His football resume does not even belong in the MSFL. Slovakian Richard Hečko (22), Vsetín’s winter reinforcement, is a pupil of Slovan Bratislava and worked for three years in the youth selections of the Italian Atalanta Bergamo! In the team that is playing in the Champions League this season, the lanky stopper still has some former teammates. He himself needs to restart a promising career after an injury. His target? Professional scene, ideal top competition. Easy in the Czech Republic. However, he can make a living from football even in the third league.
How did you get from Bergamo to Vsetín?
“The agent I work with found me this club. Vsetín was looking for a stopper and I wanted to go to the Czech Republic to try something new. They are a fighting type, I think the football here will suit me better than, for example, the second Slovak league, from which I also had offers. The fact that it is close to home, where I will go quite often, also played a role.”
You spent three years in Atalanta as a youth player, before that you went through Slovakia’s national team selections. Wasn’t there a chance to get to the first team of a top Italian club in time?
“There was a lot of competition. I had Scallvini in my position, who is my year. Today he plays in the A team. The left stopper Matteo Ruggeri is in Atlético Madrid. Cittadini, who is a year older than Cittadini, works in Serie B (Frosinone) and is also after an injury. If I had known that he would start Atalanta B, I might have stayed there. I had offers from Serie C, but at that moment I thought that it would be better to go to Slovakia in the first league. I still follow Bergamo, I am a fan of him.”
The club is famous for the identical 3-4-3 offensive style produced by all pupil teams. Is that so?
“Exactly. I came to the U17s and played a few times for the U18s in the first year. The same style was played everywhere. Only in Primavera it changed then. Sometimes it was played with three at the back, sometimes with four. Compared to Slovan, there was a huge difference in the quality of the players and the training process. Everyone had the goal of establishing themselves. That’s how it looked in training and in matches.”
The guys in Vsetín are smart
Is the third league not enough for you?
“Not at all. I’m after a knee injury, I didn’t play much last season. Now I’m finally healthy and I hope to get minutes in the spring. I want to help the club and myself. I definitely plan to go higher in the future. Maybe to the Czech league. That’s why I’m here.”
How does the newcomer of the third league, who is in the middle of the table after the autumn, affect you?
“I’m very positively surprised. I didn’t know exactly what the level is here. The boys are skilled, I get along well with them. We get used to each other on and off the field. Even in Italy, artists were trained, so I’m used to it. I know that Vsetín is a very hockey town, but I don’t follow it much. Even though my grandfather played professionally.”
Your career is a bit messed up, huh?
“You’re right. If I could go back in time, I probably wouldn’t have taken some of the steps. But I believe everything is for something. I have a goal to get to. It just might take a little longer than I planned.”
You worked in Podbrezová, among others. Did you happen to meet the Czech coach Roman Skuhravý there?
“He experienced. (smile) It was my first experience in adult football. Coach Skuhravý is very demanding, he focuses on details. The training sessions are very intense. He is a perfectionist. Every day he wants more and more from himself and others. I know that he is now in Slovakia.”
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