Union Berlin announced on Friday that they have signed András Schäfer, the Hungarian national team footballer who previously played for Slovakia’s FC DAC 1904, located in Dunaszerdahely (Dunajská Streda).
The Hungarian player will sign on a loan deal until the end of the season and make his move permanent if Union stays in the Bundesliga, Union Berlin’s website states.
András Schäfer signed with DAC in September 2020 and quickly became a key player. The real breakthrough came at last summer’s European Championship, where he was counted on to start all three group games, scoring in the 2-2 group game against Germany. Schäfer has scored three goals and assisted three times in 17 league games for DAC this season.
To play in the Bundesliga and therefore one of the top leagues in Europe is something very special. Union has developed impressively in recent years and left its mark on the Bundesliga. Together with the club, I also want to develop further and gain a foothold here. I’m very much looking forward to the team and the new task,”
said Schäfer on his arrival at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
👋🇭🇺 Szervusz András!#fcunion pic.twitter.com/NegTkIYMcg
— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) January 21, 2022
We have been following András closely for some time and we like his mentality, his development, and his courageous play with the ball. He is young, ambitious, and a player who is now already available to us with immediate effect,”
said Oliver Ruhnert, 1. FC Union Berlin’s Managing Director for Professional Football.
Together with Schäfer, there are currently seven Hungarians in the Bundesliga: RB Leipzig has Péter Gulácsi, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Willi Orbán in their ranks, while Roland Sallai is an important player for Freiburg and veteran striker Ádám Szalai is playing for Mainz. Hertha BSC defender and German youth team player, teenager Márton Dárdai, has not yet decided whether to represent Hungary or Germany at the senior level.
Featured image: András Schäfer after scoring a goal during the final round of the 2020 European Football Championship Group F match between Germany and Hungary, postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus epidemic, at the Allianz Arena in Munich on June 23, 2021. Photo by Tamás Kovács/MTI