Sasa Kalajdzic: I hope documentary will let Wolves fans see real me
Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic hopes the new documentary around his serious knee injury will give supporters an insight into him as a person.
The Austrian international played just 45 minutes on his debut before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his knee, which ended his season.
Having made the move from German club Stuttgart last summer, Kalajdzic then battled back to fitness and has now returned to the field for the club in pre-season this summer.
Now, Wolves’ international production house Wolves Studios, who previously made Raul Jimenez: Code Red and The Holy Month, have filmed a new three-part documentary titled ‘Sasa Kalajdzic: False Start’, giving supporters a view of the striker’s first days at Wolves before his devastating injury.
When asked what it was like to film the new documentary, Kalajdzic said: “To be honest, it’s not really a new thing for me because somehow we’re always hunted by cameras.
“I already had something similar with my first injury, but it was about the comeback itself and not the person behind it, so it’s something different and I think very interesting.
“It’s for people who see players on the pitch but think ‘what’s the person like?’ I’m a character who’s not, maybe, like every other footballer. In Germany we say they’re ‘not zero, eight, 15’, not like the average person.
“I think it’s really interesting to see how things went, how the person behind the jersey and behind training is.
“If I was someone who watches Wolves or watches football, it’s definitely worth a look.
“There’s some scenes you wouldn’t see. Some intimate, personal moments, some very moments as well, maybe some sad moments. I think it’s interesting to see the person behind it and what it’s like.
“I was there for four days and then I was gone for 11 months, so it’s normal that people don’t know me, I can’t be mad about it.
“They don’t know me on the pitch or off the pitch, but I hope they will next season.”
The film crew were granted access to the striker’s life over the past 10 months, following his arrival and arduous recovery following his injury.
The trailer for the documentary is now alive on the club’s channels, with episode one due to be released on Monday July 31.
Kalajdzic added: “I was very emotional in some parts when I watched it back. It can be weird seeing yourself in a bad place, but it also made me proud to see what I’ve come through. I just hope Wolves fans like it and I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction.
“It was fun to film, and I saw the first episode and it’s looking promising. I was surprised because I did similar things for my first injury, but the production this time is very impressive, maybe not Hollywood, but I’m happy with it.
“It wasn’t a tough decision to allow the cameras in. During injuries, you sometimes want peace and quiet, but in maybe ten years when I have kids, I can show them this, which is why I agreed to it. I was already used to cameras everywhere, so it was no problem.”
Episode one summarises the first 72 hours of his life as a Wolves player, ending with the devastating injury.
Wolves Studios cameras were then invited behind-the-scenes with Kalajdzic and his fiancé Lorena Grabovac to see consultant knee expert Andy Williams, who led the operation, and Wolves supporters now have all the access as the striker went under the knife.
Episode two focuses on the support network around the striker, and how the injury occurred when he was living in a hotel, before the striker and his fiancé found their home in Wolverhampton.
Episodes will be available to view on Wolves TV and Wolves’ official YouTube channel.
