We are heading in the right direction

I don’t take any. Some friends help me speak it. The people here in Veszprem are very friendly and helpful. I am always very keen on learning more but shorter sentences. To be honest, I want to learn because the people don’t necessarily speak English, only German. If I learned Hungarian, it would really help me integrate.

Many people think you are the new Carlos Perez. How do you feel about this?

Carlos is a real superstar. He is 42 years old, but still plays very well, and he also works hard in training. I would have to say he is a great role model. Being compared to him is an honour, but I just want to be Iman Jamali.

You are still relatively young, how do you feel to be here in MKB  Veszprem?

The life in Iran is completely different. The family is always together, more generations live in the house. Here in Hungary it is very different. Once you are 20, you move out of your home and try to start your own life. For me, it is difficult to live alone. I try not to think about living so far away. I speak to my family on skype.

When you came for a trial, did you expect to be offered a contract?

I felt confident, when we started training, I asked myself “why not”?

How did the players welcome you to the team?

Everyone was really friendly and open to my arrival. Everyone asks “what’s up?”, it really makes me feel welcome. First they didn’t know me, but now I think that they really know who I am. We really became friends. When we don’t have practice, it is often difficult for me, because most of them have their family here, and I don’t. It makes me feel lonely.

You have a very strong arm, is it due practicing so much?

I am a shooter, always was. It might be a given trait, but I’ve always trained a lot.

You have played many games up to now. Has it been hard to pick up the pace?

At first, it was difficult. When I came here, everyone was up to the task, but I had to do a bit of catch up compared to the other guys. Due to the level of the sport in Iran, I easily scored 10 goals a game. Here it wasn’t so easy. I listened to Ortega very carefully and learned a ton from him. When he said I needed to change something in my game, I did. Defending is also something I need to work on, but I am here to improve!

Bezdek Márk