Seoul's Damjanovic targets historic double

Damjanovic became just the third foreign player to win the K-League's Most Valuable Player award in 2012 after his league-leading 31 goals fired FC Seoul to a second domestic crown in three years after finishing 17 points clear of runners-up Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

And with Ulsan Hyundai returning the AFC Champions League title to Korean hands for a third time in four years last season, the Montenegrin is determined to continue the K-League's proud history in the AFC Champions League having netted five goals as FC Seoul reached the quarter-finals in 2011.

"We want to make history in Korea this year and win both the K-League and the AFC Champions League. And personally, I want to be the top scorer in the K-League and the AFC Champions League and I think that is possible," said the 31-year-old, who also finished as K-League top scorer in 2011 with 24 goals.

"I hope that I can transfer my goalscoring record in the K-League to the AFC Champions League. I have been preparing hard for this season and I will do my best to play well in the AFC Champions League."

After joining FC Seoul prior to the 2008 season, Damjanovic has been named in the league's Best XI for the last three seasons and has netted a total of 10 goals in the AFC Champions League after FC Seoul also reached the last eight in 2009.

"There are no easy games in the AFC Champions League. We need to stay focused and believe we can finally win the AFC Champions League," added Damjanovic.

"We need to play like we did in the K-League in 2012 and then everybody will be happy. We will be focusing on the AFC Champions League to make sure it is FC Seoul's turn to win."

And Damjanovic and FC Seoul emphatically signalled their AFC Champions League intentions in 2013 as the Montenegrin and Yun Il-lok each scored twice as the K-League champions recorded a 5-1 win over Chinese Super League runners-up Jiangsu Sainty in last week's Group E opener at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Damjanovic also found the back of the net last weekend as FC Seoul opened their K-League Classic campaign with a 2-2 draw against 2012 FA Cup winners and fellow AFC Champions League qualifiers Pohang Steelers.

"My target is always the same for every season, to be champion again. Last year we did not have a bad start like we did in 2011 and, most important in my opinion, we did not have any injuries," he said.

"If I can help with the goals I score that's better for me, but my personal goal is to try and catch Lee Dong-gook at the top of the K-League goalscoring chats. It's a small difference and I am going to try and close that gap."

After facing Damjanovic's former club Incheon United in the K-League Classic on Saturday, FC Seoul travel to Thailand to face Buriram United in the AFC Champions League next week after the play-off winners recorded a 1-1 draw against Vegalta Sendai in Japan last week.

"We were very happy to make a good start with a big win and that has helped improve our confidence for the upcoming games in the AFC Champions League as our priority is to finish at the top of the group, " said Damjanovic.

"I am very confident in my own ability at the moment and I will try and continue to score goals in the upcoming games.

"Buriram had a very good result last week, but for us that is not important as we are going there to take three points. It's going to be a tough game, but I believe in my team 100%."

Prior to joining FC Seoul in December 2007, Damjanovic spent a season with Incheon and has never failed to reach double digits in six seasons in Korea.

"The most important thing is adapting to playing in Korea and I didn't have a problem doing this and that helped me blend into Korean football," he added.

"I am also still hungry for trophies, maybe other players were too relaxed and that is a big mistake. I think of myself as Korean now. This is my seventh year and I am enjoying life.

"The K-League is becoming harder and more tactical every year. The national team players are also coming back to play in the K-League."