Maya Lucia pleased with Osijek experience after winning Croatian championship

Maltese player Maya Lucia is a new Croatian top-flight champion after her team, ZNK Osijek, retained the crown over the past weekend.

ZNK Osijek eased past Dinamo Zagreb 5-1 in last Sunday’s match and needed second-place Hajduk Split to not win their derby match against Split, on Monday.

The rivalry match produced a six-goal stalemate to hand ZNK Osijek a record 25th title as their lead increased to 13 points at the top, with four matches left.

Lucia will remain part of the team until her contract runs out in June as ZNK Osijek will be vying for a potential domestic double come the start of the national cup, next month.

Asked about what this league’s success meant to her, Lucia described it as an amazing feeling having brought another title to a city where they are in love with their own club.

“It is an amazing feeling. I have fallen in love with the people here. Not just my teammates and the staff who work so incredibly hard, but also my neighbours – the kids in our area, the elders who I greet every morning,” Lucia told the Times of Malta.

“It is so special knowing you have helped such a special city. The people here are very proud of us – not a day goes by someone does not stop me in the street to ask about our last match or the one that is coming up… the kids yell from across the streets to greet me as ‘Malta Maya’… it’s something so amazing to me.

So honestly, the trophy makes me happy just as much for the people as it does for the trophy itself. I cannot tell you I am satisfied because we have our eyes on winning the cup too – but I am definitely happy.”

Lucia, who has made three appearances for the Malta women’s selection, started this 2023/2024 campaign at another Croatian club, Split.

In the nine matches she played with the side, Lucia scored one goal in a match against Gorica before putting pen to paper on a deal with champions ZNK Osijek during the winter transfer window.

“I found an environment in which I felt I could grow in all aspects. The first thing I noticed was that I was surrounded by players who were incredibly wealthy in experience,” Lucia said.

“It seemed like they had the game down to a science, so naturally. It is a huge asset for me as a young player to be able to steal little nuggets of wisdom from players like the ones we have here as it really speeds up the process of becoming a complete player.”

At ZNK Osijek, Lucia played nine matches and scored twice, including a wonder goal against Donat in just her second appearance for the champions.

Lucia, whose Croatia experiences after her first outside Maltese football, feels she has taken her game up another notch while heaping praise on ZNK Osijek’s environment which allowed her to thrive both on the training pitch and on game days.

“I feel I have become a lot more level-headed here. I used to approach training sessions and games with the mentality of working hard but not smart,” the Malta player explained.

“Here, I have learnt I can truly help my team a lot more if I develop and utilize my game intelligence. Also, I feel I have gained confidence in my abilities. When I first came here, I had a lot of questions from outsiders on whether or not I could win my place in such a team… doing so has helped me understand my value as a player, despite the growth I still have to go through.”

Having won another Croatian championship, ZNK Osijek will be representing their country in the upcoming UEFA Women’s Champions League where they will be rubbing shoulders with some of Europe’s best sides.

“The level here is the best I have seen so far. The players here know exactly where to be, exactly when to be there and exactly what to do when they are there,” the former Raiders player explained.

“It is a level of experience I have never witnessed before. I could go on tangents about how technically gifted the women here are, not to mention the youths that are coming up. Osijek has built an incredible academy system and I’m sure it will continue to be a dominating team for years to come.”