Miklós Rosta: "We can be one of the dark horses"

Two years before, Hungary and Slovakia held the EHF EURO 2022, which was highly anticipated by the Hungarians even though they had never reached the knockout stage at the continental tournament despite the country’s rich history in handball.

Since those unfavourable memories at home, the national team finished 8th at the Men’s IHF World Handball Championship 2023 with multiple promising results and performances. Miklós Rosta was yet again part of the squad. However, massive changes happened in his life as the new season began.

Although he had successful campaigns with his previous club, OTP Bank – PICK Szeged, he couldn’t refuse playing more minutes and a personal call from Xavi Pascual, who helped many line players to be the best. 

“I wanted to evolve; for that, a player needs minutes. As Xavi explained his ideas, I only wanted to follow him to Dinamo Bucuresti. Xavi knows how to bring out the best from his athletes like Ludovic Fabregas, and these two things together gave me more confidence, which can be negligible for us handballers.” says the Hungarian line player who signed for three seasons with the plan of playing the whole game, not only some minutes as he did behind Bence Bánhidi in Szeged.

There are other novelties in the 24-year-old player’s life. Even more significant than the moving. “As of now, I am alone in the Romanian capital, but not for long. My child will be born in January, and hopefully, the whole family will soon be together in Bucharest.” In the last couple of years, Rosta became unmissable when the Hungarian Handball Federation released the roster. Thus, the upcoming challenge did not surprise him. “I believed in my decision; more minutes meant more goals, strengthening my confidence. Naturally, it could have gone the other way, too, but there is no reward without some risk. Wearing the national jersey always gives me an extra boost. This is why I play handball, this is the biggest honour,” explained Rosta proudly.

Almost one month before the first match against Montenegro on 12 January in Munich, the national seven started the preparation close to Budapest, which will finish with a friendly match against the Czech Republic. Head coach of the line, Chema Rodriguez, is well-known by the players as he leads them for the second season and spent five years with Telekom Veszprém before retiring.

“As we just started, we do not know much about the tactics. I hope my form will speak for itself and I can show it at the practices. We all want to play and help to triumph, but the current situation will decide who spends the most time on the court. With Bánhidi, I am sure we can create enough space for the backs and wings to tire the defenses out.” he highlights a 203 cm tall line player whose father and uncle were national team players.

In Bucharest, Rosta took a leap into offence and levelled-up in defence. While Dinamo is still unbeaten in the domestic championship, they won four out of six matches in the EHF European League. In the latest tournament, he scored 21 on those six matches as the third most in his squad, while the organization finished the group stage with the best offence along with Flensburg.  

“I already learned a lot from Xavi and the coaches. If we, line players, have the attention of the defending team, there is more space for the backs to net or to make key passes. This system also works in the national team. I want to prove to my fellow mates that I can be a key on both sides of the court, that I became a two-way player.” clarifies Rosta his role.

The Hungarian national team kicks off the EHF EURO 2024 against Montenegro, where plenty of players compete in Europe’s top flight and the strongest championships like the German or French.

“At the EURO, nobody has easy matchups. Still, we must win against Montenegro. They are the ones we may be able to outscore. We have to focus on their wings, and if our defensive wall works well, we should start with two points.” 

The red-white-greens continue with Iceland and Serbia. Two completely different game styles but many familiar faces. 

“I have many Serbian teammates at Dinamo, such as Cupara (pictured below) or Kukic, not to mention that I played together with Borzas and Radivojevic back in Hungary. Both sides know the other well. As they face Iceland in the first round, we will see what has changed since our last rendezvous. Serbia are always a tough team to beat - they never give up. This will be a huge test of our defense. One thing is sure with us: everything starts in front of our goal. We have a bigger chance to win in low-scoring games.” gives the Hungarian a slight hint about the tactics.

“The last bout will be against Iceland. We would like to repeat the result of last year’s World Championship when we beat them. At first glance, they seem to have the strongest line in our quartet, but this was the same in 2023, too. We have to slow them down, and one of the best ways to do that is using line players like me to exhaust them.”

In Hungary, only the ‘W’ is acceptable for the fans, especially in handball. The expectations are high, even though consistency is not one of the most used indicatives of the Hungarian national team.

“Chema Rodriguez pays attention to every little detail, and he speaks the language of the players to share his thoughts and ideas. We cannot ask for more. He also knows how to motivate us, not that we would need it, but somehow, he can still get in our mind to expose extra strength and skills.”

Roland Mikler, one of the best Hungarian goalkeepers of the last two decades, will not join the team, but Rosta is still convinced that they can surprise the opponents.

“We always focus on the upcoming match. Unfortunately, this time, without Mikler, this does not stop us from doing our job. I am sure he could have helped us with his extra energy and performance that pulled us out of trouble many times, but the other goalkeepers, Ando, Bratucz, Nagy, Palasics, and Székely, are also great. Do not forget one thing: Although nothing can come close to the vibe in Budapest at the last EURO, multiple friends of mine and hundreds of fans have already claimed that they will be in Germany with us. With their help, we could beat even the favorites like Denmark or France; thus, we can be one of the dark horses,” shared Rosta.

Photos © Kolektiff Images & Dinamo Bucuresti