Ivanovic started out at a Yugoslavian club Vojvodina, played in Ukraine and Russia in the mid-2000's, and really blossomed at Belgium's Standard, earning the Jupiler League's Player of the Year award in 2010. The Serbian international scored against Germany during a 2010 WC-qualifier, giving his squad their only win of the campaign.
"A World Cup is the perfect opportunity to promote itself for a country like Russia. The entire world will be following, so I'm certain everything will be perfectly organized, top-notch", Jovanovic told Sputnik.
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The 36-year-old then noted that unfortunately, football is not yet the number one sport in Russia.
"By the way, the tournament also presents a great opportunity for the popularization of the sport in Russia, and I think the Russian national team is capable of an inspired performance in front of home crowds."
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"Russia is a great state with a strong economy, and I think, as far as infrastructure goes, this World Cup will be even better organized than the previous one. So I expect nothing short of excellent planning, a great show for the fans and fantastic conditions for the players", concluded Jovanovic.
