Ádám Szalai
![]() Szalai in 2013 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ádám Csaba Szalai | ||
Date of birth | 9 December 1987 | ||
Place of birth | Budapest, Hungary | ||
Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | 1899 Hoffenheim | ||
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– | 1899 Hoffenheim | 12 | (4) |
International career‡ | |||
2007 | Hungary U20 | 11 | (6) |
2007–2008 | Hungary U21 | 6 | (5) |
2009– | Hungary | 23 | (8) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 October 2014 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 October 2014 |
Ádám Csaba Szalai (born 9 December 1987) is a Hungarian footballer who plays for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, as a striker.
Club career
Early career
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.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3]
Szalai scored his first goal for Mainz in a 1–0 home win over Borussia Dortmund on 10 April 2010.[4] 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 campaign, in an eventual run of seven;[5] 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.[6] On 1 August he signed a contract extension with the club running until June 2015[7][8] and, on 27 October, scored his first hat-trick for the team in a 3–0 home victory against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.[9]
On 10 February 2013 Szalai scored his 12th goal of the season against FC Augsburg, thereby becoming the most productive Hungarian goalscorer in a single German top division season, surpassing both Lajos Détári and Vasile Miriuta, whom netted 11 for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1987–88 campaign and FC Energie Cottbus in 2000–01 respectively.[10] 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.[11]
Schalke 04
On 27 June 2013, Szalai signed a four-year contract with Schalke.[12] After making his official debut against amateurs FC Nöttingen, for the season's DFB-Pokal, 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.[13]
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 F.C.[14] he grabbed a brace in the second match in Thessaloniki (3–2 win), and played the full 90 minutes on both occasions.[15]
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
On 3 July 2014, Szalai was transferred to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for €6 million. Alexander Rosen, the sport director of Hoffenheim, said that Szalai fits into the style of the club.[16] Szalai made his debut in his new club, against FC Augsburg, where he opened the scoring, at an eventual 2–0 home win.[17] After the match, he was named, and elected as the Best Player of the Matchday, on the official site of Bundesliga.[18]
On 22 November 2014, Szalai was sent off for the first time in his career after committing a foul against Dante in the 90th minute in the 12th round of the 2014–15 Bundesliga season playing against FC Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.[19]
On 24 November 2014, Szalai was suspended for two matches by the German Football Association.[20]
On 12 December 2014, Szalai was substituted in the 62nd minute for Modeste in the 15th round of the 2014–15 Bundesliga season against Eintracht Frankfurt. Three minutes later Szalai scored and in the 87th minute he gave an assist to Firmino with his ancle, resulting a 3-2 home win for Hoffenheim at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar Arena, Hoffenheim.[21]
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 of the following year, during a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against San Marino at the Puskás Ferenc Stadium, he scored three in an 8–0 win;[22] four days later, in the same competition, he contributed with another to a 2–1 dramatic win in Finland.[23]
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.[24] 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 triumph in Andorra.[25]
On 16 October 2012 Szalai helped hosts Hungary battle back to beat Turkey 3–1, scoring the second after an assist from Tamás Kádár.[26][27]
Telki press conference
After the 8–1 defeat of the Hungarian national side against the Netherlands, Szalai took part of a press-conference, where he gave poignant answers about what he thought the reasons behind the long-term underachievement of the national side were.[28][29] Szalai has not been called up to play for Hungary since.[30]
On 13 November 2014, Attila Pintér, manager of Hungarian League club Győr, reacted on Szalai's criticism and doubted Szalai's honesty. Pintér claimed that Szalai said in an interview before the 8–1 defeat that he does not have any problems with Hungary coach Sándor Egervári. Pintér criticised Szalai for being irresponsible for criticising the Hungarian coaches since Szalai does not know them.[31]
On 5 March 2014, Hungary played their first match in the year and Szalai was left out. In an interview with Nemzeti Sport, Szalai said that he cannot say anything about 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.[32]
Resignation
On 28 August 2014, Pintér appointed the footballers of the Hungarian national side against the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Northern Ireland at the Groupama Arena on 7 September 2014. Szalai was left out from the team.[33]
On 4 September 2014, Szalai posted an announcement on his Facebook profile saying that he doesn't want to play for Hungary during the management of Pintér.[34] Szalai became the second Hungarian footballer in the past 20 years who resigned from the Hungarian national side after the resignation of Szabolcs Huszti in 2007.[35]
Return
On 18 September 2014, Dárdai was appointed as interim manager of the Hungarian national football team.[36][37] A couple of days later, on 26 September 2014, he was announced to return under new coach Pál Dárdai, who claimed Szalai was one of the "leading personalities" of the team.[38]
On 11 October 2014, Szalai returned against Romania at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania. The match ended with a 1–1 draw.[39] Three days later Hungary beat Faroe Islands 1–0 at the Tórsvøllur in Tórshavn. The only goal of the match was scored by Szalai.[40]
International goals
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref.[41] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 8 October 2010 | Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary | ![]() |
2–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
2. | 8 October 2010 | Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary | ![]() |
4–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
3. | 8 October 2010 | Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary | ![]() |
5–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
4. | 12 October 2010 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | ![]() |
0–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
5. | 29 February 2012 | ETO Park, Győr, Hungary | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
6. | 7 September 2012 | Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra | ![]() |
3–0 | 5–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
7. | 16 October 2012 | Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary | ![]() |
2–1 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
8. | 14 October 2014 | Torsvollur Stadium, Torshavn, Faroe Islands | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
Honours
Individual
- The Best Bundesliga Young Talent:2008
- Young Hungarian Player of The Year: 2008
- Best Player of the Month: December 2012
- Hungarian Player of The Year: 2011,2012
References
- ^ "VfB-Talent Adan Szalai wechselt zu Real Madrid" (in German). SWR.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help)[dead link] - ^ "Verein bestätigt: Ungar Adam Szalai von Real Madrid zu Mainz 05" (in German). Main-Spitze. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Bayer Leverkusen 4–2 Mainz". ESPN Soccernet. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ "Mainz 1–0 Borussia Dortmund". ESPN Soccernet. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ "Magic Mainz close on record". ESPN Soccernet. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ "Bayer Leverkusen 3–2 Mainz". ESPN Soccernet. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ "Adam Szalai verlängert seinen Vertrag vorzeitig bis 2015" (in German). 1. FSV Mainz 05. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help)[dead link] - ^ "Szalai signs new Mainz contract". FIFA.com. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Szal-eye for goals". Bundesliga. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ^ "Bundesliga: Szalai 12 gólos, ezzel egyedüli magyar rekorder" (in Hungarian). NSO. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|trans_title=
(help) - ^ "Transfer news: Schalke interested in Mainz striker Adam Szalai". Sky Sports. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ "Bundesliga: Adam Szalai set to sign for Schalke from Mainz". Sky Sports. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ "3:3! Fußball-Fest mit Fehler-Spektakel" (in German). Spox. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Stoch strike earns Schalke draw for PAOK". UEFA.com. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ "Schalke survive PAOK scare to reach group stage". UEFA.com. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ "Hoffenheim: megvették Szalait a Schalkétól, 2018-ig aláírt – hivatalos". Nemzeti Sport. 4 July 2014.
- ^ "SZALAI-PREMIERE MIT CHAOS-TOR". Bild. 13 August 2014.
- ^ "DER SPIELER DES 1. SPIELTAGS: ADAM SZALAI (TSG HOFFENHEIM)". Bundesliga.de. 27 August 2014.
- ^ "Videó: Szalait durvaságért kiállították a Hoffenheimben". Nemzeti Sport. 22 November 2014.
- ^ "Bundesliga: 2 meccses eltiltás - Szalai Ádám az alapot kapta". Nemzeti Sport. 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Bundesliga: Szalai betalált, majd sarokkal adott gólpasszt". Nemzeti Sport. 12 December 2014.
- ^ "Szalai stars in Hungary goalfest". FIFA.com. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Late drama sees Hungary take points". FIFA.com. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "International friendlies: as they happened". UEFA.com. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Five-goal Hungary brush aside Andorra". FIFA.com. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ^ "Hungary battle back to beat Turkey". UEFA.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
- ^ "Turkish hopes dented after Hungary defeat". FIFA.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
- ^ http://sportgeza.hu/futball/2013/10/14/szalai_adam_a_8-1_utan_kimondta/
- ^ "Adam Szalai interview". RichPoi TV. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
- ^ "Válogatott: Folyamatosan át vannak verve a szurkolóink – Szalai". Nemzeti Sport. 14 October 2013.
- ^ "Pintér Attila kikéri magának Szalai Ádám kritikáját". Nemzeti Sport. 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Válogatott: Nincs miről beszélni – Szalai Ádám". Nemzeti Sport. 28 February 2014.
- ^ "Válogatott: Gera két év után ismét a keretben, Szalai megint kimaradt". Nemzeti Sport. 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Légiósok: Szalai Ádám lemondta a válogatottságot!". Nemzeti Sport. 4 September 2014.
- ^ "Huszti lemondta a válogatottságot". Origo. 31 May 2007.
- ^ "Hungary sack Pinter, bring in Dardai". FIFA.com. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ "Pintér makes way for Dárdai as Hungary coach". UEFA.com. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ "Válogatott: Szalai visszatér, megvan Dárdai Pál első kerete!". Nemzeti Sport. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ "Hungary's Dzsudzsák draws sting from Romania". Uefa.com. 11 October 2014.
- ^ "Hungary relieved to edge out Faroe Islands". Uefa.com. 14 October 2014.
- ^ "Ádám Szalai - Soccerway profile". soccerway.com.
External links
- Ádám Szalai at fussballdaten.de (in German)
- BDFutbol profile
- National team data Template:Hu icon
- Ádám Szalai at National-Football-Teams.com
- Use dmy dates from June 2013
- 1987 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Budapest
- Hungarian footballers
- Association football forwards
- Újpest FC players
- Bundesliga players
- 3. Liga players
- VfB Stuttgart II players
- 1. FSV Mainz 05 players
- FC Schalke 04 players
- Segunda División B players
- Real Madrid Castilla footballers
- Hungary under-21 international footballers
- Hungary international footballers
- Hungarian expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- TSG 1899 Hoffenheim players