Petru Racu: “It is an honour to wear the national team colours for me”

We bring you the interview of Moldova and Sweden's Norrköping defender Petru Racu given to kp.md.

- Children usually dream of becoming forwards but Petru Racu became a good defender...

- I had a contract with Zimbru until I was nineteen and a half year old. And I started training at the Zimbru football school when I was 9. Until the age of 12, I played as a goalkeeper, a good goalkeeper. I won awards at tournaments.

And at one training session, when it rained heavily and I got cold, the coach told me: "Run on the field to warm up". I liked running and the coach has put other boys at goal line since then.  I dreamed of being a goalkeeper but never regretted becoming a field player.

I was a forward first, then played at midfield and gradually moved to the back from the midfield slot. I play at midfield or back in Sweden.

- And how did you end up in Sweden at such a young age?

- I was sixteen when I started playing for the Zimbru second team and made my debut for the first team two months later. Then I refused to sign a contract with the club because I wanted to go abroad. When my contract with Zimbru expired, I went to a trial for Racing Club de Avellaneda that played in the Primera División back then.

My brother sent a few videos to their scouts and they gave me trial invitation.. I went there and tried out for two months. They offered me a five-year contract but with the condition that I get a EU passport in a year. There is a limit in Spain - there should be three internationals or less on the team. I did not manage to make this passport back then.

And when the Swedes found out that there was a Moldovan in Spain who would have been signed if not for problems with the passport, they said: "Let him come here to try out!" I went to Sweden and signed a three-year contract with Norrköping a week later. It is a club with a rich history and 12 national titles under the belt. Then I signed a two-year extension. I have played with this club for five years. We are currently at No. 11 in the in the first division of Swedish football.

 - Were you happy to find out that Moldova got in the same EURO 2012 qualifying group with Sweden?

- Yes, it's true. I played with all junior and youth teams and dreamed of getting a call-up to the national team.  I had some injuries but was waiting for a call-up anyway.

The Swedish club did not want to let me go to the national team but I did not even want to discuss it.  I had been starting in the first fifteen games with my club and captained the team but since I got the call-up to the national team, they stopped starting me.  I understood everything but it is the dream of every footballer to defend the honour of his country.  The manager of the club told me back then: "Petru, we have important games, perhaps, you will miss the game, especially if it is an exhibition one?" It was my forst call-up to the national team and I said: "No, the national team is the national team!"

I had some financial losses but It is an honour to wear the national team colours for me. They tried to make me stay with the club before the exhibiton match against Cyprus (held on August 10), but did not succeed.

The Swedish press wrote a lot about the match against Moldova as is the Swedes beat Brazil. They said that out performance was perfect. We need to put up a good performance in this qualifying campaign and earn the maximum number of points. We also need to prepare for the FIFA World Cup qualifying stage.