Ádám Szalai

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

Szalai in 2013
Personal information
Full name Ádám Csaba 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 team
 Hannover 96
(on loan from 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 30 (4)
2016– → Hannover 96 (loan) 10 (0)
National team‡
2007 Hungary U20 11 (6)
2007–2008 Hungary U21 6 (5)
2009– Hungary 30 (8)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 21 March 2016 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 April 2016

Ádám Csaba Szalai (born 9 December 1987) is a Hungarian footballer who plays for German club Hannover 96 on loan from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim as a striker.

He spent most of his career in Germany, signing in 2004 with Stuttgart and going on to represent mainly Mainz 05.

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.[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 FC[14] he grabbed a brace in the second match in Thessaloniki (3–2 win), and played the full 90 minutes on both occasions.[15]

Hoffenheim

On 3 July 2014, Szalai was transferred to Hoffenheim for €6 million. Alexander Rosen, the sport director, said that he fitted into the club's style.[16] He made his debut for his new team against Augsburg, opened the scoring in a 2–0 home win[17] and was voted "Player of the Day" on the Bundesliga website.[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 of the league fixture against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena,[19] being banned for two matches by the German Football Association.[20] On 12 December, he replaced Anthony Modeste at the hour-mark of a home game against Eintracht Frankfurt: three minutes later he scored the 2–2 equaliser and, in the 87th he provided an assist with his ankle for Roberto Firmino's winner.[21]

On 4 January 2016, after being linked to a host of clubs,[22] Szalai continued in Germany by being loaned out to Hannover 96 for the remainder of the campaign.[23]

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;[24] four days later, in the same competition, he contributed with another to a 2–1 dramatic win in Finland.[25]

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.[26] 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.[27]

On 16 October 2012 Szalai helped hosts Hungary battle back to beat Turkey 3–1, scoring the second after an assist from Tamás Kádár.[28][29]

Telki press conference

After a 1–8 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.[30][31] Subsequently, he found himself on the international wilderness.[32]

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.[33]

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.[34]

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.[35] 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,[36] and thus became the second Hungarian footballer in 20 years to renounce to the national side after Szabolcs Huszti in 2007.[37]

Return

On 18 September 2014, Pál Dárdai was appointed as Hungary's interim manager.[38][39] 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".[40]

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.[41] Three days later, for the same competition, he scored the game's only goal for an away win over the Faroe Islands in Tórshavn.[42]

International goals

Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.[43]
1. 8 October 2010 Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary  San Marino 2–0 8–0 Euro 2012 qualifying
2. 8 October 2010 Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary  San Marino 4–0 8–0 Euro 2012 qualifying
3. 8 October 2010 Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary  San Marino 5–0 8–0 Euro 2012 qualifying
4. 12 October 2010 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
6. 7 September 2012 Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra  Andorra 3–0 5–0 2014 World Cup qualification
7. 16 October 2012 Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary  Turkey 2–1 3–1 2014 World Cup qualification
8. 14 October 2014 Torsvollur, Torshavn, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 1–0 1–0 Euro 2016 qualifying

Personal life

After the victorious Euro 2016 qualifying play-off match against Norway, Szalai paid 200 glasses of pálinka to Hungarian fans in a local pub in Budapest.[44]

Statistics

Club

As of 16 May 2015[45][46]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stuttgart II 2006–07 335——335
Real Madrid Castilla 2007–08 214——214
2008–09 3716——3716
2009–10 133——133
Total 7123——7123
Mainz 05 2009–10 15100—151
2010–11 20421—225
2011–12 15300—153
2012–13 291332—3215
Total 792153—8424
Schalke 04
2013–14 2873092409
Hoffenheim
2014–15 26411—275
Hannover (loan)
2015–16 00—00
Career total 23760949225566

International

As of 26 March 2016[47]
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 1 0
Total 30 8

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "VfB-Talent Adan Szalai wechselt zu Real Madrid" [VfB Talent Adan Szalai moves to Real Madrid] (in German). SWR.
  2. ↑ "Verein bestätigt: Ungar Adam Szalai von Real Madrid zu Mainz 05" [Club confirm: Hungarian Adam Szalai from Real Madrid to Mainz 05] (in German). Main-Spitze. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "Bayer Leverkusen 4–2 Mainz". ESPN Soccernet. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "Mainz 1–0 Borussia Dortmund". ESPN Soccernet. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "Magic Mainz close on record". ESPN Soccernet. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "Bayer Leverkusen 3–2 Mainz". ESPN Soccernet. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  7. ↑ "Adam Szalai verlängert seinen Vertrag vorzeitig bis 2015" [Adam Szalai extends his contract until 2015] (in German). 1. FSV Mainz 05. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "Szalai signs new Mainz contract". FIFA.com. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Szal-eye for goals". Bundesliga. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Bundesliga: Szalai 12 gólos, ezzel egyedüli magyar rekorder" [Bundesliga: 12 goals for Szalai, the only Hungarian record] (in Hungarian). NSO. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "Transfer news: Schalke interested in Mainz striker Adam Szalai". Sky Sports. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  12. ↑ "Bundesliga: Adam Szalai set to sign for Schalke from Mainz". Sky Sports. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  13. ↑ "3:3! Fußball-Fest mit Fehler-Spektakel" [3:3! Wonderfootball with mistake galore] (in German). Spox. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Stoch strike earns Schalke draw for PAOK". UEFA.com. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "Schalke survive PAOK scare to reach group stage". UEFA.com. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Hoffenheim: megvették Szalait a Schalkétól, 2018-ig aláírt – hivatalos" [Hoffenheim: Szalai bought from Schalke, signed until 2018 – official] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "Szalai-Premiere mit Chaos-Tor" [Szalai debut with shocker of a goal] (in German). Bild. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Der Spieler des 1. Spieltags: Adam Szalai (TSG Hoffenheim)" [The first matchday player: Adam Szalai (TSG Hoffenheim)]. Bundesliga. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Videó: Szalait durvaságért kiállították a Hoffenheimben" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  20. ↑ "Bundesliga: 2 meccses eltiltás - Szalai Ádám az alapot kapta" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "Bundesliga: Szalai betalált, majd sarokkal adott gólpasszt". Nemzeti Sport. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  22. ↑ "Hoffenheim: Szalai négy újabb kérője – a Premier League-be is kerülhet" [Hoffenheim: four new brides for Szalai – a Premier League move is possible]. Nemzeti Sport. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ádám Szalai erhält Leihvertrag" [Ádám Szalai gets loan contract] (in German). Hannover 96. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  24. ↑ "Szalai stars in Hungary goalfest". FIFA.com. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  25. ↑ "Late drama sees Hungary take points". FIFA.com. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  26. ↑ "International friendlies: as they happened". UEFA.com. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  27. ↑ "Five-goal Hungary brush aside Andorra". FIFA.com. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  28. ↑ "Hungary battle back to beat Turkey". UEFA.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  29. ↑ "Turkish hopes dented after Hungary defeat". FIFA.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  30. ↑ "Szalai Ádám a 8–1 után kimondta" (in Hungarian). Sport Geza. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  31. ↑ "Szalai Ádám kifakadt: "20 éve át vannak verve a magyar szurkolók" – TELJES". YouTube. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  32. ↑ "Válogatott: Folyamatosan át vannak verve a szurkolóink – Szalai" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  33. ↑ "Pintér Attila kikéri magának Szalai Ádám kritikáját" [Pintér Attila resents Szalai Ádám criticism] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "Válogatott: Nincs miről beszélni – Szalai Ádám" [National team: There is nothing to talk about – Szalai Ádám] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  35. ↑ "Válogatott: Gera két év után ismét a keretben, Szalai megint kimaradt" [National team: After two years in Gera's squads, Szalai is out again] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  36. ↑ "Légiósok: Szalai Ádám lemondta a válogatottságot!" [Legionary: Szalai Ádám renounces national team!] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  37. ↑ "Huszti lemondta a válogatottságot" [Huszti renounces national team] (in Hungarian). Origo. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  38. ↑ "Hungary sack Pinter, bring in Dardai". FIFA.com. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  39. ↑ "Pintér makes way for Dárdai as Hungary coach". UEFA.com. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  40. ↑ "Válogatott: Szalai visszatér, megvan Dárdai Pál első kerete!" [National team: Szalai returns, makes Dárdai Pál' first squad] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  41. ↑ "Hungary's Dzsudzsák draws sting from Romania". UEFA.com. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  42. ↑ "Hungary relieved to edge out Faroe Islands". UEFA.com. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  43. ↑ "Ádám Szalai – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  44. ↑ "Válogatott: Szalai 200 pálinkát fizetett az ünneplő szurkolóknak" [National team: Szalai paid for 200 glasses of pálinka for celebrating fans]. Nemzeti Sport. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  45. ↑ "Á. Szalai". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  46. ↑ Ádám Szalai at ESPN FC
  47. ↑ "Szalai Ádám". European Football. Retrieved 26 March 2016.

External links

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