After retiring as a professional player, Danijel Pranjic managed Croatian lower league clubs Dubrava and Trnje, Bosnian sides Sloboda Tuzla and GOSK Gabela, as well as Cypriot club Achyronas-Onisilos.
Now 43 years old, he finds himself living with his family in Romania, where he is playing for and assisting lower-league club Adunatii Copaceni.
Pranjic spoke exclusively with Flashscore's Cristian Frisk about what it was like to be picked as one of the 100 best players in Heerenveen's history, that Panenka against Milan, what made Gert-Jan Verbeek a special coach, and how Ivan Perisic turned his career around.
When SC Heerenveen celebrates their 100th anniversary in 2021, you made it to the list of 100 most popular Heerenveen players of all time. What does that mean to you? And how was your relationship with the fans, players and staff?
"Heerenveen is a really special club, and it belongs in my heart because of my connection with the people and the amazing supporters. I was there for four years, and it was my first club abroad. Looking back, I realise that my best time was at Heerenveen, where I played amazing football.
"I won the first and the last trophy in the club's history, and I had an amazing time there with unforgettable moments. And of course, when I see that they put me in the top 100 players, it means a lot to me. I'm very proud of that time and the moments we lived together and what we achieved together, because it's not easy to win a trophy with such a small club in the Netherlands. But we did it, and I'm very proud of every minute I played there.
One of the reasons you got on the list was your legendary Panenka penalty against AC Milan in 2008. Was that also the most special for you, or do you have any other highlights?
"Let's say it might be one of the reasons, but the biggest reason is the level of football I played in four years. I enjoyed every game I played, and I played great football. My transfer to Bayern Munich proves that, because they don't buy a player after watching him play one game.
"I played really well, and I think the supporters and everyone involved with the club knew that I gave everything. I give 100% of myself, and I enjoyed it every game again. That was the reason I played that level of football, and that was the reason why they chose me to be in Heerenveen’s top 100 players in history.
"One more special moment in that club was the semi-final (of the KNVB Beker in 2009) when I scored a goal and brought them to the final. We won the final and won the first trophy in club history, and so far, the last one. I hope it will not be the last in their history."
In your first few years, Gert-Jan Verbeek was your manager at Heerenveen. He was back then, and is still, known in the Netherlands for his old-school, almost military, way of working. What's your experience with him, and how did it shape you as a young player?
"My experience with Gert-Jan was amazing. He was really special, very tough. You could compare him to Louis van Gaal. Even tougher, maybe, in the way he worked. He liked the gym a lot, and he always wanted the players to be 100% fit, 100% ready to play. Not 90 minutes but 120 minutes, and that was the way he trained.
"I have to say that he helped me a lot. He opened my eyes, and in that moment, I realised that talent is not enough in football. You need to work hard to try to be better every day, to outdo yourself every day, and then you can grow up as a player and as a person."
"That's his mentality, those were his ideas about football, his vision. At Heerenveen, he was successful: we reached the UEFA Cup, and we played some amazing games under him. In the end, he had a successful career as a coach. When I was in Heerenveen a few months ago, I ran into him. We shared some words and tried to recall the memories we had shared, along with some of our favourite games. It was nice to see him again.
"And he's still really fit. I think he trains every day."
During your time in the Netherlands, you played with great players like Lasse Schone, Miralem Sulejmani, Paul Bosvelt, and Bonaventure Kalou. Which of those players, or anyone else during your time in Heerenveen, made the biggest impression on you?
"I played with many good players in Heerenveen. Miralem Sulejmani, Paul Bosvelt, Afonso Alves, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Giorgios Samaras, Lasse Nilsson, Michael Bradley... Many, many, many good players.
"But the biggest impression on me was Paul Bosvelt. We still speak to each other almost every day. He is a good friend. He is now the director of Go Ahead Eagles. They won the KNVB Beker last season. I watched the game and was really happy for him.
"I learned something from every player in my career. Like I said before, I'm not the smartest - I try to steal some ideas from everybody. But the most important thing is to be a human, to be a person, to be a man who likes to help other people. And I'm like this. I share many good memories and played a lot of nice games with all of them.
"I'm still in contact with all of them. This is the biggest and best thing you can get from football. Contacts, friends, new friends. These are things that stay with you forever, and I'm really glad that I met all of them and that, even when we see each other, we can drink a cup of coffee and talk about the days that we had."
Currently in the Netherlands, there are Croatian players like Alen Halilovic, Luka Ivanusec, Josip Sutalo, Josip Mitrovic and, of course, Ivan Perisic in the Dutch Eredivisie. Do you follow any of them with special interest?
"Yes, I still follow the Eredivisie. And like you said, many Croatian players are there. The special one for me is Ivan Perisic, of course, because I played with him in the national team and against him when I was at Bayern and he played for Borussia Dortmund.
"He's an incredible person and an incredible player. He's almost 40 now, and I think he still plays amazing football. He had a lot of problems last season with injuries. Before PSV, he was at Hajduk Split, where he faced numerous issues with supporters and within the club, including under the coaching of Gennaro Gattuso.
"It was really important for him to change clubs, and I think he made an excellent decision. PSV helped him significantly to return to his football level, and in the end, he gave a lot of good things back to PSV. They won the championship, and for him it was, I think, very important to stay this season and to show that he is grateful to PSV for giving him a chance to come back. He's now back in the national team and he still plays amazingly."