Portuguese sigh: „After all, Budapest is a beautiful city, isn’t it?”
Márton Székely, goalkeeper of the Hungarian men’s handball team is already looking forward to the EHF EURO 2022, including the Hungarian-Portuguese group match. The player who has been with Porto for the past few months is also looking forward to the football team’s European Championship group match against Portugal on Tuesday. Upon his return, we were asked for a brief status report.
The player from Telekom Veszprém joined Porto for a sad apropos, as the Portuguese team took the place of Alfredo Quintana, who died after a heart attack. Of course, the contract would not have been possible without his abilities: Márton Székely was not there by chance in the team that took the 5th place at the January World Championship.
“Apart from everything, I felt good about the team. My family would not have come out to Porto with me, if they had been with me, these three months would obviously have been more complete,” says the Márton, from whom we first inquired about how he got to know the Portuguese people.
“They calmed down, but maybe not as much as the Spaniards. I arrived in a very happy Mediterranean environment, a place where life is lived. People try to build everything around family and happy moments. I have noticed that money is secondary, family and friendships are more important and beside it to connect with as many people as possible. Moments of living together are preferred. ”
Porto won the championship with 100 percent performance, bidding farewell from the Champions League against Aalborg away with fewer goals in the first playoff round. The handball of the Iberian country has come a long way in recent years and has now become one of the best in Europe. We were wondering what could be the reason for this and where the sport is now located in terms of domestic judgment.
“Football is the first in Portugal, it’s not surprising and I think it’s an irrefutable position. But the fact is that Portuguese handball has developed tremendously. One of the reasons for this is that Porto players form the backbone of the national team, and their routine and development are also projected into the team’s performance. The 7 on 6 game system that is played on the club team is also a practice in the national team, and once the players know each other very well, it works well. A huge advantage is that players know each move of the other and there is no need to spend several weeks or months getting used to preparing for world competitions.
Laymen may not understand why Portugal could be there for the Olympics, but it does have a right to exist, with players coaching and palletizing in the international elite, in the Champions League, as a key player. Portuguese handball is far ahead than we thought a few years ago. Huge congratulations to them for being there for the Olympics. The field will be balanced, I will try to stay neutral, but my teammates, whether they are from Porto or Veszprém, can count on my support. ”
The Hungarian national team also ran into the Portuguese at the 2020 European Championship, in the semi-finals, and there the rival could rejoice in the victory. The two teams will now meet in the group stage in January 2022.
“The day before the draw, we talked to our teammates in Porto in the locker room and everyone said they didn’t want to be in a group with us. We met the next day and their gaze wasn’t really sincere. Then they smiled at me and just said: after all, Budapest is a pretty nice city, isn't it? They are also waiting and I am also very much looking forward to the European Championship, I have a lot of hope from ourselves and our audience as well, ” said Márton Székely, who is now starting his rest period.
“Now is really the time for summer vacation, for rest and active rest. Because we go to move even then, but we really leave the ball in the hall. Preparations will start around mid-July, so now you really have a chance to relax. ”
Or just for cheering: the Hungarian national team will start the European Football Championship on Tuesday, against Portugal.
“I can rarely sit in front of the TV and watch world events in various sports, but if my time allows, I always support Hungarian club teams and national teams. Now I will have time for this, and I can say on behalf of the entire Hungarian national team that we are very much a fan of the national football team at the European Championship. I watched the Hungarian-Portuguese match of the last tournament in a fan zone Budapest, it was a great experience. Hungarian sports, where they can, stick together, we support the others, we hope that they will join us next January as well, ” said Márton Székely.
By the way, you can also meet the handball European Championship on the fan terrace of the European Football Championship: our thematic, interactive adventure park will be open at the Aquarium Club on Erzsébet Square until June 27. With state-of-the-art digital tools, those interested can measure their essential skills for handball, and groups of friends can even compete with each other.
Details about the Adventure Park HERE!