‘I’m staying in Karlovac for one more year, I hope we will have the season everyone remembers. I need to work more on myself to get to the national team, my country is Hungary, but…’

Benedek Pintér is a playmaker for Rukometni klub Karlovac, and in the previous season he was played a main part in bringing the club back into top flight. He came to Karlovac last September, from Hungarian team NEKA, and he played for years in the best Hungarian club Veszprem. It didn’t take long for him to become fan favorite, and in every match you could hear fans screaming ‘Beni’. Even though this award doesn’t officially exist, he was MVP of 1. Liga jug last season, he scored whooping 164 goals and gave out countless assists. Today, we spoke with ‘Beni’, who is currently on a holiday back home in Hungary, and he gave us an answer to one of the most asked questions – is he staying in Karlovac next season?

‘From athletics, swimming, basketball and football to first steps in handball’

How did you get into handball, did someone introduce you to the game? 

I started handball when I was in second grade, so I was seven. Before this, I did a lot of sports with my family, like athletics, swimming, a little bit of basketball also. And at first, I was a goalkeeper, because when we were playing football, I was good at being a goalkeeper. I think I lasted only three weeks between the posts, because, I was scared of the ball and I didn’t like that. – Who was your handball idol growing up? My idol, I would say, was definitely Andy Schmid from Rhein Neckar Lowen, he was my idol as playmaker. Not a question, Balić was also an idol. But for me, Schmid was a different level, I think he won three or four times Bundesliga MVP and at that time he won the Champions League as well. – Any Hungarian players maybe? Hungarian players, as a playmaker, I can’t really say. And even now when I look, there were good players, of course, there was Lekai Mate, he was, also, a super playmaker in Vezsprem and for the Hungarian national team, but the playing style was totally different than Andy Schmid.

You come from Hungary, you joined Karlovac from NEKA, played for a big club like Vezsprem, what was your career path until coming here?

I started playing in my hometown. It’s called Szentgotthard, and it’s not easy to pronounce. So I started there and I can tell, I was pretty talented, but I was a little bit advanced, maybe, if I can say it like that, then others were. One time I went to a summer camp to a city called Alsóörs, after that they called me to go there. I was not even hesitating, I was just 13 years old, so I didn’t even finish eighth grade. And then I joined Vezsprem Academy. It’s close to Alsóörs, so  it was obvious that I will join them. When I look back and think back at the time there, i am always smiling, because I finished high school there. As I said, I was talented, but in the academy I was never the best player, but I was the starting playmaker. Our team, this 2002/2003 generation, was the best in Europe for 2-3 years. When we were cadets, the only team that was hard to beat was Dugo Selo. – Kuzmanović played for that team if I remember correctly? Yes, Kuzmanović, and Mišković, who is now the coach of Gorica. And then, I started playing in the 2nd Hungarian League, where my coach was Đani. After that I had some offers from 1st league of Hungary, and I felt that it was time for me to level up to small Vezsprem. It was not the big Veszprem where the Academy was, and after the 5th game in the new season I got injured, so I had to get surgery on my shoulder. Because of not playing and because of the situation of the club I left to NEKA for the last season, as you said.

‘First year, whatever happens, we need to enter the Premijer liga’

Of course you knew Dinko before coming to Karlovac, he was your coach in Vezsprem, did he contact you right away to come to Karlovac, as soon as he became the new head coach?

What I can tell you is that we had a great connection in Veszprem. We worked together for 1,5 year I think. And he was not sure where he will go after he left Veszprem,  we were talking, and he asked me what do I think of Karlovac, and do I want to play abroad. I had some offers from first league in Hungary, but Đani’s offer was promising. And also for me it was very very important, that after that season of not playing 60 minutes, I wanted to gain back confidence in my attack, and playing time. That’s why I said yes to Đani, when he told me, that he will for sure come to Karlovac. After that I think when he said yes to Karlovac, I said yes to Karlovac shortly after. We never spoke about one year, we spoke about maybe two years, but that first year, whatever happens, we had to enter Premijer League, and in the end we managed to do it.

It’s been now a whole year that you have been here, did you get used to Karlovac, was it tough at the start, and how did you blend in?

For me Karlovac is a great place to live. If I look at the city, it has, I think, everything that I need to live. It’s not big, it’s not small. If I need something that is only in the capital, I can go to Zagreb in less then 45 minutes. So it’s pretty good. I have the Adriatic sea, like one and a half hour away, and I have my hometown in three hours, so everything is pretty close. For me to blend in was very easy. Of course, I needed some time to adapt, but every teammate, every staff member was very kind and helpful. I think I needed a little bit more time, to get used to this lifestyle, how Balkan people live and think. For me most important thing is always handball. If I look at the city also, If it has good handball and if I feel good about my handball, then it doesn’t matter how the city looks like.

‘When my grandparents came to Karlovac to see me play, it was one of the best days in my life’

You mentioned that Zagreb is really close, your hometown is 3 hours away. But except from Karlovac and Zagreb, did you get a chance to explore other beauties of Croatia?

When I was a kid, it was very popular that people from Hungary go to the sea in Croatia. So I went like 2-3 times of course. I tried to explore some things, but our schedule is pretty busy. We have 10 trainings per week, and one game on the weekends, so it’s pretty tough to find some more time to travel. But, this season was also good, because we had some teams next to the sea,  so I enjoyed a little bit of that beauty. But Croatia has a lot of hidden gems, for example, I was at Plitvice that is also close and that was also very beautiful. As well, I like Istra very much, and every year I go to Poreč, where I am part of Luka Cindić handball camp staff, and in 2 weeks I will go there again. When it’s summer I like to spend my time, also, with family and friends, and a lot of them are here in Hungary, so it’s not easy to travel to Croatia, and be with my family in Hungary at the same time. But, I think I will try to manage that.

You live far away from your family, they are not just a 15 minute drive away, but they are following you closely, I saw on social media that they support you from everywhere, what does this support mean to you?

Yes, that’s maybe the best thing. I told you that first thing in my life is handball, but the first first thing in my life is my family, and after that we can talk about my profession and hobbies. I have a big family and I’m very lucky that I , also, have my grandparents alive. One time they were in Karlovac, and for me, that was maybe one of my best games, one of the best days, because of them. This support that I get from my family is such a big plus in my career. But it’s very nice to see that when I play in Karlovac, that is three hours away, my parents are almost always there. I’m not a kid anymore, and they still do this for me, and for themselves, of course. This kind of support from family, friends, girlfriend, that is the best, and I’m very honored and lucky that I have this support.

Most of the people don’t know this about you, but i saw you streching before and after the training, you were the only one staying for that long, how important is that part for you?

I talk about every sport now, but in general, people switch on the TV, and for example, Bolt is running 100 meters, winning Olympic gold medal. They say okay, he won, he has this achievement, and he gets a lot of money, but they don’t know how much he trains for this. That goes for me as well, it’s very important, and I think for every player it should be important, because you do it for yourself, and not for someone else. This is the work that you put, when no one is watching you, these 30 minute mobility sessions after training, 20 minute foam roller before training, and one plus training per week. This work must pay off, that’s my thinking of being a professional player. It’s not just playing good 60 minutes, it’s going to every training motivated and disciplined.

‘I wouldn’t have been the MVP without my team and amazing fans that we have’

Let’s talk about the rivalry with Dubovac. You played a lot of big games, but those games were special in a filled arena with close to 2000 people. How is it to play in such a derby?

For me those games against Dubovac, I was waiting whole season for these games, and I knew that these games will be hard but somehow we managed to win both. The games were both physically and mentally hard. I’m very happy that we won both and, about fans, something that I learned after one year being in Karlovac, is that maybe these two teams are separated, and these two groups of fans are also separated, but it would be one big plus to have Dubovac fans watch how Karlovac plays in Premier League, and say ‘let’s go and help them’, because Dubovac have some guys who are crazy and cheering with everything they have. I know it’s two different teams but we are not enemies, we are just rivals, so I hope for the next season I will see our fans cheering for Dubovac, and I hope that their fans will cheer for us.

Did you expect that many people for the derby, drums banging, sirens…?

Maybe it sounds weird, but for me, it’s not pressure, it gives me even bigger motivation when I hear drums, people screaming. It doesn’t matter if they cheer for you or against you, but the atmosphere is different when there is 15 people in the hall and they are just quiet. When the stands are full and when fans are crazy, especially when you play away, it’s not that easy for me.

A little bit about your great season, you were undoubtedly the MVP of 1. Liga jug, you scored 164 goals and was a great part of bringing Karlovac back to Premijer liga, what does this accomplishment mean to you?

Thank you for telling me these statistics, it’s a great honor to have this accomplishment. ‘What was for me the biggest goal?’ Personally, and also for the team it was great to enter the Premijer liga again, so i’m happy that we accomplished this, but of course, personally, top scorer of this league and MVP for this league. I wouldn’t have accomplished that without a great team next to me, without the great support from the fans, without trust from the coach and, of course, without the hard work that I put every day into trainings. But in the end of the day, these goals for me are only statistics, most important is that we accomplished this promotion. It’s a great motivation and it’s a great reference for my work, and I’m very motivated for the next season.

‘Whenever I went to club gym he was always there… I couldn’t believe that’

Now that you have played in Hungary and Croatia, what is the difference between Hungarian and Croatian handball?

I need to play more games against the Premijer liga teams and better teams, so then I can make conclusion of the first leagues, but I think technically, maybe Hungarian players and league are better. and the players have more skills. But what is 110% different, is that physically, this Croatian League is way harder. It is not faster, so when I go on one on one, which is maybe my biggest strength, I have advantage here. Also, what I can see is that the players and the teams are tactically not that prepared in this league, opposing to the Premijer liga, and I am 100% sure that they will be more prepared.

Are lower ranks in Hungary better as well?

I don’t think so, for example the second league in Hungary and second league in Croatia are generally pretty same. Croatian League is physically stronger, some teams in Hungarian League are maybe tactically better. Also in this league, where we were, there were three or four teams that were also tactically and mentally well prepared, and those games were not easy to play. The hunger in the players eyes for winning the ball, winning the games, one on one duels, goes to Croatian players. In some parts of Hungary they are not that focused in the games, but I can’t tell that this is true for all Hungarians.

You shared the locker room with some all-time greats like Mahe and Lauge, who, in your opinion, is the best player you have played with?

Yes, I was at Veszprem, but I was only training with those you mentioned sometimes. I was more with the academy, with Đani and younger players. We trained in different groups, of course I trained with them as well, but I never played at the same time with, for example, Kentin Mahe. Technically and outside of the court I liked Mahe, he was a great guy, helped me a lot. I was only 19 years old, and wasn’t ready yet, and how they played was on a different level. There is such a big difference, when you, for example, see Gisli Kristjansson playing, and after that you see me. When I was in academy, Rasmus Lauge was playing for Veszprem, he had problems with injuries, but he always trained and played. Like, I stayed and streched after the training, but Lauge, he stayed even more, done one more rep, one more training. Whenever I went to the club gym, he was always inside… I couldn’t believe that I can’t enter the gym without seeing him there. He was a big motivation for me to stay after trainings.

‘In Karlovac I will be the best version of myself as a player and as a person’

I know it is too soon to speak about that, I hope we will again in future, but hypothetically, if you ever get a call up from the Croatian national team, would you choose us, or would you wait for the Hungarian call up?

Yes it is very soon to talk about this. After this season I consider myself as a great player, but I still ‘stay with both feet on the ground’. I need to work, improve, so one day I can reach the national team. I don’t know the rule to play for Croatia, but if I had to choose, of course it would be stupid to say no to my country. But, if I play for 5 years in Croatia, speak fluent Croatian, and there is a chance that in Hungary they have three or four good playmakers, so they say they dont need me, and Croatia has only one good playmaker, then maybe why not play for Croatia. It is a great honour to take the jersey of your country, and that country for me is Hungary.

You have been giving me quite some hints in your answers, but the question that everyone in Karlovac wants to know, are you staying with us for the next season?

Yes, I was giving you everything on a plate. But yes, I will stay in Karlovac for one more season, that’s for sure. I will be the best version of myself as a player and as a person. I am very motivated about next season, I hope we will have the season everyone remembers. We need the support from fans, city and the government, because it is not easy without it. Our realistic goals for the next season is staying in the Premijer liga, but personally my goal is to improve and enjoy the games, giving everything for Karlovac, the team, fans, myself.

(Interviewer: Tonko Tomičić, Photo: HRS)