Bundesliga record-holder Szalai calls it a career
After 18 months spent in Switzerland, the Bundesliga's all-time best Hungarian marksman confirmed the end of his active playing career on Monday.
At the age of 35, Hungarian striker Adam Szalai is permanently hanging up his professional boots. The former VfB Stuttgart academy man departed his last German club (FSV Mainz 05) on a free-transfer in January 2022 and moved south of the border to FC Basel. This concluded a prolific German footballing career that spanned twelve years and four clubs.
Szalai served as a lead-striker for Mainz, Hoffenheim, Hannover, and Schalke. All told, he contested 276 German top-tier league fixtures and netted 54 goals. The Hungarian international scored 63 goals in 317 appearances for his four German clubs across all competitions.
Szalai enjoyed great popularity in German footballing circles and (according to some rumors) even contributed to an intra-team training boycott after getting kicked off the senior team training squad in the autumn of 2021. Szalai was eventually reinstated later that winter, yet still ultimately departed Mainz under something of a controversial crowd.
it doesn't appear as if Szalai's record as the German top-flight's best Hungarian goalscorer will be broken anytime soon. Leipzig's Willi Orban is the Bundesliga's only active Hungarian international with an overall record (21 goals) close to Szalai's numbers. Now in possession of a senior-level coaching license, it's possible that Szalai might consider a trainer career in the Bundesrepublik.
Szalai Ádám a válogatott mai sajtótájékoztatóján bejelentette, hogy befejezi profi játékos-pályafutását. A korábbi csapatkapitány már rendelkezik A-licences edzői képesítéssel. Civil életéhez sok sikert kívánunk! #csakegyutt #magyarok #szalaiadam pic.twitter.com/09VILOYMaO
— MLSZ (@MLSZhivatalos) June 19, 2023