Left lateral defender holds the third place on the list of all times of the Slovenian national team, only behind Boštjan Cesar (96) and Valter Birsa (85). But as both mentioned players have been punished, Jokić will wear the captain armband for the fifth time, and thus catch the selector Srečko Katanec, who in the short seven-month period from February to September 1994 during which he played for Slovenia carried the captain armband on all five matches he appeared in the team.

They haven't been themselves since boarding the plane
"I watched the Glasgow match. I think we didn't show anything, and the Scots were better all around. Such matches happen, a day comes when everything goes wrong. Perhaps they surprised us a little. We thought we were the favourites, but in the end, it turned out the situation was different. We were not focused, psychologically we were not prepared individually to answer to their aggressive opening of the match. It seems everything went wrong from the moment we boarded the plane for Scotland," Jokić commented the events from two months ago, when he again took his place in the national team after his injury in October during the match against England.

"We should score as soon as possible; in that case it will be much easier until the end of the match. But we must be patient as well, patience will be of crucial importance," Jokić warns before the match against Malta.

The best player in last two matches
He practically hadn't played during the five months and a half preceding the match in Glasgow, (after his transfer to Ufa he slowly started returning into the competitive rhythm, and played 36 minutes in two matches, thus getting the first taste of the Russian league), but in during the last two months he was a standard member of the first team, and he played nine matches from beginning to end. The statistic portal WhoScored chose him for the best player of the last two rounds, namely in the match against Orenburg (1:1) and Ural (1:0). Two and a half weeks ago his pass resulted in the only goal. Ufa finished the Russian Championship on the seventh place, five points behind Rostov with Miha Mevlje.

"A footballer must play in order to gain sorely needed confidence. I am satisfied, as our team played very well. Well, it could always be better, but it was not bad," he explained the last weeks on the pitch.

Lately bioenergetic methods Katanec has introduced during preparations for the match are being discussed. "I think it is not a bad thing. All clubs have psychologists we can talk to. We make exercises for increasing speed, improving coordination and focus, we learn to breathe, run … I chose such exercises which suit me, namely yoga and stretching, in order to increase my flexibility," Jokić explained.

"Farewell to Calderon was nice, and weird "
Just as the footballer from Kranj, Jan Oblak was also forced to rest for a couple of months during winter, due to injury. "I can be satisfied that I was able to come back so soon, and in relatively good condition. I was able to play until the end of the season without any problems," the Atletico goalkeeper explained. He played his last match at the Vicente Calderon stadium on May 21; the club is moving to the new stadium Wanda Metropolitano.

"It was nice, but also weird, to say farewell. It was nice because I was proud and happy to have been a part of the history, and was able to play the last match on the stadium. But on the other hand, I was aware that I was leaving the stadium where so much great things had happened to me in the last three years. The ambience was great at every match, and I hope it will be the same, or even better, at the new stadium."

Matej Rijavec; Translated by G. K.