Men's basketball: My big dream is to win the EuroLeague – Ádám Hanga

– After more than six months, what do you think of Madrid? Do you feel at home in the Spanish capital?
– One hundred percent. I think it was the easiest change possible for me and my family. It would have been a lot harder if I had to change countries and leagues. So, I can still play in a league I already know from the inside out because I've been here in Spain for ten years. My integration was even smoother than I expected. I like the management, the coach and the teammates' trust in me. I'm having a great time here, so I have no reason to complain.

– After winning the Spanish Super Cup, you said it was strange to play against Barcelona, but that feeling will ease. You face your former team for the third time this weekend. Has the feeling eased or are you still extra motivated?
– El Clásico is El Clásico, which is very important for everyone, but a lot of titles are not yet shared in this game, and we're only halfway through the season. Nowadays, the tournament is quite strange anyway, as due to the coronavirus pandemic, numerous matches are canceled, many times we do not know whether we'll play or not. The goal, of course, is to win the game, but whatever happens, we can't deal with it for long, we have to keep preparing. The Spanish Cup is about to start, which is as important here as the league.

– Real Madrid is incredibly successful in the league as well as in the EuroLeague, and as you mentioned, the Spanish Cup is coming soon. Is the team's goal to win all three series?
– The aim is definitely to be in the final in all three. If we continue like this, we will have home-court advantage in all areas, and that is absolutely positive. We want to win the league and the cup, and we want to be in the Final Four in the EuroLeague. From there, the ultimate success is only two wins away; anything can happen.

– Going to back El Cásico a little, the team's advantage in the league is relatively reassuring. From the point of view of the regular season win, could a weekend's success against your former team be psychologically decisive, or should we not run so far ahead?
– If we won, there would really be a noticeable gap between the two teams, but we wouldn't have to worry even if we lost. Of course, it's important to have home-court advantage in the playoffs. Last year was different, as the pandemic shortened the playoffs, so only two games had to be won to win the final. For now, it looks like the system will remain as usual this year, meaning we'll have to win three games for the league title, so home-court advantage can mean a lot more.

– Obviously, we're always focusing on the game ahead of us. In addition, we will need full concentration because Alba Berlin is typically a team that has caught better teams than them more than once. They're young, dynamic and dangerous. Besides, it's probably not pompous to say that the underdogs are playing against us with peace of mind – this can make them even more dangerous.

– In terms of averages per match, you play more in the league and the EuroLeague this year than last year. Are you happy with your minutes of play?
– As a professional basketball player, it's natural that I want to play 40 minutes in every game, but that's not possible; you have to see things rationally. We've got 17 players already, which is a lot, and the coach can have a problem with who plays how many minutes. The fact that there is such a big competition to get into the team only motivates us further, but the most important thing, of course, is to win.

– You were infected with the coronavirus at the end of December, but missed only one game, and were already back on the court at the beginning of January. How smoothly did the comeback go?
– Fortunately, I experienced the symptoms strongly for a day only. I had a high fever at the time, but it was gone the next day. My family also got it from me, so we spent Christmas and New Year's Eve locked up, but there was a silver lining to that because we could be together. On the return, I felt like I had lost my rhythm a little bit, but that was mainly because I could only train at home before. Besides, we have not been able to train with the team since then, as we have to make up for the lost matches due to the pandemic, so we have to play more often than usual.

– Last summer, in an interview, you said you'd love to play in the NBA. Have you had any strange feelings in recent weeks seeing that the pandemic has resulted in a lot of players without clubs or already retired ones receiving ten-day contracts?
– They wouldn't be able to convince me with a 10-day contract to move with my family to, let's say, New Orleans... I was half-joking about playing in the NBA, but we'll see what the future holds. I've learned during my career that you never know what's going to happen to us. If we had talked this time last year, it would not have occurred to me that I would be signing for Real Madrid, but here I am. I can't see into the future, but I'd like to perform well here for now. It's my big dream to win the EuroLeague – that's still missing from my collection. I'd like to fulfill my contract in Madrid or even extend it, and then we'll see what else I can do. I certainly have to think about my family as well when I make an important decision about my future.