Marko Stamenic has spoken with quiet candour about the year that tested him more off the pitch than on it, and about how the people around Swansea City helped him find his way back to football.

A year of loss, then recovery

Thursday marked twelve months since the New Zealand international left Nottingham Forest to join Swansea. In the middle of that first season, his father Nikola, whom Stamenic describes as the "main figure" in his development as a player, died suddenly last October. The 24-year-old has been open about how devastating that loss was, and honest about the role the club played in his return to form.

"Having the people around me in this club really helped me cross that hurdle, to find my love again for the game," Stamenic said. "Really get back to how I know I am as a player and person."

He has missed the daily conversations with his father about football. That absence made this summer's World Cup a particularly layered experience. Stamenic had been eight years old when he sat beside his dad to watch New Zealand's matches at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. Sixteen years on, he made it to football's grandest stage himself, featuring in all three of the All Whites' group matches in the United States. His father, he says, was "watching from above".

World Cup to Swansea, with no sign of fatigue

New Zealand exited at the group stage, taking a draw against Iran but losing to Egypt and Belgium. Yet Stamenic describes the experience as "amazing", and says his international colleagues offered him the same kind of support he had found at Swansea: space when he needed it, conversation when he did not.

A shortened off-season followed. Stamenic got engaged to his partner Monica before joining up with the Swansea squad for their July training camp in Austria. Three weeks of rest in between gave him time, he says, to reflect and recharge, and he had no reservations heading into the new Championship campaign.

"I was telling my missus while we were on holiday, I'm actually missing football a little bit," he admitted, laughing. "She wasn't too happy."

There were few signs of any lingering fatigue when Swansea opened their league season with a 2-1 comeback win at Stoke City. Playing in a slightly more advanced central role, Stamenic was involved in the build-up to both goals alongside fellow midfielder Jay Fulton, as Vitor Matos' side came from behind to claim an encouraging three points.

Stability as a platform

Before arriving at Swansea, Stamenic had become accustomed to constant movement. In consecutive seasons he had been at Copenhagen, Red Star Belgrade, and Olympiakos (on loan from Forest), before his permanent move to south Wales. He has now made 40 appearances for the club, contributing three goals.

Starting a second successive season with the same club is, for him, a novelty rather than something to take for granted.

"It's nice to have some stability now, being familiar with the club, being able to help new players come in," he said. "I definitely feel like I'm more familiar and I feel like I'm ready to take the next step in my career in the Championship."

That sense of stability is already extending to those around him. Stamenic says he played a small part in persuading his New Zealand team-mate Elijah Just to join from Motherwell, speaking both to the attacking midfielder and to Swansea chief executive Tom Gorringe while the deal was being put together.

"I have brought him along now," Stamenic said, grinning. "He's a talented, great player, and obviously a great guy. I'm really happy to have him."

The next step

Swansea's first home league game of the new season, against Sheffield United on Saturday, gives Stamenic a chance to carry that opening-day momentum into the Jack Army's full view. There is a long second-tier season to navigate, but on the evidence of his first full campaign and the manner in which he has spoken about what he has been through, he looks like someone who knows exactly where he stands and what he is playing for.

He has been through a traumatic year. He has come out of it, by his own account, with a clearer sense of what football means to him. For Swansea, that feels like a significant asset as the campaign gets under way.

Frequently asked

Who is Marko Stamenic?
Marko Stamenic is a 24-year-old New Zealand international central midfielder who joined Swansea City from Nottingham Forest. He has made 40 appearances for the club, scoring three goals, and represented New Zealand at the 2025 World Cup.
How has Marko Stamenic performed for Swansea this season?
Stamenic started Swansea's Championship season positively, playing in a slightly more advanced role and helping set up both goals in a 2-1 comeback win at Stoke City on the opening weekend.
Who is Elijah Just and why did he join Swansea?
Elijah Just is a New Zealand attacking midfielder who joined Swansea from Motherwell. He scored three goals at the World Cup and, according to Stamenic, his international team-mate encouraged him to make the move to the Championship club.