Dejan Kulusevski is relishing the chance to lead the Sweden national side, revealing that he has learned a lot from the experienced stars he has played with in his career so far.
Sweden have embarked on a new era under manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, with the manager making Kulusevski his new captain.
The new era got off to the perfect start, with the Tottenham man leading his side to a 3-1 win over Azerbaijan on Thursday, with Alexander Isak getting a brace.
Spurs youngster Lucas Bergvall also came on as a substitute for a late cameo, winning just his second cap for his country.
Sterner tests lie ahead for Kulusevski and this young yet talented Swedish side but the 24-year-old promised to bring the right energy and motivation to the camp, suggesting that he will use all his experience to fulfil the new role.
When asked what his responsibility is as captain, the winger told Fotbollskanalen: “To give energy and to read the room with words and actions. I’ve learned a lot from many good ones that I have played with.
“I played with Bruno Alves at Parma, with [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Gigi] Buffon, [Giorgio] Chiellini at Juve and Zlatan [Ibrahimovic]. I’ve learned a lot from these players.”
Kulusevski insisted that he would be true to himself and bring his own authentic leadership style to the table.
He added: “I’m inspired by everything, by new things every day. I won’t copy anything, it’s 100% Dejan. I’ve always had it in me [to be a leader]. I love to gamble and am a very bad loser.
“I’m ready to sacrifice a lot to win. I will also think about making my teammates better, that is something that I have developed in recent years.”
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There is no doubt that Kulusevski is a natural leader, with this kind of drive, maturity and mentality rare for someone who is relatively young. He might also be a candidate to take over the captain’s armband at Tottenham in the future.
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