Daniel Majstorovic feels that his career is peaking at the age of 33.
Alongside Celtic battling it out for domestic honours with Rangers the Swedish national side has struck a rich vein of form as they target the 2012 European Championships.
After recovering from injury to play for Celtic in the 2-2 draw with Rangers the former AEK Athens defender has spent the last few days in Cyprus where Sweden lost out to Ukraine 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 draw.
Majstorovic will have a lead role to play if Celtic are to get amongst the honours but the good news is that the 33-year-old is feeling better than ever about his game.
Asked about his nomadic career he told fifa.com: “I’m very grateful and proud to have had all these experiences of different cultures and styles of football.
“The most important thing, no matter what the country, is to keep progressing, and I feel I have done that by moving to Celtic.
“They are a fantastic club with a lot of great players. I’m very happy to have reached this level and, even at 33, I still feel I’m learning and improving all the time.
“I’m enjoying it very much. It’s going really well at the moment, I’m at a great club, we’re playing some excellent football and we’re up there at the top of the league. I’ve settled in well off the field too – my wife and three kids really enjoy it here – so everything is fantastic.
“When you move to Scotland mentality is key. Scandinavians don’t have a problem getting physical when it’s necessary and I think that’s essential if you are to do well in British football.
“You need quality and a strong character, especially at a club like this where there’s a lot of pressure, and I think Scandinavian players tend to be quite strong in that respect.”
Despite having played across Europe Majstorovic has never reached the finals of a major international tournament.
Sweden and sitting in third place in Group E of their European Championship group but have a game in hand over Holland and Hungary.
Erik Hamren has taken over from veteran coach Lars Lagerback with the Celtic defender pleased with the way that things are developing at international level.
“When Erik came in, I think we all benefitted from some fresh ideas and a new presence in the dressing room,” Majstorovic added. “I think the way Erik plays football, which represents quite a big change, suits the players Sweden has at the moment. I think he’s perfect for the job.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back and he is a world-class player, one of the best in the game right now for me, and his return was a really big boost for everyone.
“It’s not only his ability on the field but his character and personality off the field too – he makes the whole picture different for us.
“He’s our captain, the guy that all the young players look up to, and I’m delighted we have him back in a Sweden shirt again.
“I made my debut in 2002 and it’s taken me a long time to establish myself, but over the last couple of years I really feel like I’ve become a big player for Sweden.
“I had to wait patiently for my chance and I understood that because I was competing against a lot of very good defenders but I always believed in my qualities and felt that my chance would come. I’m just happy it’s worked out that way.”
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