Marco Rossi: Nothing can give me more than coaching the Hungarian national team!

– What was your peak of the year?
– Good question... It is easier to answer what the hardest moment was to live through: the match against Albania in Budapest.

– I'm sorry, but not the away match against Andorra?
– It wasn't easy to handle that lightly either because we didn't play well at the time, especially in the last 15 minutes, but at least we won. It wasn't a nice victory, but it was as much a three-point win as if we'd played down the opponent. The defeat from Albania at the Puskás Aréna hurt a lot – and still does – because after that we had to give up our dream of qualifying for the world cup.

– If you could, would you like to erase what happened on October 9 from your memory the most?
– I wouldn't erase anything! I want everything in my head to remember clearly what happened, what went wrong. Some people learn from others', and some learn from their mistakes. I belong to the latter category because I believe that one has to learn from his own mistakes. And experience also tells me that failure can teach more than success.

– We've turned away from the peak moment...
– Make no mistake, there were some beautiful moments of this year, too. If I had to highlight one, it would be when I realized what we had achieved at the European Championship. After the last group match, the draw against Germany, I was very disappointed because we were within reach of the miracle, but after a few days, I realized that I had no reason to be sad. By then, I was also faced with the fact that not only in Hungary but also in many European countries, our performance was praised. It became clear that we had gained the sympathy of many with our style, attitude, courage, and of course, with our big heart – I spent the second half of the summer in quite a good mood after that.

– If I say September 8, 2018, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
– We lost to Finland 1-0, that was my first game as a head coach. I turned 54 the next day, and I wasn't very cheerful, to say the least... I have become accustomed to this, because, in my career, I have rarely won the matches that we played just before or after my birthday, or even on September 9. Three days after the defeat in Tampere, however, my mood was already getting better, as we played much better against Greece, and we won 2-1 with two wonderful goals. And here we are, the Hungarian national team has since played another thirty-seven games, but I'm still the head coach.

– Do you know that with 39 matches you are in 7th place in the all-time rankings?
– Yes, I've heard about it. I feel honored.

– Speaking of which, six more matches, and only Kálmán Mészöly, Gusztáv Sebes and Lajos Baróti will precede you.
– You have to survive until then... We never know what life has in store, so we have to prepare for every game as if it were the last. Especially for the head coach. Because the national team can get an unacceptable result and that means the coach leading the team can't continue to work. That's why I want to stay only until I feel what we're doing is still good. When we get to the stage where there's no point in working together anymore, I don't want to leave with bad memories, I'd say goodbye in peace. But I hope that's a long way away. In March, we signed a long-term contract with President Sándor Csányi until 2025, and I would like to carry it out. Nevertheless, I can only repeat myself: for a national team, every match can be decisive.

– Can you conclude that the national team has come a long way in the last three years?
– I am happy to answer yes to this question, but it is even more pleasing that I am not the only one who thinks so – the numbers, results, and statistics show that we have been constantly improving. We can be proud to have qualified for the European Championship again as we progressed from League C to A in the Nations League. I wish only two defeats to the Albanians didn't happen...

– Is it difficult to be a head coach?
– A football coach's life is never easy, but... To me, that I am the coach of the Hungarian national team is like coaching my home country, Italy's national team. If fate makes me sit on another team's bench in the future, that'll be just work. Emotionally, it won't be the same as leading the Hungarian national team.

– In the Nations League, you might play against Italy twice. Are you happy about that?
– To be honest, not really. It won't be easy against my country in any aspect. I don't need to go into details about what kind of playing power Roberto Mancini's team represents. Let's just say they won the European Championship in July. Besides them, we got the strongest teams of pots 2 (Germany) and 3 (England). But I was not surprised at all; this is my karma. I don't even remember ever getting an easy draw during my coaching career. Well, that's what it is; we'll try to do our best.

– You are not going to work on Christmas, are you?
– I'll try not to. I'd like to spend a couple of days with my family. My wife always says to travel somewhere, but in the end, we're at home celebrating which I don't have a problem with. In fact, our daughter living in Milano and our son playing water polo in Sicily often separate us during the year, so I cannot wait for us to be together again.

– Do you help a lot in the kitchen?
– I help where I can the most – in eating. I have to add that it's super important because if someone doesn't have the role of a big eater, then there's no reason to cook.

– Makes sense! Please, tell me what wishes you have for 2022!
– Regarding my job, family, or something else?

– Alright, one wish for each.
– Regarding my job, I wish to avoid the Nations League relegation. For my family, I wish them to stay healthy and happy. Also, I want the same for the Hungarian people. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Translated by Vanda Orosz