The Hungarian athlete formerly played for Hertha from 1997 to 2011, and first became head coach of the Berliner team between February 2015, and summer 2019.Continue reading
Fans witnessed a historic moment in a 2. Bundesliga match for Hertha BSC as coach Pál Dárdai had all three of his sons on the pitch at the same time, reports Mandiner.
Pál Dárdai returned to Hertha BSC this April, and the squad includes his middle son Márton Dárdai, and his youngest son Bence Dárdai. Bence Dárdai also won the European Championship at the tournament in Hungary a few weeks ago as part of Germany’s U17 team.
Shortly before the start of the championship season, the news arrived that the coach’s third son, Palkó Dárdai, had also rejoined Hertha from Hungarian side Fehérvár FC, setting the stage for history-making event in football.
Márton played the whole match in the opening round at home to Fortuna Düsseldorf, with Palkó coming on in the 30th minute to replace the injured Marten Winkler, while youngest son Bence came on in the 78th minute to replace Pascal Klemens.
️| Pál Dárdai:
“I didn’t extend Márton’s contract, and I didn’t bring Palko..
..and they could have made more money everywhere, they just got better offers. Palko was on the verge of a transfer to Düsseldorf, I told him there was a good coach, a great environment and… pic.twitter.com/JeU6UzBpIw
— Hungarian Football Xtra (@HunFootballXtra) July 31, 2023
According to Mandiner,
nowhere in professional football has a father been the head coach of a team in which three of his sons have played.
However, the situation is not entirely unfamiliar to coach Pál Dárdai, as during his time at Pécs MFC in Hungary (he made his debut for the team in 1992, aged just 16 and a half), there was a period when his father, Pál Dárdai senior, was the coach.
In an earlier interview, Pál Dárdai said of his son Palkó that he never lobbied teams for him. “When he asked for my opinion, I only told him to join a club where he would get regular opportunities and the playing time he needed. I am very proud of him for making it.”
✍️ Palko #Dardai signs a contract until 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣. Welcome back! #HaHoHe pic.twitter.com/YJETCzuqJY
— Hertha BSC (EN) (@HerthaBSC_EN) July 25, 2023
There was a period when Márton was out of Hertha’s starting line-up (mainly due to injury). “Marci grew a lot between the ages of 16 and 19, which always sets a young player back, but now he has definitely strengthened. When there was talk of a possible move, I just told him not to go on loan. Any club that is serious about signing him should buy him out,” his father said. Fortunately, that did not happen, and the midfielder is now back in the starting line-up for Hertha BSC.
Pál Dárdai has never hidden the fact that the youngest of the three boys, Bence, still only 17, is the most talented in his opinion. “He has the biggest mouth, he is the most badass! At the age of 16, he was already playing one age group above the 17-year-olds, where he often led the team on his back. He is at that age now where he has suddenly grown a lot, but I am not afraid he will find his coordination again soon.”
Featured photo via Facebook/Dárdai Pál maradj kapitány