Sasa Kolman: 'Jim McGuinness inspired me so much I believed I could conquer the world'

The Slovenian women's manager and McGuinness first met when Donegal’s All-Ireland winning manager was working with Celtic as performance consultant in 2014

Slovenia’s women’s manager Sasa Kolman on Jimmy Winning Matches.

From being fascinated with Celtic, Slovenia’s women’s manager Sasa Kolman became consumed by the recipe for collecting a Celtic cross.

Sasa Kolman will aim to scalp Ireland armed with the techniques he learnt from Jim McGuinness.

The pair first met when Donegal’s All-Ireland winning manager was working with Celtic as performance consultant in 2014.

Eight years later and when the Slovenian was in Dublin teaching a coaching course, in popped McGuinness as part of his Uefa Pro Licence course.

Although the teacher/pupil relationship flipped by that reunion, Kolman is in no doubt he’s the beneficiary of a great mind.

“Jim inspired me so much that I actually believed I could conquer the world after our first meeting,” said the coach, ahead of Tuesday’s Women’s Nations League clash in Koper (5pm, Irish time).

“He convinced me that I had to pursue my dreams. I can’t say that my dreams are just to achieve one thing but to go high as possible.

“The thing is that there are many obstacles in jobs like ours. It’s never easy. So, basically, once you have your focus on something, then you can achieve. And not to back down, never give up. This was the message from Jim.” 

Kolman recalled vividly one specific example of how he masterminded Donegal’s 2012 All-Ireland final triumph against the odds. “He told each player at every opportunity that they’d end the year as national champions in front of 80,000 people,” he recalls. “That stuck with me.” After his Celtic stint, McGuinness continued his football journey with stints over two years in China and USA.

He returned to the game he made his name in with his home country for the 2023 campaign.

“When I met Jim again in 2022 in Dublin, he didn’t recognise me at first but we had another long chat.

“He tried to explain to me the GAA rules and I was surprised he went back to Gaelic Football but I’m sure he will smash it again.”