Presenter Valentina Miletić on the realization of her dream and the way to achieve it: ‘I received a message the day after my birthday’

In our nation, there has long been an assertion that when the World Cup starts, everything becomes secondary. Well, not all, he agrees Valentina Miletić (33), reporter and presenter who has built a respectable name working on MAXSport in recent years. Therefore, it is not surprising that she received an invitation from HRT to join the soccer team ‘Americans’, and in a leadership role with an experienced colleague, commentator and sports connoisseur Mark Šapit. It was Marko, who in recent years hosted an extremely popular show on the occasion of the World Cup in Russia, while he was a commentator in Katra, who contacted Valentina last year to be a part of this big project.

“Of course I’m excited and I can’t wait for everything to start together, I think that only then will it become real for me. There is really no greater responsibility in this job, but no greater privilege than working on a story like this, in the role I’ve been given. I recently talked to a friend, she told me: ‘We watched that as children, admired it, and now it’s you,'” Valentina tells us, aware that nothing came to her overnight and that education and work are behind this great opportunity.

“Yes, when I look back, I’m very proud and grateful,” says Miletić. She revealed that Marko Šapit sent her a message for cooperation last year, the day after her birthday, during, she says, the craziest and most uncertain HNL season. “Later, some other people had to give the green light to talk about this today, but Marko is the one in charge and responsible for the ‘Americana’ project, and it all started from him. I am grateful to heaven for the opportunity he gave me, as well as, of course, all the people who approved his idea,” says the sports lover. Last year for Gloria was talking about how her path to the world of football looked like.

“I could have imagined myself as a female soccer expert. My parents at home said: ‘Great, just dream, but first find a serious job that you could live on.’ She lived in her native Split until the age of eight, after which she moved with her parents to Rogoznica, where her parents left for work. She finished elementary school there, before moving to Split for further education. During the first year of high school, she lived with her grandparents, and later she lived alone in the family apartment. “Practically, I started living alone very early. I wasn’t even an adult. Of course, at that time I didn’t know how to cook anything, I went to my grandparents for lunch, they helped me with everything, but still, the fact that I was alone in the apartment left a mark – it hardened and built me ​​up,” says Valentina, who graduated from Vladimir Nazor’s 5th gymnasium as an excellent student, and then graduated in journalism in Mostar. In the beginning, she says, she was ready to do anything related to the media, and her first opportunity opened up in her fourth year of college when she was contacted by Martina Pleština, then the editor-in-chief of Total FM in Split. They were looking for new people for production and presenters. The craziest period in her life, on the other hand, she considers moving to Zagreb during the pandemic – after she quit her job at Radio Ultra Split.

“I was constantly drawn to sports journalism. I packed my suitcases even though I didn’t have a job in Zagreb. I saved enough and rented an apartment. I came with the idea that something had to open up for me. The only thing I was afraid of was the moment I came to Zagreb. The pandemic, the earthquake… Everything was gloomy. Besides, I didn’t even have any friends here,” she recalled. She got her first job in Zagreb as a presenter on Radio Enter, while her biggest wish was the then National Radio – which was not realistic at that time. In the meantime, she sent resumes to the sports newsrooms of local television stations, but the doors did not open. “I have to admit that at times I panicked because of that, because I left my life in Dalmatia because of my desire for sports television journalism. I finally received an invitation from Croatian Football Television, where I followed the second football league, veterans’ and children’s tournaments.

That’s why it’s funny to me when someone says that something, just like that, opened up for me,” says an expert on the MMA scene, as she is the host of FNC martial arts events. She also told us about love, that is, how she is not burdened by married life, that she does not feel any pressure about it and that she certainly wishes for a nice story, but not at any cost. And knowing Valentina’s dedication and work, we have no doubt that all her wishes will fall into the background while she leads ‘Americana’, which she herself announces: “Nothing, now it’s up to me to repay them and justify the trust shown.”