This is the first time in your career that you’ll play abroad. What do you know about ARIS and the Cypriot championship?
When I was young, I dreamed about playing abroad and showing my talent in another country, not only in Hungary. I worked a lot to achieve this target and I want to prove that I can help the club to reach our goals. I’m a little bit “sportsmaniac”, I follow so many championships, like the Cypriot league too, and some Hungarian mates are playing here, we keep in touch. I know that Aris is one of the oldest teams in the history of Cypriot football, and I think it’s very important because without the past, there is no present and no future. This year, the team can achieve the best result in the club’s history and I’m very proud to be part of this. I hope I can help the club during this year and in the future, too.
What are your first impressions of the city, new teammates and coaching staff?
I can say only positive words about the team, everybody is very kind and helpful. It seems everybody has the only target to get the team to become better and better. The coaching staff is very professional, everything happens for the players, we can focus on our job, nothing else. I enjoy every day around the team and it’s very important. After some days spent here, I can say that I enjoy the city too, I can imagine my life here for the long term. It’s almost perfect, but I miss my daughter and my wife. When they arrive, everything will be perfect.
What were the reasons you joined ARIS and Cypriot football?
In the last 10-12 years, I worked a lot to have the opportunity to go abroad and show my skills in a better league like the Hungarian one and I think now I'm in the best place for this. My dream is to win championships, cups and this is the main goal here in Aris. I’m working a lot to show my skills on the pitch like in the previous years in Hungary. I have lots of goals here and I’m able to achieve them.
Can you describe yourself as a player?
I’m a creative player, I like showing special things on the pitch. My strength are passing and shooting skills. I like to give a lot of assists and deep passes to my teammates. I know that those things are the most difficult part in football, but this is why I love this game! When I get the ball, I want to create and try to do some difficult solutions. We have to take risks to create and show special things.
What do you prefer: scoring a goal, providing an assist or both?
In the first few years of my career, I passed to my teammates in each situation, I loved to give assists any time… but after a few years, I realized that in my position, the role of the goals is more important than I thought earlier. So, if I want to answer the question, both are very important because that is why a player is complex in this position. In the last few years, I had a lot of goals and assists, and I try to continue this performance here in Aris, too.
Does the number 49 you chose have a special meaning for you?
Yes, my two lucky numbers are 4 and 9, but it’s not the only reason I chose this number. My wife was born in 1994, her favourite number is 9, and our daughter was born in September, in the ninth month of the year. So, we can say that I chose number 49 because of my family.
The spell in your previous club coincides with your father’s spell as a coach. Does this affect your development as a player since you had a very good season so far?
Yes, my father was a very good player, he played in France and Belgium abroad. He played on the pitch in the same style as me, so he understands why I do some things the way I do, why I assume special solutions sometimes. Some of my previous coaches didn’t understand it, and they tried to avoid risk, but I think without risk we can’t achieve anything. And that is why he was different about my playstyle. He knows what and why I do and gave me freedom on the pitch. My brother was his assistant coach and his presence helped me too to play with this performance. In a few years, he will do better than my father, it is so special how he sees football.
Was your father’s name in Hungarian football a burden for you as a youngster?
In the first years of my career, I was continuously getting that “you are here because of your father…”, so yes, I heard it so many times… but it was never a burden, I tried to draw strength from this. Some years later when I showed my talent to everybody in Hungary, these people who came every time with my father, changed their opinion, and later I became “Little Bognár”, then I proved on the pitch and now I’m “Bognár”. I always had to show more than my teammates because of my father, but it was never a burden, I like challenges, if you have to work more, do work, this is life!
What would you describe as a successful season with ARIS?
This team is able to be the best in the championship, so the answer can be no other than I want to win the championship! We have 12 more matches and in the playoff everything can happen. I believe in performance. If you play well as a team every match, the results will come. If you lose with good performance, you have to keep it and next time you will win, this is how sport works. This is the only way to evolve and to be successful in the future.
What is the message you want to send to ARIS fans?
My message to Aris fans is that I promise to give it my all on the pitch, and I want to show them what I can do, being special and making a difference for the team. We need our fans because football is for them! We are Aris!
