Like everyone in Cavtat, in the summer – on the beach, in the winter – in Gruž three times a week. In the beginning, he trained in judo and table tennis in parallel. Not for long. His father Jakša was the Jug goalie in the 1980s. He won the Yugoslav Championships four times, and celebrated with Savinović, Đuho, Sukno, Milat, Boško Lozica and others the winning of the national cup twice. But his father was not the decisive factor in 10 year-old Miho’s decision to play water polo. “There was no other choice”, said Miho, “the whole Cavtat was in the pool, and so was I.” Until high school, he was just one of many, but then he distinguished himself. He had to work harder and harder. He was required to do so, because “he was going places”, as many around the Gruž pool were saying. Miho had a hard time coordinating school with sport. He did not want to neglect his education under any circumstances. Of course, he had already replaced his Cavtat cap with a Jug cap. “It is always like that, the best of Cavtat go to Jug.” It was nothing new, just a confirmation of something that was normal in Cavtat. Aljoša Lončarić welcomed him to Gruž. He first played for the cadets under his leadership. His first score. Then again for Cavtat. At the Croatian B championships. “We played in Korčula. I threw the ball. I did not even see it enter the goal. I was drowned after the shot.” Already he was dreaming of playing for Jug some day and then for the national team. “Jug is every boy’s dream. Being a member of Jug means being somebody in the City”, said Miho. He was 18. Gruž was burning. Jug were the champions of Europe. Bečej fell in the Final Four semi-finals, and Olympiakos in the finals. During the celebrations, Miho went to Split. “I went to university and was lent to another club. In Jadran I had room for development and playing.” He bided his time. He was aware that at 18 it was hard to get an opportunity to play for Jug. “I would have been the 13th or the 14th player, and would have got a minute or two in the game, and one cannot develop like that.” Realistic towards himself and others, he was not angry to be leaving. He spent three years in the team from Zvončac.
“Just as leaving was the right thing to do, returning home was also right”, he said. The loan was not over yet. Jug decided that Miho was good enough. The rest of the story is well known. Jug were the champions of Croatia, the winners of the Croatian Cup and participants in the Euroleague Final Four in Naples, in that first real senior season with Jug for the boy from Cavtat, Miho Bošković. The following year, 2006, everything went Gruž’s way. Bošković and his team celebrated the titles of European and Croatian champions; they won the European Supercup and the home cup. “The Year of Jug” said the daily papers. Never before in club history – four titles in one calendar year with the Jug team. Miho Bošković was one of those most responsible for these victories. Then came the 2007 World Championships in Date of birth: Nove mber 11th, 1983 Melbourne. Croatia was golden, and the only Place of birth: Dubr ovnik Croatian gold player in the World ChampionStarted playing wa ter polo in 1993 ship top team was Miho. In Milan, he was Club career: 1993-19 the first Croat ever to be named as the most 96 Cavtat; 1996-20 01 Jug; 2001-2004 Ja dran; 2004-2010 Ju useful player in the Euroleague Final Four, g; 2010 Vasas MVP. At the end of the same year, LEN, the EuTrophies with the national team: ropean Swimming Federation, decided that – gold at the 2007 World Champions the Croat was the best water polo player of hips in Melbourne – bronze at the 20 09 World Champio the year. A Croat for the first time in history . nships in Rome – silver at the 2009 World League in Po And again, the award went to Miho. dgorica – bronze at the 20 10 World League in “I would like to thank my co-players. After all, Niš – silver at 2010 FIN A Cup in Oradea water polo is a team sport”, he pointed out. Trophies with the He is famous throughout the world, his club: – Euroleague: 2006 destructive hit is his best weapon. He is an – European Super excellent attacking player with a fantastic Cup: 2006 – Croatian Champio feeling for a shot. A leader. He confirms ns: 2001, 2005, 2006 , 2007, 2009 and 20 – Croatian Cup: 20 this day after day in Jug, because it is not 10 04, 2005, 2007, 2008 , 2009 and 2010 easy, he has to be the in the right place Awards: at the right moment, and score when it – Voted the best Eu ropean player in 20 is most necessary, which Miho does it in 07 by LEN – Večernji List news pa per Water Polo Pla the best possible way. He is the Mozart yer of the Year – winner of Yellow Cap Sportske Novo of water-polo. He did not neglect his sti newspaper award – Sportsman of th e City of Dubrovnik education for one moment. What he – MVP Euroleague Final Four 2007 in learned at the Academy of Music in Split, Milan he proved to everyone during the Days of the Croatian Olympic Board in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb. He sat the caps of Jug and of the national team, at down at the piano and played. And of course, he almost every opportunity. thrilled the crowd. Just as he had while wearing
one he remembers best is winning the Croatian Cup with Primorje. “At the time, it seemed an unattainable success”. The celebration lasted for weeks, they ate and drank, celebrated and sang. The second match that is seared into his memory was the victory over Yugoslavia in Atlanta in the 1996 Olympic quarter-finals. “That was a great victory, and a fantastic game, the national offensive was quite strong at the time.” He does not want to talk about his way of playing – “Let others judge that.” He even does not like to speak about his strengths in the game, and even less about his faults, if he has any. He made the national team for the first time in 1995, under selector Silić; for the European Championships in Vienna he was among the 15 players, and by the following competition, he was among the magnificent thirteen. As a child, he was not much of a worker, as he himself admits, but later he started to understand the value of and the need for training. He did not suffer any serious injuries, except when he “had problems with my shoulder and my knuckles used to get dislocated”. “Zoran Roje left a profound impression on my career, he planted the basics of water polo in
me.” He does not want to emphasize anyone else, “I learned something new from everyone.” He got the number 11, for which he is famous, at the beginning of his career completely by accident, because it was available, and later he was offered that number in every club. He got along with everybody, he is that kind of a person, but he played mostly with Barač, whom he “understood well, even with my eyes shut”. Other co-players with whom he especially liked to play were Vrdoljak and the goalie Vićan. Hina has two daughters, Gaia, six and Anja, four, and both of them, just like their father, are swimmers. He would prefer it if they played volleyball – “It is an excellent sport for women”. Igor adores diving and fishing, so in his summer house in Osor he has two wooden boats, four and six metres long. He goes long-line fishing, but he also
Miho Bošković
The Mozart of the Pool
has experience with the net and hook, and used to dive with a harpoon, but never with oxygen tanks, “I fish by free diving, as much as I can, but I cannot go very deep”. He can boast catching a 13-kilo conger eel and a 7-kilo dentex. His wife does not like his diving, “because I always go alone”.
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