1. Early Life and Youth Career
Attila Szalai was born in Budapest, Hungary, on January 20, 1998. His football journey began early in his youth, playing for local clubs in Göd before moving to the youth team of Vác FC. He later continued his development at the academy of Vasas.
1.1. Early Years and Youth Academies
Szalai's formative years in football saw him progress through various significant youth clubs. From 2010 to 2012, he was part of the Vasas youth system. In 2012, at the age of 14, he was invited to Austria by Austrian Bundesliga club SK Rapid Wien. After a week of trials, he was signed to their youth system, where he continued his development until 2015. His time at Rapid Wien's youth and reserve teams prepared him for professional football.
2. Club Career
Attila Szalai's professional club career has seen him play for various teams across different European leagues, starting from his debut with Rapid Wien to his current loan spell at Standard Liège.
2.1. Rapid Wien
After progressing through the youth and reserve teams of SK Rapid Wien, playing in the Regionalliga Ost (the third tier of Austrian football), Szalai was promoted to the senior squad. He made his professional debut for the senior team at the age of 18 on May 11, 2016. This debut occurred as a starter in a 1-1 home draw against SC Rheindorf Altach. This match marked his only appearance for Rapid Wien in a professional senior team match.
2.2. Mezőkövesd
On July 1, 2017, Szalai returned to Hungary, signing a three-year contract with Mezőkövesdi SE. He made his debut for the club on July 30, 2017, in a 2017-18 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season match against Ferencvárosi TC, which resulted in a 5-0 defeat for Mezőkövesd at the Ferencváros Stadion. In his two seasons in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Hungary's top flight, Szalai scored two goals in 45 appearances for the club. His first goal came on July 21, 2018, contributing to a 3-1 victory over Paksi FC in the 2018-19 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season at the Mezőkövesdi Városi Stadion. He scored his second goal on August 18, 2018, in a 1-1 draw with Újpest FC at the Szusza Ferenc Stadion.
2.3. Apollon Limassol
On July 1, 2019, Szalai moved to Cyprus, signing a four-year contract with Cypriot First Division team Apollon Limassol. He made his debut in Cyprus on July 11, 2019, as a half-time substitute in Apollon's 2019-20 UEFA Europa League qualifying match against FK Kauno Žalgiris, which his team won 2-0. He then scored his first goal for his new team in the second leg of the tie on July 18. In November 2020, Süper Lig club Galatasaray expressed interest in signing Szalai.
2.4. Fenerbahçe
On January 17, 2021, Attila Szalai signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He made his debut for the club on January 25, 2021, in a Süper Lig match against Kayserispor at the Ülker Stadium (also known as Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium), which Fenerbahçe won 3-0. On March 8, 2021, Szalai scored his first Süper Lig goal against Konyaspor at the Konya Büyükşehir Stadium, on the 29th matchday of the 2020-21 Süper Lig season, in a match Fenerbahçe won 3-0.
His first and only goal in the 2021-22 Süper Lig season came on February 28, 2022, against Kasımpaşa at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium in Istanbul, where Fenerbahçe secured a 2-1 victory. In the 2022-23 Süper Lig season, Szalai featured in 32 matches and scored two goals. He scored his first goal of that season in a 4-0 victory against Konyaspor on February 25, 2023. On April 10, 2023, he scored in a 2-1 away victory against Fatih Karagümrük at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul.
On June 11, 2023, Szalai achieved a significant team honor by winning the 2023 Turkish Cup final with Fenerbahçe, as his club defeated İstanbul Başakşehir 2-0. During the early summer of 2023, despite being linked with a move to Union Berlin, Szalai ultimately transferred to another German club, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
2.5. TSG Hoffenheim
On July 24, 2023, Szalai officially joined TSG Hoffenheim on a four-year contract. The transfer fee for his move was 12.30 M EUR, which was approximately 1.90 B JPY. He made his Bundesliga debut on August 19, 2023, against SC Freiburg in a 2-1 home defeat during the 2023-24 Bundesliga season. In this match, he unfortunately scored an own goal in the 39th minute. Consequently, he was substituted at half time and did not feature in the starting line-up for Hoffenheim's subsequent match against 1. FC Heidenheim. On November 13, 2024, he played in a friendly match against TSV Steinbach Haiger following the departure of Hoffenheim's coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo.
2.5.1. Loan to SC Freiburg
On January 21, 2024, Szalai was loaned to SC Freiburg for the remainder of the 2023-24 Bundesliga season. The circumstances surrounding his signing were described as unusual by Klemens Hartenbach, the sports director of Freiburg, as Szalai signed his loan contract wearing a Hoffenheim shirt after Freiburg had hosted Hoffenheim in a match where Szalai was an unused substitute. He played his first match for Freiburg on January 27, 2024, in a 3-1 defeat from SV Werder Bremen, entering the pitch in the 71st minute as a substitute for Lukas Kübler. On May 12, 2024, it was announced that Freiburg would terminate his loan agreement.
2.5.2. Loan to Standard Liège
On January 12, 2025, Szalai was loaned to Belgian Pro League club Standard Liège. He made his debut for the club on January 26, 2025, in a 1-0 victory over F.C.V. Dender E.H. on the 23rd game week of the Belgian Pro League, coming on as a substitute for Dennis Eckert in the 84th minute. On the 26th game week, February 14, 2025, Szalai was included in the starting lineup against Genk, the league leaders. He played the full match, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for Standard Liège.
3. International Career
Attila Szalai has represented Hungary at various youth levels before making his senior debut. He made his senior debut for the Hungary national team on November 15, 2019, in a friendly match against Uruguay, where he was substituted for Botond Baráth in the 72nd minute.
On June 1, 2021, Szalai was included in Hungary's final 26-man squad for the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. He played all three of the team's Group F matches as a left-sided centre-back. In these matches, the Magyars lost to Portugal and secured draws against both France and Germany.
Szalai scored his first international goal for Hungary on November 17, 2022, in a friendly match against Luxembourg. The goal, which came from a header following a cross from Willi Orbán, leveled the score at 1-1 in a match that ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw. The game was played at the Stade de Luxembourg in Gasperich, Luxembourg City.
On May 14, 2024, Szalai was named in Hungary's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He started the team's opening match of the tournament against Switzerland, playing 79 minutes before being substituted for Márton Dárdai in a 3-1 loss. He was an unused substitute in the second group stage match against Germany. However, he appeared as a 74th-minute substitute for Dárdai in the crucial 1-0 victory over Scotland, a result that ensured Hungary finished third in Group A. On August 27, 2024, national team coach Marco Rossi did not include Szalai in the squad for the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League match against Germany scheduled for September 7, 2024.
4. Personal Life
Attila Szalai holds significant public popularity in his home country, being recognized as the third most popular sportsperson in Hungary based on his Instagram followers. His father, also named Attila Szalai, has publicly stated that for transfers, the most crucial factor is not financial gain but the player's happiness with the move.
Szalai has actively participated in social contribution activities. On December 27, 2022, before a match against Hatayspor, he played an important role by holding a picture of a 6-year-old boy suffering from Leukemia, allowing the boy, Mustafa Roni Güclü, to 'participate' in the match symbolically. Furthermore, he demonstrated his commitment to humanitarian causes by donating blood to the victims of the devastating 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, alongside his Fenerbahçe teammates. Szalai is known by the nickname "Sancho" (SzancsóHungarian) among his teammates and fans.
5. Honours
Fenerbahçe
- Turkish Cup: 2022-23
6. Career Statistics
This section provides detailed tabular data of Attila Szalai's match appearances and goals for both his club and national teams throughout his career.
Note: The "Cup" column includes appearances in the Magyar Kupa, Cypriot Cup, Turkish Cup, and DFB-Pokal.
6.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rapid Wien | 2015-16 | Austrian Football Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| Rapid Wien II | 2015-16 | Regionalliga Ost | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 20 | 1 | |
| 2016-17 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 23 | 0 | |||
| Total | 43 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 43 | 1 | |||
| Mezőkövesd | 2017-18 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 22 | 0 | |
| 2018-19 | 25 | 2 | 5 | 0 | - | 30 | 2 | |||
| Total | 45 | 2 | 7 | 0 | - | 52 | 2 | |||
| Apollon Limassol | 2019-20 | Cypriot First Division | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 (UEL) | 2 | 24 | 2 |
| 2020-21 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 (UEL) | 1 | 19 | 3 | ||
| Total | 30 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 43 | 5 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2020-21 | Süper Lig | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 22 | 3 | |
| 2021-22 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 (8 UEL, 2 UECL) | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2022-23 | 32 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 14 (2 UCL, 12 UEL) | 1 | 52 | 3 | ||
| Total | 84 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 117 | 7 | ||
| TSG Hoffenheim | 2023-24 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024-25 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |||
| SC Freiburg (loan) | 2023-24 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Standard Liège (loan) | 2024-25 | Belgian Pro League | 3 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 210 | 11 | 20 | 0 | 34 | 4 | 264 | 16 | ||
6.2. International
Attila Szalai's international statistics for the Hungary national team by year and by goal.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 46 | 1 | |
:Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Szalai goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 17, 2022 | Stade de Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | 30 | Luxembourg | 1-1 | 2-2 | Friendly |