Dejan Iliev, the Macedonian goalkeeper who is a member of English giant Arsenal, has conducted an interview for the club’s official website.

“When I first saw the pitches, I thought the grass was artificial” – opened Dejan in his interview with Arsenal’s website. But, that was not the real miracle for him. He was called to train with the first team on his second day, Dejan remembers.

Iliev stated, “Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna wanted to practice free kicks, so they asked to me be their keeper. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. But, when they started shooting, they weren’t able to score! I couldn’t believe what I was saving. Plus, Arsene Wenger was just behind me and that was a massive confidence boost for me. I was a different man.”

Iliev spoke openly about how close he came to joining Inter when he was just 15 years old. He felt disappointed when that did not happen, but just a couple of years later Arsenal came calling following a training camp in Athens. He also spoke about his first couple of months at Arsenal, becoming friends with Sead Hajrović, who has helped him a lot, as well as Wojciech Szczęsny and Łukasz Fabiański.

In his closing statements, Iliev pointed out that Gianluigi Buffon is his childhood hero, but he has also learned a lot from Wojciech Szczęsny whom he considers the best keeper in the Premier League. Iliev says he is so happy at Arsenal that he would like to sign a contract for life.

You can read the full interview by clicking here. Additionally, Iliev addressed topics about the football in Macedonia, the influence from his father and more.