It's all about: team spirit

I spent the last European Championship in 2016 in front of the television, cheering on Hungary, my father's country. It was absolutely amazing how emotionally the football was lived on and off the pitch - I was hooked straight away. Especially in the 3-3 draw against Portugal in the group stage, the Magyars demonstrated their special team spirit. Supported by probably 30,000 frenetic Hungarian supporters in Lyon, the draw against the eventual tournament winners was a real surprise.

Two years later, I became part of this team and now, five years after Euro 2016, the next big tournament is coming up for us – in fact, it’s huge! We have three group games against some of football’s powerhouses: the current world champions, former world champions and the current European champions. You couldn’t face bigger opponents. Our team spirit will be the most important thing - within the team, together with the fans in the stands and also within the entire country.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS: TEAM SPIRIT

Yuval Noah Harari's bestseller "A Brief History of Mankind" gives an impressive description of how our civilisation has developed - and even thousands of years ago it was about team spirit to a certain extent. Everyone gives his or her best for the goal of the group, for example food or reproduction, and fulfils his or her task for the community. For only together could they survive in the wilderness. Humans have always been herd animals with clear hierarchical structures. 

In my view, it’s similar in competitive sport. Without a well-functioning collective, sporting success cannot be achieved in the long term. High-performance sport is too advanced for that, the individual competition too strong and the performance density too tight. This is especially true for smaller teams. The first decisive factor for a well-functioning team is the composition of the squad by the management and the coach: who harmonises with whom, how many stars can the collective tolerate, who leads the team, and so on.

Our coach, Marco Rossi, has therefore only called up players who consider it a privilege to represent an entire country and are ready to commit themselves to the group. Before every match, whether it's a European Championship or World Cup qualifier, a friendly or Nations League fixture, the coach reminds us: "It's very special to be a national team player for Hungary and to represent a whole country. Ten million Hungarians are behind you!" It’ll be the same words before the first group match against Portugal - and we will all consider it a privilege to be able to give our all for this group. Eleven players on the pitch, all for Hungary.

CSAK EGYUTT

Our motto is: "Only together we are strong"; in Hungarian: "csak egyutt". Every player has internalised this motto - otherwise he wouldn't be here. That's why we live by the motto, in the emotional speeches from the coach but also off the pitch. We eat together, play cards, darts or billiards together in the evenings, watch the games together and discuss tactics. Everyone is ready to completely commit themselves. There are no airs and graces here.

In addition, for many, playing the European Championship at home is not only an emotional highlight, but also a big stage to show themselves. There could be unique opportunities for each individual. But here, too, everyone knows it's only possible together. All alone there’s no chance.

CLEAR HIERARCHIES WITH LEADERS

For the collective to function and be successful, it needs the right type of people and characters who are performance oriented and willing to learn. Those who can carry other players along with them and additionally motivate them. Leaders with special character traits are crucial for team success. They have a different demeanour, have more pronounced and clearer self-confidence, are empathetic and usually have a greater wealth of experience.

Especially in difficult phases, when there is a lot of pressure on the collective, they take responsibility. Here in the Hungarian national team, there are some leaders: Adam Szalai and Peter Gulacsi, for example, are players who stand out with a lot of experience in top European leagues and give stability to the group. The group can always rely on these guys, they always lead the way. 

FANS AS AN EXTRA BOOST

In addition to the special squad selection, the emotional speeches of the coach and the clear team hierarchy, however, another factor is extremely important for the team spirit, and that’s the fans. After a long time away from the public, the joy of finally having spectators in the stadium again is extraordinary. As a player on the pitch, it was a bit tough in the last few months and only half as nice to play without fans - regardless of the fact that the measures were right and very important with regard to the COVID-19 developments.

However, it’s not only the people on the pitch but also the spectators in the stadium and the viewers in front of the TV who deserve an attractive football festival after this long absence. On top of that, two home games in the almost new Puskas Arena - wow! I can promise you it’ll be loud! Over 67,000 Hungarian supporters will be more than a 12th man and will drive us forward - a real home advantage for us as underdogs. A filled stadium can therefore release energy and inspire our team. The opposing team could at least be emotionally occupied by this, they could lose focus.

We’ll see in a few days whether this atmosphere, #csakegyutt and the pronounced team spirit will be enough in the end to cause a sporting surprise or two. In any case, we’re ready for the Euros and hope the team spirit will be our wild card. Willi.