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If someone shows up for the national team at the age of 31, it cannot be said with the best of intentions that it is a true blitzkrieg. Obviously, this doesn’t bother Norbert Book at all, in fact, by his own admission, he’s the happiest man in the world. Whoever denies even when notified that he will receive an invitation to the national team thought that they would call him from the Ready Scam program. But when he was replaced in a game against Serbia, he was struck by how fabulous, very realistic that was happening to him. Great interview.
Perhaps not many people know that he is from Mohol in Vojvodina, his parents still live in the small town. What was the echo of your debut in the national team? That it all happened only against Serbia and they also scored a winning goal?
Finally someone knows exactly where I come from! Everyone thinks that I was born in Topolya, although this town of 6 to 7 thousand inhabitants is actually my family nest. Although my parents are divorced, they actually live in Mohol to this day. When I called out to them, I heard that they were both sensitive, their voices muffled.
It is not surprising, because like them, I would not have thought that one day I could be a member of the Hungarian national team.
When was the last time you were home?
Half year ago. Unfortunately, it is also not good to hear news from home, I know that the borders will be closed soon due to the epidemic, so we may not even be able to celebrate Christmas together.
How did your football career start?
It was like going down to the Mohol soccer field when I was 7 years old and spending all my free time there. But he not only played soccer, he also played handball in parallel. I was able to push both quite well, as evidenced by the fact that at 16 the Orosháza handball team invited me to a rehearsal, I traveled to them, but the survey scheduled for a week turned out to be nothing, because after three days I packed my bags and went home. It was then that I finally decided to choose soccer.
He came to Hungary eleven years ago, signed by MTK. Why is it justified there?
By then, I was already playing Topolya, and the match went so well that I also topped the scorers list. This was seen by one of MTK’s coaches, László Somodi, who saw it live, and then told the head coach, József Garami, that it would be good to see this guy. In my first match, in the training match against Vecsés, I immediately scored three goals, and since it was possible to play in the League Cup even without an official contract at the time, they must have tried it against Budaörs. I’ll never forget it, I stood up in the 81st minute and scored a winning goal in the 88th minute. That’s when Józsefék Garami told Gábor Várszegi to prepare the contract at lightning speed.
What did you learn from József Garami?
I owe him a lot because he treated me so much. Growing up on the ground, I had quite a few shortcomings, Garami mainly honed my technical and tactical skills, he really did a lot to become a stable NB I soccer player.
After that you also performed in Paks, Vasas and Debrecen, where did you feel better and what was the reason for the club changes?
I played twice on Paks, it’s no coincidence, I felt great there. The boys of Paks have grown to my heart, if I can, I will be among them again until today. As I really enjoy fishing, the proximity of the Danube was not a last resort. I also loved playing in Debrecen, the family also had a great time in Hajdúság, we have already decided that when my football career is over, we will settle there forever.
When you arrived from Debrecen two years ago, was there any sign that the seven-time champion team would end in such a crash?
It was not my place to go. Understandably, I wanted to play as much as possible, But when I communicated this to Gábor Szima, he only said: as soon I will be 30, I am not the man of the future, on the other hand, there is no guarantee that I will be able to carry the standard that is expected of me in the future, so I prefer to give the opportunity to the young people who leave the academy. Okay, I said, you think so, but I still have spirits in me, so I confirmed it to Paks. I think I managed to show that I was thinking correctly. However, he absolutely did not expect Debrecen to drop to NB II within a year. I wholeheartedly pressure you to get back to the forefront as soon as possible. There’s a place.
On the other hand, he was surprised by the fact that after a year of playing for Paks, he was hired by Zalaegerszeg. What did the people of Zala decide?
It would have been one more year since my contract, but ZTE owner Gábor Vég bought me. I also nodded to the offer from the Egerszeg people because I always played there, I always felt like a footballer because of the large number of spectators and the great atmosphere. Yes of course, It was also a crucial argument that I think the club could advance this year, we could even be in the top five. However, he did not expect so many people to leave the club, and this will be affected mainly by offensive play.
Is it true that it didn’t take long for you to qualify for NB II in the summer and be a Debrecen footballer again?
Debrecen’s new circle of owners called, but I didn’t feel the need to demonstrate it to the second class. I chose Zalaegerszeg to have new impulses, to renew myself, luckily it entered, but I did not think that it would lead me to the national team.
Were you very surprised by Marco Rossi’s invitation before qualifying for the European Championship against Bulgaria? What was your first reaction?
The cold shuddered. When the manager of the national team, Attila Tömő, called and said: “I am looking for you because Marco Rossi has been selected for the Hungarian national soccer team”, I asked him twice, “do it”. At first I thought they were calling me from the Ready Scam program, Attila, hearing the pauses of several seconds, even asked, “Are you surprised now?”
You haven’t played Bulgaria yet, but once you found out that you were already in the starting lineup against Serbia, how did you prepare for the match?
I do not deny it, the last time I was so nervous in my NB I debuted as before the game against the Serbs. I didn’t think there would be a situation where at the age of 31 he would pull me out in preparation for a date that would be a ball of dough down my throat. Well, the introduction to the Hungarian national team brought back exactly that feeling. But after the referee blew his whistle, at that moment that feeling faded from me, I just saw the ball in front of me.
What happened to you when you fired that particular shot at Predrag Rajkovics net?
In fact, I didn’t even realize what I was doing back then, fueled by adrenaline. But after the 63rd minute he was replaced by captain Marco Rossi and I sat in the stands at the Belgrade stadium and saw on the scoreboard the status of the match as well as the “scorer: book”. Well, by that time, the cold, the goosebumps had shivered, and I began to realize where I was and what I was doing. After all, no one can take away from me that I became a Hungarian national team and scored a winning goal in Belgrade, my homeland.
He only played against Iceland in the 84th minute, but scored decisively in the winning goal. What happened in that game?
I thought that the events that I had experienced against Serbia could not be overcome. But yes, it could have been. When Szoboszlai started, my first thought from my stomach was to ask for the ball, I tried to shake my defender, so I ran cross. This, in turn, created a large space that Dominik saw at one point, saw brilliantly, and kicked a great goal. After the ball was fired, the only thing left for me was to encourage the ball to bounce off the inside post into the net. I did what I wanted to go home. But Dominik was also a gentleman, since in the dressing room he did not forget to thank me for opening the area to him.
Apparently, in recent days, they have been asked several times, what is the secret of today’s Hungarian national team march? How do you see all this from the inside?
In any case, it is the person of Federal Captain Marco Rossi who has shaped the current framework, found a common voice with us, developed a tactic with the five-defense system and selected the right people who are capable of bringing his ideas to life. . It is also very important that success has shaped us together, that we can fight for each other and that everyone has been able to contribute something to the great team. This is precisely the reason why we play in any line-up, the basic tactics remain the same, as all members of the squad are capable of performing at a high level, so the national team will not be weaker if the line-up changes for any reason.
How do you feel that the world has become so big for you in two months?
It is a great honor for me to wear the coat of arms of the Hungarian team as a Hungarian from Vojvodina. I can handle things in their place, I don’t forget where I come from and I also know exactly that they are very proud of me at home right now. After all, a lot of people from the area have already made it to NB I, and there was even Zsombor Kerekes, who could have also been a Hungarian national team, but maybe now they are proud of me because I can be the first to demonstrate the team national in the European Championship. As a member.
He mentioned that they are very proud of you at home now. And how did you receive the close family that has become one of Hungary’s most popular footballers?
I owe a lot to my wife, Anastasia, as she was already with me when I signed with MTK in 2007, 13 years ago.
He was always swimming in a dead end, if he was not there, he could have returned to Vojvodina years ago, and then we could not talk about the Hungarian national team now. We have two wonderful children, 7-year-old Emanuel and 2-year-old Savannah. My young son is completely excited when he sees Dad playing soccer on TV, but at first he didn’t fully understand what it meant to be invited to the national team. His first reaction was, “Oh, are we saying we are moving again?” He really understands what is going on around us now, but when I return home from the national team training camp, he, like his brother, is very proud to wear the Hungarian team jersey.
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