day by day, month by month, and year by year.

The feeling is amazing, knowing that you represent your country and your people. Each player dreams of this from the youngest age. You know, you dream of wearing the national team jersey.

However, the responsibility of it is enormous because you can either cheer your people up or make them sad. After all, it all comes down to your performance.

A lot of matches will remain in my memory forever. But if I have to choose, I must say it's the competition against Georgia. It enabled us to achieve a historic ranking at the European Football Championship.

I would advise them to keep pursuing their dreams. There are lots of obstacles in football and the way to success.

However, they should never give up, especially when things get challenging the first time around. They should believe in themselves and, most importantly, keep training; in the end, it all pays out.

So, the day starts with carrying my children to kindergarten. After that, I continue to the training camp in Udinese, where we have the obligatory breakfast, then the training, and finally the obligatory lunch. All in all, I spend approximately seven to eight hours per day in the camp.

We also have nutritionists in the club who care about our diet and form. Specifically, each player has an individual nutrition program to
follow.

We use the gym at the camp each day before football training. Let's say it's a type of muscle prevention. Also, we use the gym after training 3-4 times per week.

I think nutrition and the gym are some of the most important factors for today's athletes.

It was April 23 when my teammate passed and broke my dream of performing on the EURO with my Macedonia. At that moment, I was utterly broken and sad because I knew how much the performance at the European Championship meant to me.

Now I feel fantastic, and I am entirely dedicated to rehabilitating the knee. Thank God it's going well. Apart from football, what makes me happy is my family and the time I spend with them.

When there is love and understanding in a family, it's not hard at all. For instance, when I am away for several days, I try to make up for the lost time with my children and wife once I am back by doing things that make us happy.

The difference lies in the first 10-15 days when the season ends. During this period, I relax completely. I don't train at all, and I literally eat everything that my soul or I want.

The rest of the time, I'm totally focused on a proper diet and training every day.

My immediate message is for everyone to get vaccinated so that we can finally get back to "normal life" and end the Pandemic. Also, I wish each person around the globe good health and safety.