Vanja Dragojevic: From Belgrade Derby to Glasgow's Old Firm
Vanja Dragojevic has already lived through one of world football’s great cauldrons. Now he’s counting down to another.
The 20-year-old midfielder grew up in the fire of Belgrade’s ‘Eternal Derby’ with Partizan. He knows what it means when a city splits in two, when noise becomes a physical force and tackles arrive with a little more than just intent.
Yet the message he keeps hearing in Glasgow is stark: you haven’t seen anything yet.
From Belgrade heat to Glasgow fever
Rangers’ new man marked his arrival with a landmark moment on Sunday, scoring his first goal for the club in the League Cup win over St Mirren. That strike did more than open his account; it punched Rangers’ ticket to a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final that needs no selling – Celtic at Ibrox.
“We’re really happy that [the Celtic cup tie] will happen,” Dragojevic said, still riding the high of his debut goal.
He refuses to look too far ahead – there’s a European assignment on Thursday and he knows the demands at Rangers do not allow for drifting focus. But the idea of stepping into an Old Firm derby is already lodged firmly in his mind.
“When I spoke with lots of players before I came here, everyone said this is maybe the biggest derby on earth. And maybe the craziest one – in a positive way. So I'm really happy that I have the privilege to be part of it and maybe play in it.”
Derby-scarred and ready for more
Dragojevic is not walking into this blind. He has already felt the raw edge of rivalry.
“I played in three or four Belgrade derbies. It was really hard and fired up,” he recalled. “In Serbia, it's not just about the football. It's really about much more than this. But I like this.”
That background explains the glint in his eye when he talks about Celtic. This is not a youngster intimidated by the scale of the occasion; it’s one who craves it. The prospect of swapping flares and flags in Belgrade for the thunder of Ibrox in a cup tie feels like a natural next step.
“I’m really happy here and I want to have the privilege to play in this one,” he added.
Settled quickly, thinking big
For all the intensity that lies ahead, Dragojevic’s description of life in Scotland sounds almost disarmingly calm.
“I enjoy it here. This is a great country, with great people. I'm surprised how warm the people are here. When I came to the club it was so easy to adapt. Everyone in the city is so nice. I'm feeling really happy here.”
That ease of adaptation matters. Rangers is not a club that allows long bedding-in periods, and a young midfielder already scoring, already talking about giving “everything I can for this club”, is exactly the kind of profile supporters latch on to.
The Old Firm quarter-final will come soon enough. A Serbian who has already tasted one of football’s fiercest rivalries now stands on the brink of another. If he handles Glasgow’s biggest night the way he has handled his first weeks in blue, Rangers may have found a player built for the noise.
