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Ádám Szalai

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

Ádám Szalai
Szalai in 2019
Personal information
Full name Ádám Csaba Szalai
Date of birth (1987-12-09) 9 December 1987 (age 36)[1]
Place of birth Budapest, Hungary[1]
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Mainz 05
Number 28
Youth career
1994–2000 Honvéd
2000–2004 Újpest
2004–2006 VfB Stuttgart
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2007 VfB Stuttgart II 33 (5)
2007–2010 Real Madrid B 79 (23)
2010 → Mainz 05 (loan) 15 (1)
2010–2013 Mainz 05 64 (20)
2013–2014 Schalke 04 28 (7)
2014–2019 1899 Hoffenheim 100 (23)
2016 → Hannover 96 (loan) 12 (0)
2019– Mainz 05 45 (2)
International career‡
2007 Hungary U20 11 (6)
2007–2008 Hungary U21 6 (5)
2009– Hungary 74 (24)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 May 2021
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:08, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Ádám Csaba Szalai (born 9 December 1987) is a Hungarian footballer who plays for German club 1. FSV Mainz 05 and the Hungary national team as a striker.

He spent most of his career in Germany, signing in 2004 with Stuttgart and going on to represent in the Bundesliga Mainz 05, Schalke 04, 1899 Hoffenheim and Hannover 96. He also played three years in Spain, with Real Madrid Castilla.

A Hungarian international since 2009, Szalai was part of the squad at two European Championships.

Club career

Early years and 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 development, spending two years at the youth academy of VfB Stuttgart.

Szalai made his senior debut in the 2006–07 season, playing with the reserves 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.[2]

In his second season in Segunda División B – the only tier in which he competed during his spell in Spain – he scored 16 goals in 37 games, but the side 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.[3] He made his Bundesliga debut seven days later, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 4–2 away loss against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.[4]

Szalai scored his first goal for Mainz in a 1–0 home win over Borussia Dortmund on 10 April 2010.[5] He netted his second against FC Bayern Munich on 25 September in a 2–1 away victory, with a powerful shot into the top corner in what was the Rhineland-Palatinate club's sixth consecutive win of the season, in an eventual run of seven.[6] On 29 January 2011, at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, the player sustained a knee injury – cruciate ligament – which sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign[7]

On 22 January 2012, Szalai returned to action with Mainz after his injury, playing the second half of a 3–2 defeat at Leverkusen.[8] On 1 August he signed a contract extension with the club running until June 2015[9][10] and, on 27 October, scored his first hat-trick for the team in a 3–0 home defeat of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.[11]

On 10 February 2013, Szalai scored his 12th goal of the campaign against FC Augsburg, thereby becoming the most productive Hungarian goalscorer in a single German top-division season, surpassing both Lajos Détári and Vasile Miriuță, whom netted 11 for Eintracht Frankfurt in 1987–88 and FC Energie Cottbus in 2000–01 respectively.[12] On 15 April, Sky Sports published an article on the player where Horst Heldt, general manager of FC Schalke 04, reportedly showed interest in signing him, pending the club's qualification to the UEFA Champions League in order to fund the transfer.[13]

Schalke 04

Szalai in 2013

On 27 June 2013, Szalai signed a four-year contract with Schalke.[14] After making his official debut against amateurs FC Nöttingen in the first round of the DFB-Pokal,[15] he played his first league match against Hamburger SV, scoring the hosts' last goal in a 3–3 draw after a shot from Christian Clemens was poorly handled by René Adler.[16]

Szalai was instrumental in helping his team reach the group stage of the Champions League. After a 1–1 draw in the first leg against PAOK FC[17] he grabbed a brace in the second match in Thessaloniki (3–2 win), and played the full 90 minutes on both occasions.[18]

Hoffenheim

On 3 July 2014, Szalai was transferred to Hoffenheim for €6 million. Alexander Rosen, the sporting director, said that he fitted into the club's style.[19] He made his debut for his new team against Augsburg, opened the scoring in a 2–0 home win[20] and was voted "Player of the Day" on the Bundesliga website.[21]

On 22 November 2014, Szalai was sent off for the first time in his career after committing a foul on Dante in the 90th minute of the league fixture against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena,[22] being banned for two matches by the German Football Association.[23] On 12 December, he replaced Anthony Modeste at the hour-mark of a home game with Eintracht Frankfurt; he scored the 2–2 equaliser three minutes later, and in the 87th he provided an assist with his ankle for Roberto Firmino's winner.[24]

On 4 January 2016, after being linked to a host of clubs,[25] Szalai continued in Germany by being loaned out to Hannover 96 for the remainder of the campaign.[26]

Return to Mainz

On 27 August 2019, Szalai rejoined Mainz on a free transfer and a two-year contract.[27]

International career

Szalai featured regularly with the Hungarian under-21 team. 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 of the following year, during a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against San Marino at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium, he scored three in an 8–0 win.[28] Four days later, in the same competition, he contributed another to a 2–1 dramatic victory in Finland.[29]

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.[30] On 7 September, in the nation's first 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier, he netted the third for the visitors in an eventual 5–0 win in Andorra.[31]

On 16 October 2012, Szalai helped hosts Hungary battle back to beat Turkey 3–1, scoring the second after an assist from Tamás Kádár.[32][33]

Telki press conference

After a 8–1 defeat in the Netherlands for the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, Szalai took part in a press conference where he gave poignant answers about what he thought the reasons behind the long-term underachievement of the national side were.[34][35] Subsequently, he found himself on the international wilderness.[36]

On 13 November 2013, Attila Pintér, manager of Hungarian League club Győri ETO FC, reacted to Szalai's statements and doubted his honesty. The coach claimed that the player said in an interview before the loss in Amsterdam that he did not have any problems with Hungary boss Sándor Egervári, further disapproving of him for his irresponsibility of criticising the Hungarian coaches even though he did not know them.[37]

Hungary played its first match of 2014 on 5 March, and Szalai was left out. In an interview with Nemzeti Sport, he said that he could not comment on his future with the national team since he was not invited and he did not have the option to decide whether to join or not.[38]

Retirement

On 28 August 2014, Pintér selected his list for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Northern Ireland at the Groupama Arena on 7 September, and Szalai was not on it.[39] On 4 September, he posted an announcement on his Facebook profile saying that he did not want to play for his country as long as Pintér was in charge,[40] and thus became the second Hungarian footballer in 20 years to renounce to the national side after Szabolcs Huszti in 2007.[41]

Return

Puskás Aréna - Hungary-Uruguay 1-2

On 18 September 2014, Pál Dárdai was appointed as Hungary's interim manager.[42][43] Eight days later, Szalai announced his return to the national team as the new coach stated the player was one of the side's "leading personalities".[44]

On 11 October 2014, Szalai marked his return by featuring the full 90 minutes in Romania in a 1–1 draw for the Euro 2016 qualifiers.[45] Three days later, for the same competition, he scored the game's only goal for an away win over the Faroe Islands in Tórshavn.[46] After the victorious qualifying play-off match against Norway, he was recorded on video attending a bar in Budapest where fans were celebrating, and after giving a rousing speech about how they suffered the most during the unsuccessful period of Hungarian football, bought 200 shots of pálinka for the people present;[47] the next day, he jokingly noted in a Facebook comment that he did not remember giving a speech.[48]

Szalai was selected for Hungary's Euro 2016 squad.[49] He started and scored the opening goal in their first game in the tournament, a 2–0 defeat of Austria in Bordeaux[50] which marked his first after a 40-match dry spell that lasted over a year;[51] shortly before this happened, the Hungarian fans were chanting the name of fellow striker Dániel Böde, demanding a substitution.[52]

On 10 October 2016, Szalai netted for the third time in the 2018 World Cup qualifying phase, helping to a 2–0 victory in Latvia.[53] In June 2021, he was selected as captain to the final 26-man squad for the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament.[54][55]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 November 2020

[56][57][58]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stuttgart II 2006–07 Regionalliga Süd 33 5 — — 33 5
Real Madrid Castilla 2007–08 Segunda División B 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 Bundesliga 15 1 0 0 — 15 1
2010–11 20 4 2 1 — 22 5
2011–12 15 3 0 0 0 0 15 3
2012–13 29 13 4 2 — 33 15
Total 79 21 6 3 — 85 24
Schalke 04 2013–14 Bundesliga 28 7 3 0 9[a] 2 40 9
1899 Hoffenheim 2014–15 Bundesliga 26 4 1 1 — 27 5
2015–16 4 0 1 0 — 5 0
2016–17 22 8 1 0 — 23 8
2017–18 18 5 0 0 2[b] 0 20 5
2018–19 30 6 2 0 5[a] 0 37 6
2019–20 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Total 100 23 6 1 7 0 113 24
Hannover 96 (loan) 2015–16 Bundesliga 12 0 — — 12 0
Mainz 05 2019–20 Bundesliga 27 1 — — 27 1
2020–21 8 0 2 1 — 10 1
Total 35 1 2 1 0 0 37 2
Career total 358 80 17 5 16 2 391 87
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ One appearance in the UEFA Champions League, one appearance in the UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 23 June 2021

[59]

National team Season Apps Goals
Hungary 2009 1 0
2010 5 4
2011 0 0
2012 8 3
2013 5 0
2014 4 1
2015 6 0
2016 11 5
2017 2 1
2018 10 5
2019 9 2
2020 6 0
2021 7 3
Total 74 24

International goals

As of match played on 23 June 2021

. Hungary score listed first, score column indicates score after each Szalai goal.[59]

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 8 October 2010 Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary  San Marino 2–0 8–0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
2. 4–0
3. 5–0
4. 12 October 2010 Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland  Finland 1–0 2–1
5. 29 February 2012 ETO Park, Győr, Hungary  Bulgaria 1–0 1–1 Friendly
6. 7 September 2012 Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra  Andorra 3–0 5–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
7. 16 October 2012 Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary  Turkey 2–1 3–1
8. 14 October 2014 Torsvollur, Torshavn, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
9. 14 June 2016 Nouveau Stade, Bordeaux, France  Austria 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2016
10. 7 October 2016 Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary   Switzerland 1–1 2–3 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
11. 2–2
12. 10 October 2016 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia  Latvia 2–0 2–0
13. 13 November 2016 Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary  Andorra 4–0 4–0
14. 31 August 2017  Latvia 2–0 3–1
15. 23 March 2018  Kazakhstan 1–2 2–3 Friendly
16. 15 October 2018 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 2–1 3–3 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C
17. 3–3
18. 15 November 2018 Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary 2–0 2–0
19. 18 November 2018  Finland 1–0 2–0
20. 24 March 2019  Croatia 1–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
21. 15 November 2019 Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary  Uruguay 1–2 1–2 Friendly
22. 25 March 2021  Poland 2–0 3–3 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
23. 28 March 2021 San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino  San Marino 1–0 3–0
24. 23 June 2021 Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany  Germany 1–0 2–2 UEFA Euro 2020

Honours

Individual

  • Hungarian Player of The Year: 2012[60]

References

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  6. ^ "Magic Mainz close on record". ESPN Soccernet. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
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  33. ^ "Turkish hopes dented after Hungary defeat". FIFA. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
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  38. ^ "Válogatott: Nincs miről beszélni – Szalai Ádám" [National team: There is nothing to talk about – Szalai Ádám]. Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 28 February 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  39. ^ "Válogatott: Gera két év után ismét a keretben, Szalai megint kimaradt" [National team: After two years in Gera's squads, Szalai is out again]. Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 28 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
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  48. ^ "Szalai a testvérével érkezett a körúti kocsmába, 200 pálinkát fizetett" [Szalai arrived with his brother at the boulevard pub, paid 200 pálinka] (in Hungarian). Ripost. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
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  52. ^ Máté, Vaskor (14 June 2016). "Egy perccel a gól előtt Böde Dani nevét skandálta a közönség" [A minute before the goal the crowd chanted the name of Böde] (in Hungarian). 24.hu. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
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  54. ^ Kocsmár-Tóth, István (1 June 2021). "Válogatott: Szoboszlai, Tóth Balázs és Spandler maradt ki az Eb-keretből" [Squad: Szoboszlai, Balázs Tóth and Spandler left out of European Championships]. Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). Retrieved 1 June 2021.
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  60. ^ "Huszti voted Hungary's Best". Bundesliga. 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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