FTC: It’s not always easy to be first – Tokmac Nguen

– What happened in the locker room at halftime?
– Nothing special – said Tokmac Nguen without hesitation, Ferencváros' universal player, who played as an attacker, a winger, and a midfielder on Sunday. With his goal in the 91st minute, he was the decider in the match against Kisvárda (2-1). – The professional staff quickly showed us some technical game situations on their tablets, we discussed what we needed to change, and the substitutions worked well, too. It is already usual for me that the first half is always hard as hell when playing at home because we are under pressure to win, and the opponent defends massively.

– How much of a boost can a victory against Kisvárda give you mentally?
– We already knew before the game that we'd have a special 90 minutes ahead of us. We all knew what was at stake, and that we had to win. In the first half, Kisvárda could have scored two or three goals, but after the half time break, our game improved so much that we could have scored three or four.

– What do you remember about your goal? The ball came, and...?
– Aïssa Laidouni deserves credit for getting to the net. He attacked forward, and I kind of sensed that the ball that had been passed could get to me. Franck Boli and Marquinhos were fighting for the ball, and an inside voice told me to go forward, into the empty space, and my feelings weren't wrong.

– You've scored five goals this season. Don't you think it's not enough?
– I don't like being judged by my goals. Since Stanislav Cherchesov's arrival, a lot has changed in my game. I'll give you an example: I played football in two or three different positions against Kisvárda. I've had to play in defensive midfield lately when I've never played in the number 6 position before in my career.

– How do you like it?
– It's not bad. I wouldn't even compare my game to Bálint Vécsei's or Aïssa Laidouni's, but I try to give my best in this position, too.

– Can you still surpass your 11 goals from last season?
– Why not?! But what's more important to me is to become champions again. I've never been the guy who puts himself first.

– Is there a chance for another title?
– Now, this is another sensitive subject...

– Why?!
– Sometimes I feel like we're not the champions, like we aren't leading the table right now. I know that people always want to see a festive game from us, but you have to understand, it's not always easy to be first. Everyone got euphoric after our first league title, and after the second one, they were thinking about the third, and now, we are preparing for the fourth... We have to be mentally strong for that. You also have to understand that this is the second time in the season that there has been a change of coach at the club, so it is natural that there are some difficulties. We have to learn the expectations of the new professional staff and the new players have to fit in – both humanly and tactically.

– The press have reported multiple times that your contract expires in the summer. Are you in discussions with the club's executives about a renewal?
– Of course. In recent years, we have achieved incredible results together. I would not be where I am now without Ferencváros.

– Would you want to stay?
– Everyone dreams of La Liga, the Bundesliga, but it's hard to get in. The club knows my position, they know that I love it here. I am proud to be a footballer in Ferencváros and my family is having a good time in Budapest. The club always wants to improve, to invest its revenue in new, even better footballers, and this mentality can take us even further. I feel good at Fradi, everyone can believe that because if I didn't, I wouldn't have been here for a long time.

Translated by Vanda Orosz