Laughter, jokes and banter fill the room when we enter the Budapest residence of Iain Lindsay. The Scottish diplomat, stylish in his tartan kilt and Scotland top, and Hungarian goalkeeper Ádám Bogdán, currently playing for Hibs in Edinburgh, are connected by two cities, a love of football and a good cause. We meet the pair in the impressive oak room – on the same sofa where Her Majesty the Queen once sat – to find out about their upcoming charity event for which rare items signed by star players are up for grabs.
And, of course, to talk football.
We Love Budapest: Many know you as a Hungarian goalkeeper who has spent most of his career in the UK, and was signed by Liverpool. What else do we need to know about your history, Ádám?
Ádám Bodgán:I signed for Bolton in 2007. It took me a couple of years to get into the first team, but eventually it happened and my dream came true when I played in the Premier League. Unfortunately, we got relegated that season, but I was there for three more years before I signed for Liverpool. That wasn’t as successful as I wanted, but I still managed to play about six games for them before I went to Wigan. I hurt my knee pretty badly and I only regained full match fitness this summer, which is also when I went to Hibs on loan. This is me in a nutshell [he smiles].
WLB: And how is it going so far?
ÁB:It is going really well. We love Edinburgh and I love the club as well, but I’m mostly glad that I can play football and compete again. Feeling all the excitement from 50,000 people when we play Celtic is huge. It’s great to be back after almost two years out.
WLB: Where do you live in Edinburgh?
ÁB:In the Meadows [“Ah fantastic!” enthuses the Ambassador]. I’m quite lucky – every day I wake up and walk to the kitchen and see the Meadows and people going to work. It is amazing. I think in a way you can draw comparisons between Edinburgh and Budapest because in the case of both cities, nothing else in their countries can compare to them. There is nothing else like Edinburgh in Scotland and likewise, nothing lives up to Budapest in Hungary in terms of beauty.
Iain Lindsay OBE:I agree with you entirely and I think Budapest is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe. It is not dissimilar to Edinburgh, it has got this amazing combination of history and the atmosphere you get with such a historic city. There’s a huge river running through it; you go to Vienna and you’re like, but where’s the Danube? There’s the fairytale-style castle above the city and also the Buda hills. I think, among the capitals in Europe, Prague, Rome and Budapest are the three that have got this amazing combination. Edinburgh is also one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and there’s nothing like it in the UK.
ÁB:So I fell in love with it straight away. Since I’ve been living in the UK – I’ve been in Manchester for ten years – I have always been looking for something like Budapest. Since I’ve moved to Edinburgh, I don’t miss it as much as before.
WLB: Do you gentlemen have a favourite place in Budapest and in Edinburgh?
ÁB:The Meadows – it is an obvious choice, but it is so beautiful. I have a three-year-old daughter and we go to the playground a lot. If I have to pick, personally my favourite place is a jazz bar – it is out of this world. It reminds me of the film ‘Midnight in Paris’ – it feels like travelling back in time. I guess the more I discover, the more favourites I’ll have, but for now, I’m really focusing on staying fit and being able to play as many games as possible. The cafés and museums are great in Edinburgh. The Scottish National Museum is amazing – and free. There are a lot of things to do, and many beautiful places, but the Meadows… it feels a bit like Margaret Island here, but it has a golf course at one end. [Iain Lindsay adds: "That’s the fourth oldest golf course in the world."]
IL:I was in Edinburgh two weeks ago for the first time in five years, and I was blown away. I went to school in Edinburgh but being back was amazing. It was a special visit. Even in autumn it was so busy, streets and squares were packed with people. I was visiting as I just wanted to be back to my own country for a little while, and I went to the Meadows. The university is a beautiful area, the Old Town is lovely and I also popped into a couple of old bars. Cockburn Street is wonderful, it bends like an S on the hill. There’s a couple of bars there and it’s full of atmosphere. I watched the Scotland-Wales rugby match there. But my favourite place in Edinburgh is an ice-cream parlour; it’s called Luca’s and every time I go to Edinburgh, if there is one place I have to visit, it’s this one. You normally don’t associate Scotland with ice cream, but a lot of Italians emigrated from Tuscany at the end of the 19th century and they set up delis, cafés and ice-cream parlours. It is fantastic!
WLB: And how about Budapest?
IL:I first came to Budapest in 2004 and I fell in love with it there and then. So when the job was coming up here, I was really keen to apply and was delighted to get it. I love Budapest, Buda and Pest. The saying goes: work in Pest, stay in Buda. Well, now I work in Buda and sleep in Buda. But for me, this is a dramatic city. I said earlier the river, the castle, the hills, the atmosphere, are all just amazing. And the warmth of people. Hungarians are not generally thought of being similar to Latins, but they are also very warm and exuberant in my experience. Perhaps also because I speak Hungarian, but the atmosphere is so warm and welcoming. As ambassador, I’m conscious that people are somewhat nicer when they speak to me, but they are genuinely so friendly. I go around town with my wife on the metro, bus and tram, at weekends we shop at the local market and we love this place, it is a wonderful city. In terms of favourite places, there are so many. People always ask if I like Buda or Pest, but I have to say I like both. The place we take visitors to is a restaurant called Dubarry. It has a fantastic view of the castle, the Chain Bridge, the lovely trams going up and down. Out favourite café is Majorka, but there are too many places.
WLB: Ádám, do you miss Budapest?
ÁB:Oh, I’ve been missing it for the past 12 years. When the summer holiday comes around, I just don’t want to leave Hungary. There is always an argument with my wife whether we should go on holiday somewhere else as I would rather just spend the whole time here. Since I moved to Edinburgh, it’s been a bit easier, but I miss all the things you [gestures towards the Ambassador] just described really. And you know, when there is no football I’m quite free, so I have time to just walk around, sit in a café or visit my family in Óbuda, which I always enjoy. But I really miss living here. Edinburgh, though, is a very good remedy.
IL:I saw a picture of you on Instagram at the Centrál Kávéház – that’s also a great place. Whenever we have visitors we take a tour: we walk down to Széll Kálmán tér, get on the 4-6 tram over Margaret Bridge – because then you get the great view of Parliament – get off at the Pest end of the bridge, board tram 2 and take that wonderful journey down the river to the Central Market Hall and then we walk up to the Centrál Kávéház or Csendes. This is just fantastic. And for a visitor to see all that, there is always the wow factor, similar to Edinburgh. I mean, there is a castle in the city! Something also very beautiful about Budapest is how the buildings are lit up at night. Liberty Bridge is a lovely one. But really, what is there not to like about Budapest?
ÁB:One thing I have to add is the rooftop bars, like the 360Bar. I love them!
IL:Oh, there is a new one now, Leo, I took my wife there on her birthday and it is just amazing. You get a perfect view of the Pest side, Parliament, the bridges – and it is gorgeous.
ÁB:But again, like in Edinburgh, in Budapest it takes only 15 minutes to get out of the city and you are in nature.
IL:This is a great thing about Budapest. From here, the residence, in ten minutes we are up on Hármashatár Hill, in the forest with our dog. There are very few capital cities in Europe where you can do that. It really is remarkable.
WLB: Ádám, would you ever move back to Budapest?
ÁB: That’s the plan! Well, plans can change of course, you never know, but I’d like to settle down here. We have a three year old, she really enjoys nursery now, and if I play football for longer in the UK, she might settle in there, you never know. But the number one plan is to move back, definitely.
WLB: I really need to ask you – what does it feel like being a goalkeeper? I mean, if your teammates make a mistake they can get away with it, but if it’s you, it’s huge!
ÁB:Sometimes it is really hard to enjoy being a goalkeeper while you are playing the game. To be honest, you enjoy it afterwards, when the job is done. You work to avoid something happening, which requires so much concentration. You have to be alert all the time.
IL:As a football fan, what annoys me the most is when I see strikers just easing off. I know they need to conserve energy, but then the game is down to the back four and the goalkeeper. The pressure at the back is just massive.
[At this point my phone is slowly sliding down the sofa.]
ÁB:Your phone is about to fall... See, always alert! [He laughs.]
WLB: How would you compare football fans in the two capitals, the big rivalries?
IL:I’ve lived around the world, seen football around the world and Scotland is a small country, but football has always been huge. Big rivalries and great derby games. There’s so much pressure on the players at derby games. Having to play in that for the first time must be quite something. A fever pitch atmosphere. I don’t want to say hatred, but there’s that element, too. Here in Hungary, I studied in Debrecen and ‘Lokista vagyok’ [“I'm a Loki fan”, ie Debrecen – ed]. I’ve been to several stadiums in Hungary, but the best atmosphere I’ve experienced was when I went to the Hungarian Cup final at the Groupama Aréna – Újpest and Ferencváros. Flares and everything. Of course, as a Rangers supporter I could never support Ferencváros, because of the colours. A lot of my friends are Fradistas, Ferencváros fans, but I just can’t support those colours. Also, a great game was when Honvéd played Videoton for the last game of the Hungarian season in Kispest and the atmosphere was amazing. My driver warned me: ‘You should watch it, it's looking a bit tasty’. When there’s a great atmosphere, football is amazing. When there isn’t, it can get a bit boring.
So what is your favourite team in Hungary? [asks Ádám].
IL:As a typical Scot, I support two teams. Because I studied in Debrecen, I support Loki, but the only team in Hungary who play in blue, white and red [not unlike Rangers – ed] are Vidi.
ÁB:Vasas are my team!
IL:I follow Hungarian football. Chelsea are coming here in December for the last game of the Europa League. That’ll be a great game.
ÁB:I think I’m very lucky to play for one of the top teams. We get 17-18,000 every game and even more if it's a big match. Playing against Celtic was amazing – 55,000 people. That’s a big difference. In Budapest, the biggest team, Ferencváros, get about 8,000 for most games, while in Scotland, Celtic get 55,000. I think I enjoy football more in Edinburgh, I have to say. There are so many people, therefore everything is so magnified, journalists and everyone are a lot more into the game. I really enjoy the derby.
IL:Thefirst time I ever went to a Celtic-Rangers game was when I was at Glasgow University. As a Rangers fan, I had my blue, white and red scarf on and my friend Martin and I headed down to the east end of Glasgow. We had separate cars as I was about to head home to Falkirk after the game and Martin got me to park between two buses full of Celtic supporters. At this point, my scarf stayed in the car, out of sight. Rangers lost 4-0 that day. So I left and it was a very strange feeling. I didn’t have any club colours on, policemen everywhere, supporters shouting at each other… quite a scary moment.
It was very special to see Hungary play Scotland here. During my 40-year career, I’d never seen Scotland play overseas and that was great. The fans were amazing, singing and dancing together.
[Scottish people are so friendly – adds Ádám.]
WLB: And the accent?
ÁB:It took me a couple of weeks [Iain Lindsay lets out a friendly laugh]. When people start talking to you full on, like Darren McGregor in the dressing room, it’s like, whoa!
IL:There are also some special Scottish phrases. Last night I was pulling a pint at the new BrewDog pub and I said ‘Ya beauty!’, which means ‘Great!’ But everyone just looked at me. We also say: ‘Bye for now!’ [He laughs].
The accent up north in Aberdeen, for instance, is so strong that even I would normally understand 50% of the conversation. Within Britain, the two accents best regarded for advertising or voiceovers are the Edinburgh and the Highlands ones – very beautiful. TV ads often use Scottish accents as they are thought of nice and trustworthy.
WLB: And what about these shirts in front of you and the charity night?
ÁB:So, since these two nations, Scotland and Hungary, are so friendly with each other, we would like to do something together for charity and we thought it would be nice for us to represent these two nations together.
So I brought a shirt from Hibs defender Steven Whittaker, signed, my own shirt, signed by the whole team, and Liverpool star Sadio Mané’s shirt, also signed. And my gloves, too, the ones I wore when I played for Liverpool. We are auctioning them all off, giving the proceeds to Hungarian children in need for Christmas.
IL: The Scottish community is incredibly active in Budapest. There is the Robert Burns International Foundation, who have been raising a lot of money over the years, and now we set up the St Andrew’s Association. We will hold the St Andrew’s Ball on 1 December at the Marriott Hotel, where everyone will be able to bid for the shirts. This will be a big gala event and we are expecting 250 people.
This year is also going to be particularly special, as for the first time ever, the Chain Bridge will be lit up in blue and white – Scotland’s colours – for St Andrew’s Day. The bridge was built by a Scottish engineer, Adam Clark, together with Hungarians. There are very strong links between Scotland and Hungary. In the centre of Budapest, two places are named after Scots – Clark Ádám tér and Jane Haining rakpart, after Scotland’s only Holocaust hero.
And in Scotland, the oldest building in Edinburgh is the 12th-century St Margaret’s Chapel on top of Edinburgh Castle, and it is named after Margit, a Hungarian princess who married a Scottish king. So we’ve got these amazing links and this charity night is another great example of Scottish-Hungarian friendship.
The St Andrew’s Gala Event will be held on 1 December at the Marriott Hotel in Budapest, and you can secure a ticket by contacting the organisers at SaintAndrews2018@gmail.com. Anyone present will be able to bid or bids will be accepted over the phone. More details
Bye for now!
