ANTONIO COLAK is aiming to emulate the success of Rangers hero Dado Prso as he awaits news on whether he’ll make the Croatia squad for the World Cup later this month.
The red-hot striker – named Scottish Premiership player of the month for October – made the provisional squad for the tournament but faces a nervy wait until November 9 for a final decision.
Despite the hype surrounding the squad announcement, Colak cut a relaxed figure as he spoke candidly about his ambition at Ibrox as well as for his national team.
“I hope it is decided already because in the last two months I think I have shown so many things,” said Colak of Sunday’s trip to take on St Johnstone being his last chance to impress Croatia boss Zlatko Dalić. “I can’t show more when it comes to scoring goals. I think he has seen what I can do and what I can bring to the national team. I hope I can make it.”
With Colak now 29, there could understandably be a feeling this is one of his last shots at making the World Cup, but the striker needn’t look far for inspiration in continuing to improve with age.
Among his national team squad-mates is Luka Modric who has aged like the proverbial fine wine and remains a first-choice both for Real Madrid and his country.
Closer to Glasgow and Colak has drawn inspiration from Prso who earned his first national team call-up aged 29 before becoming a fans favourite at Rangers.
Maybe, but you know how football is,” said Colak in response to this being a possible last chance at the World Cup.
“There are always nice stories that football writes. I think Dado Prso also made his first game for the national team at 29…so you know, there is never a peak.
“ I could also win the Champions League at 34 for example. I don’t set any limits.
“Luka Modric won the Ballon D’Or at 34, Benzema also.
“You know there are big things you can achieve in such a short period.
“Look what I have achieved in a short period at Rangers. It is just about being positive, working hard, and you can achieve a lot.
“To be honest, I say to my fiance sometimes I feel that I am 22 even though I am 29. It is a little bit silly to say this. I am not too old at 29. I’m feeling really good at the moment.”
Quizzed on whether he’s seeking to follow in the footsteps of Prso for club and country, Colak added: “Yes. My hope and motivation is what I had as a kid and it’s still what I have in front of me.
“I know that what I’ve achieved until now is all about hard work.
“Nobody has given me a present or a gift. It was always hard work and a mindset that have brought me to the level I’m at now.
“This is what I want to continue. Hopefully I stay healthy to achieve similar things.”
At club level Colak has already established himself as a key player under Giovanni van Bronckhorst with his scoring tally up to 14 for the season already.
There has come an expectation that – domestically at least – the forward will be on the scoresheet almost every match.
But that’s of no concern to Colak who admitted he’s been dealing with expectation his entire career, dating back to playing as a youngster.
“I’ve had this all of my life – from a young age until now,” said Colak of expectations.
“I don’t even think too much about it. It’s like – I do what I love to do. So I try to score. It’s what makes me and the fans happy so it’s a common thing.
“For me, as a kid when I played in small tournaments I wanted to be the Golden Boot winner and now it’s the same.
“I’m always hungry for that and I’m hungry for trophies and whether it’s personally or for the team I hope we can win it all.”
While it has already been a somewhat successful season for Colak personally in his first few months in Scotland, the striker is under no illusion of the demands in Glasgow.
Champions League results have rocked Rangers’ season in part but Van Bronckhorst’s side have managed to bounce back at every turn domestically despite still sitting behind Celtic in the table.
Colak reckons it’s down to the temperament of the Rangers squad that Champions League nights haven’t taken a toll league form. But he went on to insist the pressure for success in the Scottish Premiership and Cup competitions have always been present.
He added: “As I’ve said before it’s not easy to go up and down. Sometimes if you are down after a defeat it’s not easy to get the group back (up).
“But it shows our character and mentality in the group. We have a winning mentality in the team.
“Everybody wants to work hard for the win again. I think it’s a really good group.
“The pressure is there from the beginning of the season. It’s our target. We want to have this pressure.
“I think it doesn’t make any difference (that European competition is over).
“If we do everything to reach our targets and continue not to make mistakes and win games we’ll be on top and we’ll reach our targets of what we want to achieve.”
