John Ugo in an interview: "Barda is doing a tremendous job, BS will not lose to Maccabi Tel Aviv" - voila! sport

Summary: Hapoel Beer Sheva - Hapoel Jerusalem 0:0 (Sport1)

Let's start with a sensational discovery that surprised even those who see John Ugo at least once a week: he has glasses.

It's been two months.

We will continue with full disclosure: the Ham is a fan of the team in which John Ogo plays, but we came to talk mainly about Hapoel Beer Sheva ahead of their match against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Bloomfield (tonight, 8:30 p.m.). The reason, Ogo Darim last weekend for the fourth time this season to watch his former team. You can define him as a "passionate fan". The team manager Avitar Iloz takes care of the invitations for him.

"The home.

I define myself as a fan because I'm not there anymore, but the right word is 'home.'"

"Mixed feelings. I won't lie, sometimes it feels strange to me to come and watch them, because I'm supposed to be there and help the team, because of the connection I have with the fans there. When I see them cheering and I'm not among the players, it makes me feel strange. I really miss there , for me it's like a family. In general, it's strange to me that I'm in Israel and I'm not in Hapoel Be'er Sheva. It's hard, people think it's easy, because I played in this team for 5 years, and I was so connected to the fans and I'm still active and still healthy, and I can't contribute to them This cannot happen in life and you have to keep looking forward and move on."

"Maybe, I don't rule it out. On the other hand, when I look at Beer Sheva's squad, there are players older than me, for example captain Miguel Vitor and Iti Schechter, and Tomer Hamed."

"It's strange to me that I'm in Israel and I'm not in Hapoel Be'er Sheva."

John Ugo (Photo: Ariel Shalom)

- So age is not a problem?

"Not for me. When I left Beer Sheva I was only 29 years old. But it's not personal to me either. I don't want to say that it's Beer Sheva's or anyone's fault. I'm grateful to God for giving me the mental strength to think positively. I don't know what happened, But if they wanted me to continue - this is a big club - then they could have made it happen. I'm quoting what they said, that I've been in Israel for 5 years, and I have to pay double tax, but that's no excuse. All the time they say all kinds of different things, for example there were I have problems with my knee. I don't care, really, I don't think like players who just run after the money."

"Let's say first of all that no one has ever sat in front of me like you are sitting in front of me right now (in Rishon Lezion, not far from where he lives - RA). This may be my problem, that as soon as people don't sit with me and tell me that they want me, that they need me, I only feed on the media Maybe it really creates a misunderstanding."

"Maybe because I know what I gave to the team and how much I love it, so I didn't understand why it was so difficult for them that this would happen. I think the relationship was not real. Then my mother got sick and there were so many problems that it really ended. In the end, I left Hapoel Beer Seven. I will never blame the team and it could be that there were things here that I and I didn't know. I just know that if they wanted, it would have been closed easily."

"You're right. At that time I spoke with Barak Becher. He thought that maybe I too needed a change, to try something different. At that time I was about to go with the Nigerian national team to the African Championship and a lot of things were going through my mind, I thought maybe they don't want me anymore."

"Maybe. It happens to me a lot and it hurts me back, but I won't change anymore."

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"He thought maybe I needed a change too."

Becher and Ugo (Photo: Barney Ardov)

- You are very sensitive.

"That's exactly the problem with me. I'm very honest with people and they're not honest with me. I get punished for it. People tell me all the time: 'With your ability you should have been at the top'. People I trusted gave me a slap in the face in return. I don't regret Nothing in my life. If I regret anything, it's that I should have been a little tougher. Tony Wakame always told me that when it comes to agents, you're better off leaving them. If the club wants you, he told me, he'll come to you directly. The agent doesn't care about you ".

"There was some guy from Britain who spoke on my behalf. We were in touch. I almost signed in Turkey, Brizspor. I even talked to the coach there on video, but at the same time there was a match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, and I didn't want anything to divert my concentration, and I told the coach that I'd rather have a moment to do my work In Be'er Sheva. You see, I gave my life for Hapoel Be'er Sheva, I played with pain, I wanted to do good for the team and the fans. People thought I wanted to leave, they didn't really know what happened. Then, when my contract was about to end, no one came to sit with me, To tell me that they appreciate me and want me to continue."

"First time I'm hearing about it."

"No, no. It's a lie to say that I'm late for training. Take the Galilee landscape for example. It's very difficult to play in a team when you don't have your own apartment, when there's no decent food to put in your mouth, or where to eat. Sometimes you eat in the car. Once I came to training on my birthday After I went to celebrate with my friends. It was two days before a game. Then the coach asked me if I had been drinking. I told him yes, it was my birthday. And it was an early practice. When I go on the field no one talks about me being drunk. On my day off I spend Until the end. When I practice, I do my best. When I have a day off, I want to have fun. When I win, I want to celebrate the victory. When I lose, I celebrate to come back and be happy.

"That's why I'm different. When it comes to my work, I don't underestimate it. I train almost every day, give my best in training and then I show it in my game. They say I'm late for training? When I arrived at Maccabi Jaffa, it took me a while. I didn't know the traffic congestion for practice, I didn't know the address of the field, and it was difficult. It took me a few days and I was late for some practices, and there were also changes in practice times and they wrote it on WhatsApp in Hebrew. It was at the beginning, but I'm not late anymore, I'm always on time. Today I come to training blind. In Be'er Sheva I was never late for training. The only story I had there was that they claimed that the police stopped me on the way to Tel Aviv because I drank too much, but they lied. It was during the championship fight between us and Maccabi Tel Aviv, and I felt This is the way of Maccabi fans to take me out of the picture, to hurt Beer Sheva, to make a mess.

"I don't care what they say, they said I have a problem with my knee, that I'm done with my career. Last week it was raining and we went with Jaffa to Maor Bozaglo's business, a gaming complex. He spoke to the group and told them that when John arrived in Be'er Sheva, they were told that he had Knee problems and he won't be able to train part of the time. Maor said: 'This guy has always trained like crazy.'

"Not that I like it, but I'm used to it. People can say what they want about me, but when it comes to my job, I give it my all, because I want to win."

"It's very difficult to play in a team when you don't have your own apartment."

Ugo in the Galilee landscape (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)

- Compared to your ability in Be'er Sheva, in what condition are you now?

"100 percent. Of course this is not the best John Ogo you will see. John Ogo of Hapoel Be'er Sheva is not John Ogo of Maccabi Jaffa. In Jaffa we are in the second division, and in Be'er Sheva I had the good fortune to play alongside so many Quality players. There's a difference, what to do. That's what I told my teammates here. I'm doing everything to improve as a player and as a person and to improve the friends around me."

"Because it's a national league. In the national league you run too much. In Beer Sheva we controlled the ball more. In the national league here you have to run. If you don't run, you won't win. In the national league I run 10-11 kilometers in a game, in Beer Sheva I didn't do that, I ran 7 - 8 kilometers. I'm proud of myself that I can run 11 kilometers in a game, and if I succeed in that, it will be easier for me in the Premier League. Listen, I'm the best at my job, and before someone comes to criticize me, I'm already criticizing myself. I'm watching Too much in football and I know that in my job they don't run more than 10 kilometers. I'm not saying this because I'm showing off, but because it's my job, and when I'm on the field I have to be the best. When I see myself at Maccabi Jaffa and I compare myself to Hapoel Beer Sheva, and seeing who plays my role in Hapoel Beer Sheva, I'm proud of myself."

"This is a new team. They brought in a lot of players who didn't succeed and now it's different. Breda is doing a tremendous job, I won't lie. To integrate so many new players into the team and to be in second place, I'm really happy for him, because if you look at teams like Maccabi Haifa or Maccabi Tel Aviv, they have players who have been there for years. In Hapoel Beer Sheva's situation, they can challenge for the championship. This is also what makes me feel bad sometimes, because I think I could have helped the team."

"It's always nice to see Miguel Vitor. Gordana looks different today than when I played with him back then. He has my same mentality, he always wants to win, to give everything. Gordana was always a good player, but then he was unlucky. Shay Elias is Fighter".

"This is what I look at when I watch football, in players who are in my position I try to learn from what they do."

"Kartsev. I love this boy. Then Neta Lavi. Glazer will always be Glazer, very smart. At the moment, the 6 that catches my eye, and he is not that prominent, is Goni Naor who signed instead of Lavi. He is not bad, not special , but very smart. When you play this role, you have to be smart."

"Proud of myself that I can run 11 kilometers in a game."

Ugo Biffa (Photo: Kobi Eliyahu)

During the period when Ugo starred in Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Maccabi Haifa was not a significant factor, not a rival for the championship.

Monday's game at Bloomfield was once the game of the season, and now it is overshadowed by Maccabi Haifa's progress to a third consecutive championship title.

"It's a little strange to me," says Ugo, "but when I see Maccabi Haifa now I'm not surprised. They have a coach like Barak Becher."

"Of course. The club brought Barak Becher, thanks to his experience and mentality. The club invested to bring him and followed his decisions to bring players like they have now. I'm not surprised. Barak Becher is the greatest coach in Israel, and the fact that I played under him was the reason for my ability in Israel He taught me how to be number 6 because until I met him I was 8. When I saw that he signed Goni Noor, I wasn't surprised, these are the players he wants in this position. On the other hand, to be honest, it's strange to me that Maccabi Haifa is in the top, because I remember Maccabi Haifa Struggling at the bottom, against relegation. Their fans really suffered and it's their time to be happy. They deserve it. They have really wonderful players, this is their time, and let them take advantage of it. Things are changing. They also have to be careful, because Beer Sheva is coming."

"If Beer Sheva beats Maccabi Tel Aviv in the second, it will shake Haifa."

"Maccabi is Maccabi, a big club. There are a lot of expectations from it, it has good players and it will always remain so. So they are having a bad time. It will be a difficult game. I imagine what will happen in the Beer Sheva dressing room. In games like this you need men with character, No children. Maccabi will play in front of its crowd, and it has an advantage. If Beer Sheva wants to win this game, it needs all the character it has on the field. If Beer Sheva shows aggression, unlike in the game in Haifa where it lost, I'm sure it will succeed. I think there will be a draw or better for Be'er Sheva."

"Big differences. They can't compare to us. We had the best players that you can't imagine in Israeli football, even on the bench. It was difficult to choose 11. We had so many fantastic players. Look at Haifa, they have Atzili Shaqube, the Sherry who scores and they have Dean David who scores. Only three players who score. If they don't score, it's over for them. In my time there was Wakama, Malikson, Bozaglu, Radi, Ben Shahr, Barda, so many players who could score. Their only advantage It's up to us that they reached the Champions League and we were almost there twice. If you ask the Maccabi Haifa fans, even they will tell you that we were better in our time."

"Come on, Celtic of then is not Celtic of today. It was much better than some of the opponents that Haifa played against. In our time there were away goals, today there are no more. On the other hand, this is no excuse. In Israel we made it difficult for every team, we beat every team. No I would say that Haifa is better than Be'er Sheva with me, but this is a good team. I like to watch them, for example my husband Mohammed."

"Maccabi Haifa cannot compare to us."

Ugo, Wakama and Malikson (photo: Bernie Ardov)

We held the interview a few hours before Maccabi Jaffa, without the yellowed Ugo, grabbed a quartet at "Beit" against Maccabi Petah Tikva of the Luzons.

Ugo stood in the stands, threw out instructions, went down to the fence so they could hear him better, at half time he went to the dressing room.

His smile at the end of Jaffa BA's victory over Adumim Ashdod about a week ago, told about his connection to the Bulgarian club.

"When I arrived there were two things that bothered me: that I am in Israel and that I am not in Hapoel Beer Sheva, something which I never dreamed of, and the second thing: I never thought I would find myself in the second league."

"Absolutely not. It's just the fact that I'm in the second division. I'm grateful to Maccabi Jaffa. When people appreciate you, you have no choice as a player but to always give your best. I play for fans, I heard about the history of the club and the fans, and I understood that the fans established The club is rebuilding, and I saw their support in every game. When I saw in the audience elderly people, children and families coming to support us, I realized that I needed to change my attitude. They look at me and expect me, and I'm ready for it. Over time I got used to it and realized that you have to give everything because tomorrow you know what will happen , I might get fired. I have to show myself all the time. I have to always bring my best, so that the team can succeed. We started the season well, and then something happened. We talked about it. Something was off. We had to get back to business. We brought in some players New, the energy has changed. We enjoy the games, even if we lose sometimes."

"I would like to go up to continue in the Premier League with Jaffa, but if not, if the team appreciates me and wants me to continue, we will talk. I would love to go to Nigeria when I know where I will play next season. I want continuity, I want to continue with the same team in Israeli football. I do not want to do with Mistakes I made. I waited then for God, not my bosses, and I was left with nothing. I'm already in the team and in this league. That doesn't mean I don't want to advance, but it can happen here too."

"It's an embracing club, that takes care of its players, my family. People here are always positive, come out of love. Even if there isn't much of a crowd, it's always there. Even after losses, they encourage. We talked about it among ourselves in one of the conversations recently and I told them: 'When you look at The bleachers, you see your family there. You know what a pleasure it is for me to look at the bleachers and see my father, my mother, my sister, my brother, my fiancé, what's your problem?'

I can only say good things about this club. I'm not one of those people who will say bad things about a club if things don't work out between us. I won't hold a grudge against a team that doesn't want me."

"Certainly. So what if she doesn't have a field? Valens Ziona does? Has Hadera? They play in the first league. It's a question of readiness."

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"Israel is safe for me."

John Ugo (Photo: Ariel Shalom)

Ugo is very active on Instagram, he has 150,000 followers (Eran Zahavi has, for example, 415,000).

In one of his stories, he filmed the singing of the national anthem in Teddy, accompanying it with singing, not quite accurate.

He is thinking about settling in Israel.

"Hebrew is a difficult language. I want to find a teacher who will teach me to speak Hebrew. I want to start a new life here in Israel. There is a girl from here that we are starting a relationship with, I like her. If she is the girl for me, then why not? Israel is good for me. Put aside the matters The crazies are with the Arabs, Israel is safe for me. I love the country. I lived in Be'er Sheva for 5 years, I know the mentality, and I came back here. This is my home."

"I don't know what, but I'll stay in the industry. Right now I'm not thinking about it. I feel healthy, and I feel I can continue playing, I still have the energy for it. Right now I feel fresh, young. I don't want to compare myself to Maharan Radi who plays when Soon to be 41 years old (the two will play against each other in a week - RA), we play a different role, our bodies are different, the genetics are different, but he is a good example of professionalism at the highest level, a guy who always wants to work hard. I was lucky enough to play With players hungry for success, and Radi is one of them, still playing as if he were a child. I'm proud of myself that I played almost 30 games this season in Maccabi Jaffa, when people didn't believe it would happen, and that's after not playing for almost 3 years. I'm happy, I'm around people I love , doing my best. I don't know how long I will play, but I feel strong."

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