'Really excited to play with Harmanpreet' - Soorma HC's Victor Wegnez talks about strongest HIL team

Victor Wegnez also discussed about his experience in India till now.

The eight-team Men’s Hockey India League 2024, which commenced on 28th December, has got players, fans and pundits around the world excited, as it is returning after a hiatus of seven years. It has given a chance for young domestic players to exchange notes with elite overseas players.

The best players in the world are plying their trade in the league, which ends on February 1. One of them is Belgian defensive midfielder Victor Wegnez, who is playing for the Soorma Hockey Club.

The 29-year-old has been an integral part of the Belgian set-up for a very long time, having had more than 175 appearances for the senior team. He was part of squads which clinched gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, won the 2018 World Cup and ended as runners-up in the 2023 World Cup.

Wegnez is a brilliant first rusher during penalty corners. There aren’t too many who are as brave as him in running towards balls launched at more than 100 kmph. He can occasionally also be used as a goal scoring option, as shown by his tally of 26 goals in the international circuit.

With the Soorma Hockey Club training in Chandigarh, Wegnez was kind enough to take some time aside and give an exclusive interview to Khel Now. In his characteristic humorous tone, he discussed about his experience till now, his interaction with youngsters and what he aims to take from this tournament.

Also Read: Men’s Hockey India League 2024-25: Updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

Enjoying Chandigarh

While he has played in cities like Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela before, Wegnez has travelled to the city of Chandigarh for the first time. He spoke about his experiences in the city, from which one can clearly infer that he has enjoyed his time! “This is the first time I have come to Chandigarh. We have been exploring the city. We had gone for a laser tag game, where I killed everybody. Everyone was impressed with my killing abilities.

“We are staying in a very nice hotel and am getting to know many nice people. If I have to tell you about my experience since I arrived, I have nothing but positive things to say.

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Getting picked at the auction

There were a lot of bidders for the midfielder at the HIL 2024-25 Player Auctions. Eventually, the Soorma Hockey Club were successful in securing his services at a massive price of Rs. 40 lakhs, placing him among the top five most expensive overseas players. Wegnez said that he didn’t see the bidding live.

“I didn’t follow the auction, was sleeping. The first day (October 13) was a Sunday. We had a game that day and I was checking the phone with Tomas Domene, who got picked. My name didn’t come up. I thought that let us see what happens the next day.

“Next morning, I was sleeping till 8.30 Belgium time, and the auction had started. I didn’t know it actually. When I checked my phone, there were already messages on the lines of ‘You are coming to the Indian League’ and ‘Welcome to Soorma’. I was very excited because this is something which I wanted to experience. After that, I played hockey for a month and then had to undergo surgery. Now, I am here.”

Playing in India

The Men’s Hockey India League 2024-25 is set to take place at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, which is the largest fully seated hockey arena in the world, in Rourkela (there will also be select matches at alternate venues). Playing in Odisha is not new for most players. With Bhubaneshwar having hosted back-to-back World Cups as well as numerous FIH Pro League Matches recently, they are acclimatized to playing in India.

“I am excited to play again in India, where there are big stadiums and big crowds. I just regret that we are not travelling around India and going to different cities, unlike the previous edition. Probably missing out on the chance to tour the country and visit different cultures. This is a sad point.

“The good point is that all the teams will be together, so we will be able to meet all the people around every team. And obviously playing in the Rourkela stadium, which is probably the best in the world, is going to be crazy.”

Also Read: Watch out for our penalty corners: Jeremy Hayward of Soorma Hockey Club

Interacting with domestic players

Despite the quality of international players being very high, the success of a team in any franchisee league in any sport depends on the performance of the domestic players. Hence, efforts are always made to have the overseas stars gel with the local players. It is no different for the Belgian, at the Soorma Hockey Club.

“I got to know the domestic players. They are really nice, really funny. I went for tea with Vivek and a youngster. It was a very nice experience to make new friends. I hope I can help everyone play a bit better. I am trying to improve my game.

“So, it’s a nice experience for me and I hope it’s a nice experience for them too. I hope I won’t be too hard on them. I don’t think so, but we never know. Looking forward to getting the season going. Normally we are here for two years, so can’t wait to see these players grow in these two years.”

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Playing with Harmanpreet Singh

Having defended during penalty corners against him for years, Wegnez will now have the opportunity to share the dressing room with Indian team skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who recently became the ‘FIH Player of the Year 2024’. The 28-year-old has 212 goals in just 241 matches for India. With a number of other proven drag flickers present too, Soorma is likely to be one of the deadliest during penalty corners. The Belgian is excited at that prospect.

“Really excited to play with Harmanpreet. For the first time, he won’t be sending high balls onto my knees, during PCs. He used to send a hard balls onto my shin pads. Good to have Jeremy Hayward on our team, he does the same too. We also have Nicolas Della Torre and Boris Bukhardt. So, we have a good team of dragflickers, which is nice, and I can avoid them.

“I am excited to play with Harman, as well as other international and Indian players. We have a really good mix in our team and looking forward to start the competition.”

Souvenirs

Apart from taking the Men’s HIL Trophy home the very first year after its re-inception, Wegnez also wishes to take home some other souvenirs for himself and his friends. “I aim to take home a lot of shirts. If I can exchange some shirts with other teams, it’s going to be nice. I have friends asking me for Indian stuff. If I can first of all take the trophy back home, it’s going to be nice. And then we will see what else I can take.”

Most awaited match-up

Wegnez was asked about the team he is looking forward to playing. He didn’t have to think much before he gave an answer. “I am looking forward to play the Kalinga Lancers. They are looking the strongest, I always want to play the strongest team. They have three very good Belgian international players.

“If you want to win the league, you have to beat the best. For me, Kalinga is the best team on paper. So, I am looking forward to playing against them.

Considering that the Lancers consists of players like Krishan Pathak, Alexander Hendrickx, Aran Zalewski and Thierry Brinkman, don’t think many can challenge the Belgian’s claims.

Looking forward to the World Cup and the Olympics

The Belgium men’s hockey team has had its share of highs and lows in recent times. They have been known to peak at the right time, which was clearly seen in their performances in the league stages of the Olympics, where they won four games (including a staggering 6-2 victory against fellow heavyweights Australia) and drew one. However, the side suffered a shock 2-3 loss to Spain in the quarterfinals.

The team is now undergoing a period of transition. Being a senior player, Wegnez has a lot of responsibility. While there is still some time to go, it is impossible for players to not have an eye on the FIH World Cup 2026 (co-hosted by Belgium and Netherlands) and the Los Angeles Olympics 2028.

“We want to do well in Belgium and Holland. If you look at the example of Holland, they rebuilt their team after Tokyo. They managed to win the Euros and the Paris Olympics. If they could do it, I don’t see why we couldn’t do that.”

Message to fans

Punjab and Haryana are two states which have contributed a humongous number of players to Indian hockey. As a result, the Soorma Hockey Club, which represents these two regions, is bound to have a lot of die-hard, passionate and knowledgeable fans. Victor Wegnez had a message for them all

“I hope they can come to Rourkela to cheer for us or to Ranchi, when we go there. We are training in Chandigarh till 23rd December. So, if they want to join us during training, it would be nice to meet them all. For those who want, they are always welcome to cheer for us in Rourkela and on social media as well.”

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