Paris, Oct 8 (IANS): Montenegro striker Dejan Damjanovic is back from Beijing for his national team's European Championship qualifiers.
"Getting to France in 2016 is achievable," Damjanovic, who plays for Chinese Super League club Guo'an, said Tuesday, reports Xinhua.
The 33-year-old has played in Asia for eight years, winning the K-League title twice with FC Seoul in South Korea before joining Jiangsu Sainty in 2013 and then Beijing Guo'an.
"It is not a personal challenge because it doesn't matter if I score a lot of goals. I am proud to represent Montenegro and European football in Asia in the best possible way. When I play for the national team, the most important thing is not to score but to give my best," said Damjanovic.
Montenegro, who did not participate in qualifying for Euro 2008 and narrowly missed out on the 2012 final tournament following a play-off defeat to the Czech Republic, now sit in Group G while top-2 finishers from each of the nine groups will earn direct berths in addition to the hosts France and the best No.3 team.
"We were close and it was painful but that is in the past. In qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, we had many problems with injuries and never had a full squad. Without those problems, France in 2016 is an achievable goal," said Damjanovic.