Nagy dreams about Barcelona in final

Handball fans were amazed when hearing that Barcelona’s Hungarian captain László Nagy transferred to Veszprém last summer.

Veszprém have received even more attention since then because of their impressive performances in the VELUX EHF Champions League.

Ahead of Sunday’s ehfTV.com Match of the Week, László Nagy speaks to ehfCL.com about his transfer, his return to life in Hungary, and the secret of Veszprém’s successes.

ehfCL.com: You played for one of the best handball clubs of Europe and in a beautiful city. Moving to Veszprém may seem like you took one step back after playing in Barcelona.

László Nagy: My goal and dream would have been to continue my career in Barcelona, but we could not find a solution good enough for both parties.

Then I received offers from Veszprém, Szeged, a German and a French club, and I started to talk about the pros and cons with my wife.

The new philosophy of Veszprém, the structure with the new coach and the new players seemed very attractive. This was one of the main aspects of our decision. The other one was the fact that I can be near my family after 12 years absence.

ehfCL.com: 12 years meant a complete new life in Barcelona. How could you leave that behind?

László Nagy: All beginnings are difficult, but our situation is a little bit easier because we came home, we had lived here for 18 years before moving to Barcelona.

Our base in Hungary is Budapest, we found a school here which is perfect for our daughter and I can get to Veszprém easily.

The capital of Hungary is quite big city and similar to Barcelona regarding size and population. My business connection with Barcelona still exists, I have two flats there and those are rented and I am still a co-owner in a restaurant.

Not only the business matters but also friendships connect me to Barcelona, because it is not possible to forget about friends. I keep contact with my ex coach and teammates, I have a good relationship with them, we congratulate each other after matches and talk regularly.

ehfCL.com: How was the return to Barcelona with the Hungarian National Team during the World Championship? Are you satisfied with eighth place?

László Nagy: Not at all. I think this team is able to achieve better results than eighth place at the World Championship.

We must achieve better results, so I am not satisfied with our performance in Spain. Apart from the result, the possibility to play again in Barcelona was a great experience.

ehfCL.com: You won many titles during your career. Could you choose one or two which are special for some reason?

László Nagy: Every title means a lot to me, but I have two special results, the first Champions League victory from 2005 and the last in 2011.

Two years ago I could lift the trophy above my head first, as I was the captain. This was an experience of a lifetime.

ehfCL.com: What are the reasons for Veszprém’s successes this season?

László Nagy: Every player contributed to these successes with good performances. Very good spirit was developed with the new coach and assistant coach and with the new approach.

Our players who had already played here earlier received a new impetus, became even more motivated and determined.

Thanks to these factors, the feeling is very pleasant in the dressing room, during the trainings as well as the matches. The successes could derive from these reasons.

ehfCL.com: How is it possible that Veszprém could beat Kiel and then lose the league match against Szeged, what was your only defeat of the season so far?

László Nagy: This is sport. Szeged performed incredibly well in attack and defence, Roli saved amazingly well so they absolutely deserved the victory.

Of course we did not expect that defeat, but it is said that defeats are good because people can learn from those.

This is true for us and this match has made us reassess, forced us to take every match seriously, and play at full stretch to be successful.

ehfCL.com: You published on social media few days ago that the goal of Veszprém is the VELUX EHF FINAL4. Do you think this goal is realistic?

László Nagy: I do not mind that our club are perfectionists and would like to make our dreams come true.

It is good to have dreams, but we have to do everything to reach these dreams. I believe that we have a strong and well prepared team and reaching Cologne can be our goal, but we will need a bit of luck.

We are on our way towards this goal but we know that many challenges are ahead of us.

ehfCL.com: Who has better chance to qualify for the VELUX EHF FINAL4: Barcelona or Veszprém?

László Nagy: If we can avoid Barcelona in the Last 16 or in the quarter-final we may go all the way.

Many people ask me how it would be to play in the final with Barcelona. I always say that it would be a fantastic experience and now I claim that I would even lose that final because it would mean that we were in the final.

But of course in case we will really participate in the Champions League final then I want to win it with everything I have.

ehfCL.com: As you said, there are many challenges ahead. And these challenges are not small things but THW Kiel for example. What do you expect from the Match of the Week on Sunday?

László Nagy: We know that getting one or two points in Kiel would be great. Kiel is the favourite of the match, but that is why we do not feel any pressure and I hope that all of our players can play relaxed and we will see what happens.

We have to start every match with a will to win and we want to do so on Sunday too but a defeat will not be a catastrophe.

ehfCL.com: Will you plan your own future also in Hungary?

László Nagy: Oh, it is a harder topic than the first question’s was. When I played in Barcelona I wanted to stay there, but I could not manage that.

Now that my life shaped this way, of course I am thinking about my future in Hungary. Now I see my future here but I do not rule out that maybe I will return to Barcelona for business reasons, sporting, or any other fields.

Further information
Follow the Match of the Week of the Round 9 on ehfTV.com on Sunday at 19:00 hrs local time