Ádám Szalai

The native form of this personal name is Szalai Ádám. This article uses the Western name order.

Ádám Szalai

Personal information
Full name	Ádám Szalai
Date of birth	(1987-12-09) 9 December 1987
Place of birth	Budapest, Hungary
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Mainz 05
Number	28
Youth career
1994–2003	Budapest Honvéd
2003–2004	Újpest
2004–2006	Stuttgart
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2007	Stuttgart II	33	(5)
2007–2010	Real Madrid Castilla	79	(23)
2010	→ Mainz 05 (loan)	15	(1)
2010–	Mainz 05	35	(7)
National team‡
2009–	Hungary	8	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 June 2012

Ádám Szalai (born 9 December 1987) is an Hungarian footballer who plays for 1. FSV Mainz 05 in Germany, as a striker.

Club career

Early years / Stuttgart

Szalai started his career in his hometown of Budapest, playing for Budapest Honvéd FC and Újpest FC. In 2004, he moved to Germany to complete his formation, spending two years in the youth ranks of VfB Stuttgart.

In the 2006–07 season, Szalai made his senior debuts, playing with the B team in Regionalliga Süd.

Real Madrid Castilla

In August 2007, Szalai was transferred to Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of Real Madrid, for approximately €500.000.

In his second season in Segunda División B - the only division in which he competed during his spell in Spain - he scored 16 goals in 37 games, but the team could only rank sixth, thus missing out on the playoffs.

Mainz

On 9 January 2010, Real Madrid loaned Szalai to 1. FSV Mainz 05, until June. He made his Bundesliga debut seven days later, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 2–4 away loss against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Szalai scored his first goal for Mainz in a 1–0 home win over Borussia Dortmund on 10 April 2010. He netted his second against FC Bayern Munich on 25 September in a 2–1 away win, with a powerful shot into the top corner in what was the Rhineland-Palatinate outfit's sixth consecutive win of the season (in an eventual run of seven); on 14 January 2011, in a game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, the player sustained a knee injury - cruciate ligament - which sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign, in which he scored four goals in 20 games.

On 22 January 2012, Szalai returned to action with Mainz after his injury, playing the second half of a 2–3 loss at Leverkusen.

International career

Szalai featured regularly with the Hungarian under-21s. On 11 February 2009, he made his debut with the full side, replacing Zoltán Szélesi in the 84th minute of a 0–1 friendly loss to Israel.

On 8 October 2010, during a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against San Marino at the Puskás Ferenc Stadium, Szalai scored a hat-trick in a 8–0 win. Four days later, in the same competition, he contributed with another to a 2–1 dramatic win in Finland.

On 29 February 2012, Szalai returned to the national team setup after his one-year injury with a goal against Bulgaria, in a friendly draw in Győr.

International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 October 2010	Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary	San Marino	2–0	8–0	Euro 2012 qualifying
2.	8 October 2010	Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary	San Marino	4–0	8–0	Euro 2012 qualifying
3.	8 October 2010	Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary	San Marino	5–0	8–0	Euro 2012 qualifying
4.	12 October 2010	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	0–1	1–2	Euro 2012 qualifying
5.	29 February 2012	ETO Park, Győr, Hungary	Bulgaria	1–0	1–1	Friendly

Club statistics

Accurate as of 5 May 2012.

Club	Season	League		Cup		Continental		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stuttgart II	2006–07	33	5	—		—		33	5
	Total	33	5	—		—		33	5
Real Madrid Castilla	2007–08	21	4	—		—		21	4
	2008–09	37	16	—		—		37	16
	2009–10	13	3	—		—		13	3
	Total	71	23	—		—		71	23
Mainz 05	2009–10	15	1	0	0	—		15	1
	2010–11	20	4	2	1	—		22	5
	2011–12	15	3	0	0	—		15	3
	Total	50	8	2	1	—		52	9
Career totals		153	36	2	1	—		155	37

Honours

Individual

• Young Hungarian Player of The Year: 2008

External links

• Ádám Szalai at fussballdaten.de (German)
• BDFutbol profile
• Ádám Szalai at National-Football-Teams.com
• Transfermarkt profile (German)