At the beginning of this year, Martin Regáli got his first foreign assignment, he went from Ružomberok to the team of the Belgian top competition KV Kortrijk. There he experienced two diametrically different half-seasons. “I want to enjoy football again,” says the 30-year-old native of Prešov to ŠPORT.sk.
You have disappeared from football radars for the last six months. Why did you stop playing in Kortrijk?
“Unfortunately, it is so. I was brought to the club by coach Bernd Storck (also known from Dunajská Streda, editor’s note), together with the sports director, who left after the season. Practically the entire management has changed. The coach did not stay because they wanted to sell the club, which they ultimately failed to do. It was a very turbulent period, for the club and for me. The new coach Edvard Still told me that he doesn’t count on me and I should find something.
The club demanded the money they invested in me and a solution could not be found. Subsequently, I was transferred to the B-team and banned from playing there as well. They didn’t treat me very well. The current situation is that I am looking for a new club. Fortunately, I was healthy for the entire half-season and was able to train. I am looking forward to a new challenge.”
VIDEO: Performance of Martin Regáli in KV Kortrijk
So you’ve only been training in the B club since the summer?
“Yes. One of the few positives was that the coach was very accommodating. I was also able to train individually and prepare well for my new workplace.”
Level? Miles away
Kortrijk is in last place in the Belgian league. Wasn’t there a possibility of returning to the A-team during the season?
“It was not a matter of performance, I think it was a political decision. The sports director said that he doesn’t count on me and doesn’t want me at the club, so it didn’t matter at all. Even though the third coach came in, the situation didn’t change for me.”
In the first half of the year after leaving Ružomberok, you played more or less regularly. You played in 13 league matches, including matches with Gent, Anderlecht Brussels, champions Antwerp or Saint-Gilloise. How do you rate this period?
“It was great. The level in Belgium is miles away from our competition. I played as a substitute player and a player in the starting lineup. I went there with the aim of helping Kortrijk to the rescue, which we did. I evaluate the first half-season positively. Of course, I needed some time to adapt, I think that’s normal. The first half of the year was good for that, but the continuation, or extension, just didn’t come.”
Return to Slovakia (probably) not
What next for you? What will your future be?
“I believe that I will find a new club this winter. They confirmed to me in Kortrijk that I will be a free agent, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.”
Is a return to Slovakia in play or do you prefer abroad?
“I do not rule out any possibility. I’d like to stay abroad, so we’ll see how that goes. Currently, as far as I know, there is no specific interest from Slovakia. We’ll see if that changes in the next few days.”
Regáli had an excellent time in Ružomberok, where he developed into the star of the team. Source: TASR
Progressing to the EURO did not surprise him
During your time in Belgium, you were dropped from the national team squad, for which you played in 4 matches the previous year. Meanwhile, the team advanced to EURO 2024. How do you rate his performance?
“I am very sorry that I was eliminated. It was for objective reasons. I am glad that Slovakia qualified for the European Championships. From the first moment that I had the opportunity to train under coach Calzono, I saw and knew that he had a head and a heel. Therefore, the procedure did not surprise me at all.”
In the group, Slovak footballers will also face Belgium, even in the opening match. What responses did you register there?
“My teammates and I picked on each other a bit, but somehow we didn’t live it up. It would probably be more intense during the championship.”
news-item-description">Journalists from the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws believe that their national team has been given the easiest possible group at EURO 2024. Slovakia, Romania and the team that emerges from the playoffs will be an easy bite for the star of their national team.
You turned 30 in October, which is still the perfect football age. Are you thinking about returning to the national team?
“Being at the ideal age, I see it the same way. I have had a great experience and will do my best to perform at my best. I am not thinking about the national team at the moment. The priority is for me to find a club, play regularly again and enjoy football.”
2023-12-29 11:30:00
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