Péter Bozsik: I have no reason to be dissatisfied with my life

– Were you really lured to Hatvan (the city and team name Hatvan means Sixty)'s bench?
– It would've been better to have been called from Ötven (“Fifty”)... – Péter Bozsik, who turned 60 and has worked in Komárom for five years, got the picture. – It's a pity that there is no such town and team, although I feel like I should be there.

– It seems you are doing well and are entirely fit.
– I feel really good about myself. Even my wife flatters me by saying that I look ten years younger. In return, I'm flirting with her by saying she looks the same as 20 years ago. We're having a good time, aren't we?

– Do you look back on a nice six decades?
– I have no reason to be dissatisfied with my life. Obviously, I had some turning points that I didn't get along with, but I think other people can say the same. I certainly could've been more successful, but I don't want to complain. I've lived through a lot of things, a lot of good things have happened to me, and I keep those as a memory. I forgot the bad things a long time ago.

– Do you take some time to celebrate?
– That's an interesting question. My birthday is on October 30^th, which is very close to All Saints' Day. When I was a kid, my parents used to postpone the party by a week or two so we wouldn't celebrate when we remembered our loved ones. On the other hand, the end of the year is coming up, so you can think a little bit about what's behind us. Taking this opportunity, the family wanted to put together a major gathering, and it would've been a surprise party, but I asked that we be only in a small family circle. I'm not scared of being 60, and on the one hand, I don't feel 60 at all. On the other hand, there's so much work to be done that there's no time for much fun. Thank goodness I'm still living an active life, and if it happens, maybe we'll celebrate the 70^th fairly.

– Knowing you, it's hard to imagine that in ten years you'll sip red wine by the fireplace and be nostalgic...
– Well, then I'll tell you that I like fireplaces. Sitting by the fire in an armchair has charms. Ten or fifteen years ago, we actually settled in Zala county, where everything was set for our quiet everyday life. But life later made a different turn.

– Speaking of Zala: 20 years ago, you were the head coach of the team...
– ...that won the gold medal! Even after all these years, I'm so proud to have won the league by writing club history. It's one of the most, if not the most beautiful, memories of my coaching career. To this day, I'm fond of the players, colleagues, managers, fans, and the city Zalaegerszeg. What we achieved at the time was a great act, it binds us together forever.

– I heard Aunt Marika has been calling you before every Christmas and other holidays ever since.
– Correct. Even if we don't see each other often, I try to keep in touch with a lot of people. Besides, I believe that a team is not just made up of footballers and coaches. In order to be successful, everyone from the storekeeper through the laundress to the masseur has to pull each other in the same direction. We were champions because that's exactly what happened to us.

– What do you consider to be the pinnacle of your career: the primacy you achieved with ZTE, or the fact that, like your father, you were able to coach the national team?
– My captaincy didn't turn out the way I had hoped, but coaching the national team is the greatest honor and the pinnacle of the profession. If one is asked to do the job, they must say yes under any circumstances. And what's the top? I started coaching Vasas mid-season, and we finished third with a great feat, and then came the first place in Egerszeg. I believe that a Hungarian coach couldn't achieve more in Hungarian football around that time.

– Just to name another anniversary: five years ago on October 20 was when you sat on Komárom's bench in NB III. Do you enjoy coaching?
– If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't be here. They love and appreciate me in Komárom, and they recognize my work. It's also true the other way around, which is why we're working together.

– Did I see it well that at the inauguration of the Bozsik Aréna in July, after cutting the ribbon, you walked off the pitch in tears?
– You did... I'm always overwhelmed with emotion when my father is recognized. He was the first person to have a stadium in Hungary named after him. It is elevating to me that after the old facility, the new arena also bears his name. It was great to feel the love of the owners and supporters of Honvéd. I didn't even mention that besides my uncle, Lajos, my wife, daughter, and younger son could sit in the stands and experience what the name Bozsik still means in Kispest.

Translated by Vanda Orosz