Ilija Abutovic: "I never felt like a foreigner in Macedonia"
The defender who won the 2017 Champions League with RK Vardar returned to the regional scene and this season will play with Partizan.
17.08.2026 — Ilija Abutovic, the Serbian defensive specialist who shaped part of the recent history of handball in North Macedonia, says he never felt like an outsider during his long spells in the country.
Abutovic was a member of RK Vardar's most successful era and helped lift the EHF Champions League trophy in 2017. After that chapter he returned to the Macedonian league, wearing the jersey of Pelister before moving on.
This season Abutovic is registered with Partizan and will compete in the Champions League with the Belgrade club.
Remarks from the interview
In an interview for Mozart Sport Abutovic reflected on his time in the region and on a career that has included 16 years playing outside Serbia, nine of which he spent in North Macedonia.
He told the outlet: "I must say that I felt very good in Macedonia, I spent nine years there and I did not see myself as a foreigner. Again, I am happy that I can play with a Serbian club in the Champions League, in the best competition in the world. Belgrade will also experience the Champions League, to see elite competition after many years. If after this year we attract 100 new boys to handball, that will be the biggest plus, to promote handball, to attract children more to this sport, to show that it is beautiful, a gladiatorial sport, that it has everything."
Abutovic underlined that playing in top European competition with a Serbian side is important for domestic interest in the sport and expressed hope that Partizan's presence in the Champions League will help bring more young players into handball.
Photo: press material from the event
