Pauljevic: I had two wishes when I signed for Honvéd, one has already come true

First team

Published: 10/10/2026, 02:07 PMReading time: 2 min

Ahead of the derby against Újpest FC, we spoke with our experienced player Branko Pauljevic, who made over 200 appearances in the colors of this weekend's opponents.

“I think we had a good start in Kisvárda, it was a very good game, and we definitely need more points. Our position at the bottom of the table does not reflect our true situation, as we possess much more quality than that. For instance, if we win at home against Vasas and also take the points in Kisvárda, that would mean three to five extra points, we would immediately be higher up, and the picture would look completely different. I believe this team has the quality and I think we are on the right track. We are getting better step by step with every single match. We are waiting for the moment when everything clicks. Based on my experience, form only goes upward after that,” said our Serbian footballer, Branko Pauljevic, summarizing the experiences of recent weeks.

Following the international break, our first team resumes its campaign in the OTP Bank Liga with a capital city derby: hosting fourth-placed Újpest FC on Sunday at 16:45. Our player spent seven years with the purple-and-whites, making 239 appearances in all competitions for his former club and accumulating 18,567 minutes on the pitch.

“I played seven years at Újpest; had I played against them in the months right after my departure, I don't know how I would have reacted. Now, the situation is completely different. This is my home, this is my mentality. I teach my son to view it like a boxing match: if you don't hit the other guy, he will hit you. Football works the same way. People know me here now, I play from the heart, and I protect my home. Since joining Honvéd, I've realized this is truly a genuine derby. I didn't know it before, but now I see what this fixture means to the Honvéd community, and of course to me as well. I enter every match at 200 percent. I am the kind of player who gives everything, and then we will see what comes of it,” he stated, before continuing:

“We expect a tough match. When I came to Honvéd, I had two wishes. The first was to achieve promotion to the top flight, which has been fulfilled. But there is another, and I will do everything to make it a reality. I would love to reach Europe with Honvéd, to play in the Europa League or the Conference League. Whether that is possible, I don't know, we'll see, but I will give my very best to try and achieve that goal.”

You can watch the full interview on our official YouTube channel: