Ádám Szalai: "I had to work at it all myself"

In recent years, Ádám Szalai has become a fan favourite and features regularly for German top-flighters, TSG Hoffenheim. Although, it was a different story a while ago, "When you look at it now and see that it wasn't easy and that I had a tough time, it's even more special," explained the 30-year-old. In an interview with club magazine SPIELFELD (playing field) on 12 October, the attacker spoke about his great affection for the TSG fans; his journey from Stuttgart youth teams via Real Madrid to the Champions League and most importantly: "I had to work at it all myself." He puts his success in the Bundesliga all down to his attitude. "My whole career has been about willpower. Will I make it or not? When you come to Germany, at 16 years of age all alone and as a foreigner, it's all down to your personality as to whether you'll make it or not. And I made it."

Szalai came to Germany, unaccompanied by his parents, at the age of 16. "The initial period was the hardest time of my life because I didn't know a word of German when I moved into boarding school. The first 6 months didn't go well but then I got to a point where things started to change for the better and in the end, I won the German Championship with the Stuttgart Youth A team," said Szalai. The finisher transferred from VfB Stuttgart to Real Madrid's second team. "It was the best time of my life, especially the second year which went exceptionally well. I was the most successful player in the second team which is why I trained with the first team. At that time, the team was full of global stars and I hoped to make it there with them, but I understood that to play in Real Madrid's first team is very difficult and unrealistic. But that time was important for me and it was a good stepping stone into the Bundesliga."

Relegation with Hannover was a low point

Relegation from the first division with Hannover 96 was a "low point" of his career. Despite that, the experience was full of lessons to be learnt, including never to stop believing in yourself. "I always believed in future success, even when it seemed strange. You can get yourself into a downward spiral, where everything just keeps going wrong, and you've got to fight your way out of that. In good times, anyone can enjoy life but not everyone can deal with the bad times. For that, you need willpower and discipline."

A mark of his willpower is not just to score goals but also to work hard for the team as a whole. "In terms of football, that's how I've been raised. It's not that I don't want to score goals, but this is a team sport. I've always been able to perform and I've always been rewarded if I managed to do what a tactically good manager has told me to do. If I only looked at goal stats, then I should've been a tennis player or a swimmer. You swim against the clock or you play alone to win competitions"

His sporting idol is a player who certainly isn't' afraid of one-on-one challenges. "If I have to say a name right now, it's definitely Zlatan Ibrahimović who has always fascinated me. I'm not talking about his style off the pitch, I'm talking about his style of play. Even as a kid I found his performances as a centre-forward impressive."