Slavia is looking for reinforcements, waiting for Stancio. A good week awaits us, assures boss Tvrdík
Thirty-year-old Jean-David Beauguel was one of Pilsen’s key players last season, who played a huge part in the Fortuna Liga triumph. With nineteen goals, he also became the best scorer of the competition, but unfortunately for Pilsen fans, he left Štruncovy sady after the season. In an interview with Ruik, the French forward talked about his eight-year career in the Czech Republic and his new engagement in Saudi Arabia.
Since this season, you have been active in Saudi Arabia, where you wear the jersey of the Al Wehda club. How satisfied are you so far in Saudi Arabia in terms of life and football?
Of course, life here is different, but it is definitely not a country where women do not have freedom, as the media reports. No way! There is huge development here and big projects are being done here. One day it will be like Dubai.
And as for football, it’s a big difference compared to Europe. First of all, the weather here is really hot, especially in September or October, when we play or train from 7 p.m., it’s always around 35 degrees and 60% humidity.
It’s really hard to breathe while playing and I’m dead at halftime. (laughs) But the training intensity is not high. We hardly ran in the pre-season, which surprised me. Of course, everything is also a question of adaptation. I personally work with a fitness trainer to keep fit.
Was there any chance that you would stay after the championship season in Pilsen?
No chance. I decided during the preparation in Austria. I also had a meeting with Mr. Šádek and told him that I would not stay at the club. Of course I tried during the season, but I was just determined.
But I was still dedicated to the club and wanted to do the best for the team and the fans. I wanted to leave with good memories and I am very happy that I somehow made a mark in the history of the club.
You worked in Pilsen for three and a half years, how will you remember Pilsen?
Like a city of beer. (laughs) No seriously, I will remember it very fondly, because I worked in a top club, where I played European cups and won the championship. Of course, I must not forget the excellent past and the wonderful atmosphere that prevailed in the club.
But I will probably remember the fans the most, because I really did not expect such great love and respect from them. To this day, I still get messages from which I am moved and for that I want to thank them very much.
Last season you became the top scorer in the Fortuna league and helped the team to the championship. The previous season was not very successful for Pilsen, and the following one already brought such success that it dethroned Slavia Prague. What has changed in the club?
The club was undergoing some personnel restructuring, as guys like Limba, Hubník, Hořava, Petržela, Baky and others ended. I used to call them the grandpa gang for fun. (laughs) So we lost experience and character. And at that time, Slavia also played really well. He performed brilliantly in the Champions League or the Europa League, making them hard to beat.
But over time, they also started selling their key players and in the meantime we gained more experience and played. And we were certainly helped a lot by the arrival of coach Bílek, who chose Horvi and Baky as assistants. They created a great atmosphere in the team and did a great job. I had a lot of confidence from the coach and I had a huge motivation to prove something. I played completely at ease and without pressure. Even if I didn’t play well, I knew that during the match I would get a chance and I could score. Of course you also need luck, but I had a really great time playing.
In Pilsen, you started under three coaches, under Pavle Vrba, Adrian Gula and Michal Bílek. How did you cooperate with them?
It was not easy with Vrba. (laughs) When I came, I tried to show my quality so that I could replace the injured Krmenčík. I was ready to help the team and become the number one striker during his injury. Well, he came back and I ended up on the stand from the number one position. But this also belongs to football and you have to withstand these situations. Anyway, I appreciate his work for the club.
At that time I wanted to leave the club before coach Gul’a arrived. He convinced me to stay and told me there was definitely a chance. So for the first six months I had a lot of confidence. I was in constant contact with the coach and I think I played well into the problem I had with the fans in Olomouc. It was difficult for me to play football and I really wanted to leave the club.
During the summer training, I talked a lot with Gul’a and he told me that he still believes in me and wants to have me in the team. I didn’t have a good preparation, but when the league came, I scored goals, but then some Kobra came and I suddenly stopped playing.
I hate it when people are not honest and play a double game with me. And this is exactly what coach Gul’a did. He told me that I was the best striker, important to the team and deserved to play, but Kobra was starting. And suddenly I was like a ghost to him and he stopped talking to me. Until Kobra started playing badly.
He was suddenly trying to be my friend, but I didn’t trust him like before. Anyway, I had no problem with the Cobra. He’s a really good guy and he’s been scoring goals too. But I simply did not like the behavior of coach Gul’a. When I learned that coach Bílek would sign a contract at the club, I was happy. Because he trained me already in Zlín and I had the opportunity to get to know him as a coach and a person. I knew it was the best option for the club.
So that we don’t just talk about Pilsen, I want to ask you about your previous place of work in the Czech Republic. What comes to mind when you hear the words Zlín and Dukla Prague?
When you say Dukla, the first thing that comes to mind is Luboš Kozel, because he was the first coach who gave me a chance. And I also have to mention Mr. Suchopárek, who is a really wonderful person. And when Zlín is mentioned, I remember my first trophy, when we won the MOL Cup with coach Páník. I really like this guy. A very nice person and he was such a dad.
In Zlín and Pilsen, you should have met two important personalities of Czech football, namely Zdenek Gryger and Adolf Šádek. How important are they to their clubs?
Mr. Grygera is trying to get Zlín into a better position in the Czech league, but if you don’t have a big budget, it’s very difficult. I have a very good relationship with him. The funny thing is, I met him in Monaco this summer drinking Italian-style coffee. (laughs) I was very amused by that. And as for Mr. Šádek, I probably don’t need to say how important he is to Pilsen. He did an incredible job for the club. It is absolutely incredible what he has done with the club. I told him to come to the south of France one day for good French wine. (laughter)
You worked in the Czech Republic for eight years, what did this period give you in terms of life and football?
In life, it helped me learn to open up to people more. Of course, I also got to know a new culture. I got the opportunity to get to know the wonderful city that is Prague. I also like other parts of Bohemia or Moravia, where I liked the mentality of the people there. In those eight years, I have not met nicer people than right there. It’s wrong for me to tell people in France that they simply have to visit Prague.
And in terms of football, it helped me to have a strong psyche, self-confidence and it showed that if you want, you work for something, you can achieve a lot of things. There was also a problem with racism in the stadiums, but I never had a problem with Czech people. The only negative thing was from January to March. (laughs) And it was terribly cold, I really hate it. (laughter)
Source: Ruik.cz