Interview with Lucas Marcolini Dantas Bertucci, midfielder from Kisvárda FC
@NicolasSchiller had the opportunity to talk with Lucas Marcolini Dantas Bertucci, Brazilian midfielder from Kisvárda FC, ahead of the second leg match against Molde in the Conference League. Lucas told us about his first steps in Brazil, how he adapted to Hungarian football, the growth of Hungarian football both at club and national level, and how Várda will face this new season after being runner up last season and the games against Molde and Puskás Akadémia.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Born in Brazil and formed in the youth team of Ath. Paranaense, how did you get to Hungarian Football?
I started playing futsal when I was very young and after that I joined the Athletico Paranaense Academy. A lot of good players come from there like Fernandinho. After that, when I turned 18 years old, my cousin Leandro was playing here and he played for teams like Debrecen, Ferencváros and also the National team and he invited me to come here to test for Debrecen youth team.
What are the main differences you find between Brazilian and Hungarian football?
For me it was totally different. The tactics, how they prepare, the training, and it’s still totally different now. I think it’s easier for players that come from Brazil now because in Hungary now all the players speak in English and when I came they only spoke in Hungarian. Also, the training is harder, more agressive and more tactic, so at first it was hard to adapt.
After 16 years, do you have the desire to play for Hungary?
When I came I was expecting to play three or four years here before moving to one of the big leagues but that didn’t happen. However, Hungary did and gave everything for me. I learned a lot of things here, I have my family here and kids that were born here, so when I took the Hungarian passport I started to dream about the opportunity to play for them. I think two years ago I was one of the best players in the League and of course you dream of playing for the National Team of Hungary but now I think the National Team is doing very well. Maybe one time I thought about that but not now.
Right now Várda is going through the best time in their history, last season you were close of winning the League. Does that give you pressure for this season?
Is good to know that when I came to Kisvárda they were a small club that was in Second Division and they went step by step to grow. The people that work for Kisvárda made a lot of good work not only bringing good players but also they give a lot to the club like the new Stadium, and lots of things that can help to the progress of the team. So yes, last season we finished second and nobody expected that so maybe there is a little pressure to be again in the first three positions but I think our team deserve this. We have good players, and it’s amazing to be part of this time in history of Kisvárda and hopefully we continue like this.
Part of this growth is being in the Conference League. Although you lost the first leg, How do you feel ahead of the second leg playing at home?
Of course we know it is very difficult to change the situation but we don’t give up easy. We’ll go out to win at home, even if we don’t score three goals to tie the series or four goals to automatically advance, we want to finish with a victory.
What aspects of the game has the team been working on to change what happened in the first leg?
Two days after the loss in Norway we won in the League so we are very confident. We are a very strong team playing at home, tomorrow we will have to attack more and if we score within the first 15 minutes, anything can happen. That is our plan for tomorrow, to score the fastest possible.
With Ferencváros being eliminated from the Champions League, do you think it would be possitive for Várda to continue playing in the Conference League and having three competitions or being eliminated will help the team to focus on winning the League this season?
I think is good for everybody if we continue in the Conference League. Of course it would be harder and we would have to adapt playing more games but for myself is better. I like playing within three days so I think we would just have to adapt and have no problem with that.
You are first in the League and will face Puskás Akadémia days after the Molde game. Are you guys thinking of this or are you going step by step?
Yes, we also think about Puskás. Since the start of Conference League we set our mind to think about two games including the League, this is also important for us. We use a lot of different players that they can show themselves in League or Conference games, so the internal competition also help us.
Hungarian football has seen a remarkable growth in recent years, why do you think this is?
Yes, for sure. A lot of players from near countries like Serbia, Slovakia, everybody wants to come to play to Hungary, and you can progress a lot in this League. Football has progressed a lot, all the clubs have new stadiums and this is very important, they don’t have problems with salaries, which is also very important, and Hungarian football is more professional now, all the teams, the National team and the League, which means a lot of teams from other countries are looking for players that play in this League.
To conclude, what do you expect for this season?
For myself, I’d like to continue helping the team and making a good season without injuries. For the team, we know it’s difficult to beat Ferencváros in position, but I hope we can be like last season and if we end in second position everyone would be happy. If we end in the first three positions it would be amazing.