"We saw the Hungarian heart tonight,” coach Marco Rossi praised the national team.Continue reading
Ádám Szalai, former captain of the Hungarian national football team, announced his retirement on Monday. The footballer had already retired from the national team last September, with his last match being against Italy in the Nations League.
“I am very proud of my career, I started in the Bundesliga and I wanted to finish there as a professional, at the highest level. I played for four different teams, two of them in the Champions League. I am currently the most successful Hungarian goalscorer in the German top flight,” summed up the 35-year-old striker, who finally moved to Basel in February 2022, after the Bundesliga, with the Swiss club being his last club. He played 276 games in the German top flight and scored 54 goals.
Ádám Szalai with Marco Rossi, the manager of the Hungarian national football team. Photo: MTI/Máthé Zoltán
Ádám Szalai explained that he had initially planned to finish last summer, which turned into this summer. He described his decision as thoughtful and considered. He also said that he wanted to remain active in football.
I want to use the knowledge and experience I gained in Germany here at home. I want to do something that I can identify with one hundred percent, which means not jumping into something straight away.”
He added that it took a lot of sacrifice and homesickness to leave his country for such a long time, so he envisages his future here.
The Hungarian footballer joined Mainz in 2010, and went on to play for Schalke 04, Hoffenheim, and Hannover before returning to Mainz. His last club was Basel in Switzerland. He has made 86 appearances for the Hungarian national team, scoring 26 goals, and has appeared with the national team at the 2016 and 2021 European Championships, scoring in both tournaments.
Featured photo via MTI/Máthé Zoltán