- Let's start with the most important question a "newcomer" can get: what is life like in Hungary? Have you managed to get into the rhythm of Budapest?
- I am having a great time, thank you. This is my first time in Hungary, but several people I know have recommended Budapest as a city worth exploring. I arrived in mid-July and my experience has been very positive. One of them is that the Hungarian capital is quieter than Barcelona.
 

- Moving to another country, learning about a foreign culture and meeting new people is never easy. Have you been to a "foreign legion" before or is the Hungarian adventure your first?
- The first, and I hope not the last! I'm from Villarreal, but I also lived in Valencia and for an exchange year in Coventry, UK, before moving to Barcelona a year ago.

- Speaking of studies, what is your exact qualification?
- I was originally going to be a PE teacher because it gave me the broad knowledge I needed to specialise in specific sports. Football, for example.

- It must have been hard to get into La Masia as a junior coach.
- I can't deny it was incredibly difficult. It was the result of a multi-round selection process that I was able to set foot in the academy as a professional coach. Of course, we then had a series of preparation camps and training courses to help us to better adapt and, of course, to rise to the challenge.

- Once you arrived, you had to find a common voice with your new colleagues and the boys, which is obviously a long-term process. How easy was that for you? What were the biggest challenges in the first days?
- No problems at all, thank God. As I've travelled a lot before, plus I've lived in the UK and moved around the country several times, I get on well with new people who are very helpful and accommodating here in Budapest. The first few days were a challenge, really, just exploring the city: public transport was a bit of a challenge, and the training centre and the surrounding area took some time to get to know and explore. I'm currently living with a colleague who also arrived at the academy this summer, so I'm not alone in my situation. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my family.

- The Barca Academy Hungary is a relatively new project, as it has only been three years since the academy started in Hungary. What were your expectations and long-term goals when you arrived in Budapest?
- One important aspect is development. We need to introduce the academy and the training model to more and more children, because this is essential for a talented young person to choose us. For me, the most important thing is to pass on my experience, develop the individual skills of the players and discover talent. I think it's an advantage not to have three or four teams per age group, but one or two at the most, so that the kids get enough playing time and more time for their individual training.

- In addition to your organisational goals, you must also have an individual vision.
- This is natural, there should be no question about it! My biggest dream is to be a professional coach in La Liga for a top club, and the academy gives me an excellent start. Here I get the best of the best, with very useful advice from colleagues on a daily basis. I'm twenty-four years old, I have my whole life ahead of me and I want to take every opportunity to improve. I don't like to plan for the very long term, I only set myself the most realistic goals for the short term. One of them is to do my best for my children and to get the most out of them.

- When you were offered the opportunity, you must have weighed up the pros and cons. Why did you finally decide to move? What struck you most about the whole thing?
- Of course, I considered several factors before deciding to move. One of them was the charm of Budapest, because as I said, I had never been to Hungary before. And the most important was the opportunity to develop: to succeed you need hard, solid work, and the academy and working with children is a great place for me to do that. I've always wanted to work in sport and I feel I'm on the right track!

- The life of a football coach is not the classic "eight-to-four job". Training is predominantly in the afternoon and evening, and matches are at weekends. Can you tell us how your day goes?
- I usually start with a run or a gym session in the morning and then spend the rest of the morning planning training and match analysis. After lunch, I like to get to the field early so that I'm the first to arrive, well before the guys. I usually train until seven in the evening, followed by two league games on the weekends. But don't think that I'm all about football! In my free time, I like to have dinner with my colleagues and I also make time for relaxation. But Barca matches are a must, just as a Hungarian first league game is sometimes part of my relaxation.

- As well as the 2007s, the 2011 age group is also under your tutelage. What is your relationship with the boys like? Have they accepted you easily as a new coach?
- Of course! The integration was very easy. To make communication easier, I've started learning Hungarian, but it's a very difficult language. In the 2007 age group, I communicate more in English, while the younger players have one or two players who help me as interpreters, so I can pass on what I'm saying to the players. In any case, my aim is to understand the language because I consider it part of the training process.

- The most important goal in every match is to win, but there are other milestones to reach. One of them is to develop the children's individual skills so that they can become professional footballers. How do you see players in your teams who have a bright future?
- Of course, winning is the most important thing, and of course making the boys feel good about themselves. If they wake up feeling good and are happy when they come to training and games, it's easier to motivate them, to make them understand the task, and so they have a better chance of winning. All my players have potential, of course there are some who stand out from their peers, but that's the same at senior level, in the best teams in the world. I ask them to be patient, because good work takes time and I believe that the results will prove us right.

- You talked about motivation. A coach has to have many qualities, one of them is to get the right motivation from the guys and the other is to be all-encompassing. Do you have any individual techniques that you use to push the guys in training and matches? What kind of advice do you give them off the field, talking about getting the right amount of sleep or eating right, for example?
- Talking about motivation, I don't usually give long speeches. Before and after matches, we talk through tactics and experiences, but I don't burden them with it during training. The players know exactly what their job is, it's up to me to assign roles and give instructions. They see and feel what is happening on my pitch as much as I do. There are some kids I have to spend more time with, but that's okay, it's my job, that's why I'm here, to help them where I can. And I'm happy to give advice to anyone who comes to me: stretching, for example, is a central part of my training as it helps muscles to recover properly, so I make it a priority. They obviously have less time for rest, as they go to school, and eating would again be difficult to maintain in a world conquered by fast food. That said, I ask them to pay attention, but I cannot tell them to eat two bananas a day, for example. The most important thing is that they feel cared for, that someone is behind them, and that they work hard towards their goals.

- Speaking of food, have you tried Hungarian cuisine? Is there a dish you might want to take back to the Spanish Riviera?
- Of course, my colleagues and I go out for dinner a lot. The soups are very tasty and special, especially the goulash, which is addictive. My first experience was at the Barca Roadshow in Ajka in the middle of the summer, just after I arrived in the country. Here, they served a different dish every day, but hot, which was a bit unusual for me in 35 degree heat. It will get better in the winter!

Bartha Kristóf