The “Dragon” off the field » Radu Drăgușin on hobbies, life in London and sports secrets: “I like chess!”

– On your social accounts it says «hard work beats talent». “Work beats talent”, right? Tell us what this motto means to you.
– It's a motto I've had for some time. It has also been my WhatsApp status for a while. I can say that with all the teams I've been to and played with, if there's one thing I've noticed, it's this: the player who has the talent, has the technical ability, but isn't willing to put in the work, pull for the team, sacrifice himself, removes himself from that team. The same for me. Honestly speaking, me I'm not the kind of player who had a great talent for something. My whole career is built on work, honesty, modesty and my ability to keep learning and adapt. These things are qualities that should not be missing from any player who wants to perform. Like I said, there's a lot of emphasis on character these days.

Radu Drăgușin offers behind-the-scenes details: recovery, training, nutrition

– You've always had an imposing physique, but it's clear that you've put on a lot of muscle mass since coming to English football. How much time do you spend in the gym now and how important do you think your physical appearance is in such a championship?
– Especially in this championship it is very important. But more important than the time I spend is how I spend it, the quality of training. Here, even more than in Italy, training is more personalized, for each type of player, role. That's why I was saying that the jump I made from Italy to England was in all categories.

– Legs or upper body day, what do you prefer?
– Ha-ha-ha. I think I've come to prefer leg day. I realized that you can have a very nice physique up top, but if your legs don't go, you can't compete in this championship.

– The food you eat most often? And what does your menu look like on a day of intense training?
– My menu is varied, but in the morning I can say that I have been eating the same thing for 3-4 years, an omelette with ham and an avocado toast. At lunch we have the nutritionists who offer us a variety of dishes from different parts of the world. This is very important, so that you don't get bored of the food you eat.

– What does your ritual look like after matches?
– Of course, you try to recover as quickly as possible for the next training day or the next match. I usually try to take a quick 10 minute cold shower after the game. Then I try to sleep as much as I can. It's quite difficult, especially after the very late games that end at 10, 10.30 in the evening. There are also nights when I fall asleep at 3-4 in the morning, primarily because of the adrenaline you have after the match, but also because before and during the match we take different energy gels, which have their effect for quite a long time.

– After matches do you stay away from the internet and social networks? Do you try to look for analysis, constructive criticism, opinions about what you did on the field, or avoid this area altogether?
– It depends. When I was at the beginning of my career, sometimes after matches I would go in to see some analyses. I always want to see my phases, not necessarily with comments, but it is inevitable, today, that you do not get any kind of news, more or less constructive criticism. But that's the world we live in, the less beautiful part of football, but we have to accept that too. That's what public opinion is about. As I progressed in my career I started not to consider so much, to go more to our coaches and analysts to analyze a match.

Radu Drăgușin's hobbies: “I like to play chess! I have ELO 1.450”

– Who is Radu Drăgușin off the field? What relaxes you, what brings you joy, what hobbies do you have?
– Off the field I try to disconnect as much as possible, to relax, to find things to do. I try to create an environment as favorable as possible. That can mean a walking my dog, spending time with my wife, cooking, watching series and movies together. Let's go to town, play chess… I like to play chess and many of us do.

– Where do you rank among your colleagues?
– Among the first, if not the first.

– What ELO do you have? (no – coefficient that evaluates the skill of a chess player. Grand Masters typically have over 2,500)
– 1,450, around there.

– WOW.
– Yes, I like it. It turned on after I watched The Queen's Gambit, although I played it before, but just like that… Then I started to get interested, to learn openings and I still like it. For me it's something that really disconnects me and I really enjoy playing.

– Because you have to be there all the time with your mind.
– One mistake and you lose the match.

– Who gives you the biggest problems in the team?
– We play quite a few. Ben Davies plays, and Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie plays so and so. There are quite a few players with this passion.

From personal life: adjusting to London, listening to music, being a husband

– You mentioned going out on the town. How do you like life in London, how have you adapted, how often do you get out of the city?
– I live close to the field, quite far from the city, somewhere an hour, an hour and a bit when there is traffic. London is huge, a very big city. You can't get bored here. You have all kinds of cultures, things to do, to visit, to see. I like to visit places, try new foods. It is a beautiful city.

– What kind of music do you listen to, what do you have in your headphones before matches?
– I can say that I listen to quite a wide variety of music genres. Usually, before matches, I focus more on trotting, Romanian rap. I feel it motivates me.

– Newer, husband. How is Radu Drăgușin the husband?
– It's the same. We felt it was time to take this step. I have a wonderful relationship with my wife. It's the support I've had, in the last 5-6 years he's always been by my side. And the sacrifices he's made to be with me, especially now… We've moved in together since I came to London and I felt like this was the next step in our relationship. In the end, we asked him the big question and we are very happy.

– How emotional was the moment?
– Very emotional, who says he wasn't emotional is wrong! But at the same time everything was so natural… Our relationship is so beautiful that things came naturally.

– We stay in the personal area, but towards the business area. We are seeing more and more footballers launching into business early in their careers. You are already in the area of ​​restaurants, real estate… Do you plan to expand your portfolio in the future and how do you see the investment area as an active footballer?
– Very important. I realized that the life I have now, the salary I have now, I will not have for the rest of my life. It is important to lay the foundations for the future on this plan as well. I can say that it is a field that I entered on my own. I was interested, I always liked to focus on this field as well. It is important as footballers that we put our money safe for the future.

Radu Drăgușin: “At the end of the day, you are with yourself and no one comes to save you”

– If you wanted the public to be left with an idea about you, one that would describe both the man and the footballer Radu Drăgușin as faithfully as possible, what would that be?
– In the life of any person, I think the most important thing is to be fair and honest with yourself, to have an honest conversation with yourself at least once in your life. Unfortunately, many people lie to themselves. I see and have seen this in many football players. What I mean is that in life you can have all the options you want, but the important thing is to go in the direction where you know you will be able to have a future. The most important thing is to be modest, humble, willing to work in any field and be fair with life. At the end of the day you are on your own and no one is coming to save you. I understood this throughout my career and I think it helped me mature a lot, especially when I left home and realized that there was no one to save me, to go to. Especially in Italy, in the early years.

– Radu, thank you!
– Thank you too!