Roland Sallai (born 22 May 1997) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a right winger or attacking midfielder for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Hungary national team.[3]

Roland Sallai
Sallai playing for Hungary at the UEFA Euro 2020
Personal information
Full name Roland Sallai[1]
Date of birth (1997-05-22) 22 May 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth Budapest, Hungary
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Right winger, attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Galatasaray
Number 7
Youth career
2003–2007 Debreceni Olasz Focisuli
2007–2009 Siófok
2009–2014 Videoton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Puskás Akadémia 48 (3)
2016–2017Palermo (loan) 21 (1)
2017–2018 APOEL 29 (9)
2018–2024 SC Freiburg 138 (20)
2024– Galatasaray 10 (1)
International career
2015 Hungary U18 3 (1)
2015 Hungary U19 1 (0)
2015 Hungary U20 4 (1)
2015–2016 Hungary U21 8 (1)
2016– Hungary 58 (14)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:14, 16 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:51, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Puskás Akadémia

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Sallai started his professional career at Puskás Akadémia where he played from 2014 until the summer of 2017. He scored twice against Panathinaikos F.C. in the group match of the 2014 Puskás Cup. He made his debut on 1 August 2014 against Pécs, and scored first goal in Hungarian league against Ferencváros on 14 September 2014 in Groupama Aréna.[4]

Palermo

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On 4 August 2016, Sallai joined Italian club Palermo on a seasonal loan, until the end of the 2016–17 season with a loan fee of $300,000.

Sallai completed 84 minutes on his debut for Serie A's club on 10 September 2016 against Napoli. He scored his first official goal for Palermo on 19 March 2017 against Udinese. He appeared in 21 Serie A matches (eleven in the starting line-up, ten as a substitute) and scored one goal.

APOEL

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On 5 August 2017, it was announced that APOEL had secured his signature on a four-year contract until the end of May 2021, for an undisclosed transfer fee from Puskás, rumored to be around €2 million.

On 9 September, he made his debut and scored his first goal against Nea Salamina. He appeared in 29 Cypriot First Division matches and scored 9 goals.

He also appeared in six UEFA Champions League matches against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur.

SC Freiburg

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On 31 August 2018, Sallai signed a four-year deal with Bundesliga club, SC Freiburg for a fee reported to be €4.5 million.[5] On 22 September 2018 he scored and won a penalty on his debut against Wolfsburg at Volkswagen Arena on the 4th match day of the 2018–19 Bundesliga in a 3–1 victory, and he was named in the team of the week following his performance.[6][7] From middle of November 2018 he had an adductor problems, and was unable to play for the next five months. He returned as a substitute on 5 May 2019 against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Sallai started his third season at the Freiburg with a goal and a assist against VfB Stuttgart in a 3–2 victory.[8] He scored two goals against Schalke 04 in 2–0 victory in Veltins-Arena and was named in the team of the 12th match day by sports magazine kicker.[9]

2022–23 season

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On 16 April 2022, he scored twice against VfL Bochum at the Europa-Park Stadion on the 30th game week in the 2021–22 Bundesliga season. Both assist were prepared by Jeong Woo-yeong.[10] He was also voted for the best player of Game Week 30 by Kicker.[11][12]

In the 2022–23 Bundesliga season, he scored only one goal against SV Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion, Bremen on the 28th game week.[13] Compared to his previous seasons, he only made 19 appearances in the Bundesliga, while four appearances in the domestic cup.

2023–24 season

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On 19 August 2023, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on the first match day of the 2023–24 Bundesliga season.[14] According to Kicker, he became the best player of Freiburg from a troublemaker.[15]

In an interview with Nemzeti Sport, he said that a Saudi club, Al-Ettifaq FC managed by Steven Gerrard, offered him "a lot of money to sign him", however, he chose to remain in Germany.[16][17][18][19]

On 21 September 2023, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 victory against Olympiacos F.C. in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League season.[20] On 5 October 2023, he scored the only Freiburg goal in a 2–1 defeat against West Ham United F.C. in the Europa League.[21] On 26 October 2023, he got injured in the third round of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League group stage match against FK TSC.[22][23][24] On 30 November 2023, he returned from his injury in a 2023–24 UEFA Europa League match against Olympiacos F.C.[25]

He scored his first goal in the 95th minute in a 2–0 home victory against 1. FC Köln on the 15th match day of the 2023–24 Bundesliga season after his two-month break due to his injury.[26][27]

On 20 January 2024, he scored the winning goal in the 85th minute in a 3–2 victory over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on the 18th game week of the 2023–24 Bundesliga season.[28][29][30]

On 22 February 2024, he scored two goals in a 3-2 victory over RC Lens in the second leg of the 16th finals of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League.[31][32][33]

Galatasaray

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On 13 September 2024, he signed with the Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray on a 4-year contract.[34][35] On 21 September 2024, he debuted in a league match against Fenerbahçe S.K. in the 2024–25 Süper Lig season.[36] He entered the pitch as a substitute for Dries Mertens in the 75th minute.[37] On 1 December 2024, he scored his first goal in a 2-2 draw against Eyüpspor in the 2024-25 Süper Lig season.[38][39]

International career

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Sallai was part of the Hungarian U-20 team at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup,[3] playing in two games. He made his debut for U-21 team against Italy U21 on 12 August 2015.

He made his full international debut on 20 May 2016 in a friendly match against Ivory Coast at the Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary.[40] On 5 May 2016, Sallai was named in Hungary's preliminary Euro 2016 squad, but was left off of final squad for the tournament.[41] On 11 September 2018, he scored his first goal for the national team against Greece at the Groupama Arena, Budapest, in a 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C match.[42]

On 1 June 2021, Sallai was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Hungary at the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[43] On 14 June 2022, he scored a brace in a 4–0 away win over England in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A, to be England's worst home defeat since the Wembley Wizards match in 1928.[44]

He scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory against Greece on 20 November 2022. The match was also the farewell of Balázs Dzsudzsák.[45]

On 20 June 2023, he scored his 10th international goal, be netting the second goal in a 2–0 win against Lithuania in the 83rd minute at the Puskás Aréna in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group G.[46]

On 14 October 2023, he scored the second Hungarian goal in a 2–1 victory over Serbia at the Puskás Aréna in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match.[47][48]

On 14 May 2024, Sallai was named in Hungary's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[49] He started all three Group A matches, assisting Kevin Csoboth's 100th-minute winning goal against Scotland in the final group match on 24 June.[50]

On 11 October 2024, he scored the first goal in a 1–1 draw against the Netherlands in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A match at the Puskás Aréna.[51] The assist was performed by Zsolt Nagy.[52] After the match, he said that the team found themselves again.[53]

Personal life

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His father, Tibor, was also a professional football player.[54]

Sallai's uncle is former Hungarian national team defender Sándor Sallai.[55]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 16 December 2024[56][57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Puskás Akadémia 2013–14 NB I 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
2014–15 16 2 3 0 3 1 22 3
2015–16 31 1 1 0 0 0 32 1
2017–18 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 48 3 4 0 4 1 56 4
Palermo (loan) 2016–17 Serie A 21 1 1 0 22 1
APOEL 2017–18 Cypriot First Division 29 9 4 0 6[c] 0 39 9
2018–19 0 0 0 0 7[d] 1 7 1
Total 29 9 4 0 13 1 46 10
SC Freiburg 2018–19 Bundesliga 10 2 0 0 10 2
2019–20 21 2 2 0 23 2
2020–21 28 8 1 0 29 8
2021–22 31 4 5 1 36 5
2022–23 19 1 4 1 3[e] 0 26 2
2023–24 27 3 1 1 9[e] 4 37 8
2024–25 2 0 0 0 2 0
Total 138 20 13 3 12 4 163 27
Galatasaray 2024–25 Süper Lig 10 1 0 0 0 0 10 1
Career total 246 34 22 3 4 1 25 5 297 43
  1. ^ Includes Magyar Kupa, Coppa Italia, Cypriot Cup, DFB-Pokal
  2. ^ Includes Ligakupa
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 19 November 2024[58]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Hungary 2016 1 0
2017 5 0
2018 6 1
2019 4 0
2020 4 1
2021 10 3
2022 8 4
2023 8 3
2024 12 2
Total 58 14
Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sallai goal.[58]
List of international goals scored by Roland Sallai
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 September 2018 Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary   Greece 1–0 2–1 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C
2 6 September 2020 Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary   Russia 1–3 2–3 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
3 25 March 2021   Poland 1–0 3–3 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 28 March 2021 San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino   San Marino 2–0 3–0
5 12 October 2021 Wembley Stadium, London, England   England 1–0 1–1
6 29 March 2022 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland   Northern Ireland 1–0 1–0 Friendly
7 14 June 2022 Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England   England 1–0 4–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
8 2–0
9 20 November 2022 Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary   Greece 1–0 2–1 Friendly
10 20 June 2023   Lithuania 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
11 10 September 2023   Czech Republic 1–0 1–1 Friendly
12 14 October 2023   Serbia 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
13 8 June 2024 Nagyerdei Stadion, Debrecen, Hungary   Israel 1–0 3–0 Friendly
14 11 October 2024 Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary   Netherlands 1–0 1–1 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A

References

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  1. ^ "UEFA Nations League 2019 Booking List before League phase Matchday 6" (PDF). UEFA. 17 November 2018. p. 10. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Roland Sallai | Playerprofile | Bundesliga". bundesliga.com. DFL. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Fifa U20 World Cup Squad" (in Hungarian). 15 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Zsinórban nyolcadszor is nyert odahaza a Ferencváros" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  5. ^ "Roland Sallai kommt zum Sport-Club" (in German). SC Freiburg. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Sallainak 7 perc kellett a gólhoz a Freiburgban, aztán megsérült" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Elf des tages 2018-19/4" (in German). Kicker. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Sallai góllal és gólpasszal járult hozzá csapata győzelméhez" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Elf des tages 2020-21/12" (in German). Kicker. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Freiburg 3-0 Bochum". Soccerway. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Bundesliga: Sallait megválasztották a forduló legjobbjának" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  12. ^ "SPIELER DES TAGES: Roland Sallai" (in German). Kicker. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Werder Bremen vs. Freiburg - 16 April 2023 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Hoffenheim vs. Freiburg - 19 August 2023 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Vom Querulanten zum Leistungsträger: Der Aufschwung des Roland Sallai". kicker (in German). Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  16. ^ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "Válogatott: Sallai elárulta, igaz-e, hogy a karriert választotta a". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  17. ^ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "Légiósok: Sallait vitte volna Gerrard Szaúd-Arábiába – sajtóhír - N". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  18. ^ Attila, Tóth-Szenesi (11 September 2023). "Sallai Roland a karriert választotta a mesés szaúdi fizetés helyett". 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  19. ^ "TMW - Sallai dice no ai milioni dell'Al-Ettifaq. Roma vigile sul giocatore del Friburgo". www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Olympiakos vs. Freiburg - 21 September 2023 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Freiburg vs. West Ham United - 5 October 2023 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  22. ^ nemzetisport.hu (26 October 2023). "Sallai megsérült, a Freiburg hátrányból fordítva győzte le a Topoly". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  23. ^ nemzetisport.hu (26 October 2023). "El: a Freiburg edzője szerint Sallainak heteket kell kihagynia - NS". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Grifo nets hat-trick as SCF turn it around in Serbia | SC Freiburg". www.scfreiburg.com. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  25. ^ nemzetisport.hu (30 November 2023). "El: Sallai visszatért, a Freiburg csillagos ötössel vívta ki a tová". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  26. ^ "Freiburg vs. FC Cologne - 17 December 2023 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  27. ^ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "Bundesliga: Sallai gólja zárta le a Freiburg Köln elleni győzelmét". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  28. ^ "SC beat Hoffenheim with 10 men | SC Freiburg". www.scfreiburg.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Bundesliga: Sallai a hajrában döntött, simán nyert a Dortmund – videó". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 20 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Freiburg vs. Hoffenheim - 20 January 2024 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  31. ^ UEFA.com. "Freiburg-Lens | UEFA Europa League 2023/24". UEFA.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  32. ^ "El: Sallai kettőt vágott, a Freiburg hosszabbítás után továbbjutott a Lens ellen". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 22 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Aufholjagd ins Achtelfinale | SC Freiburg". www.scfreiburg.com (in German). Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Roland Sallai Galatasaray'da!". Galatasaray S.K. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  35. ^ "Sallai Roland a Galatasarayba igazolt – hivatalos". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 13 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  36. ^ "Sallai Roland debütált, a Galatasaray legyőzte a Fenerbahcét a török élvonal rangadóján". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 21 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Fenerbahce vs. Galatasaray - 21 September 2024 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  38. ^ "Videó: Sallai Roland remek kapáslövéssel szerezte meg első gólját a Galatasarayban". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 1 December 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  39. ^ SPORTS, beIN (1 December 2024). "ÖZET | Galatasaray 2 2 ikas Eyüpspor". beinsports.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  40. ^ "Nem tudtuk feltörni az elefántok masszív védelmét". mlsz.hu (in Hungarian). Hungarian Football Federation. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  41. ^ "Válogatott: ezzel a 30 játékossal készül Storck az Eb-re". nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  42. ^ "Végre! Két szép góllal, olykor jól futballozva győzött válogatottunk". nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  43. ^ "Válogatott: a Puskás Akadémia két játékosa és Szoboszlai Dominik maradt ki az Eb-keretből" (in Hungarian). 1 June 2021.
  44. ^ "England 0–4 Hungary: England's dismal Nations League campaign continued as they slumped to their worst home defeat since 1928 against a ruthless Hungary to leave Gareth Southgate's side rooted to the bottom of Group A3". BBC Sport. 14 June 2022.
  45. ^ "2-1 Dzsudzsák búcsúmeccsén, Kalmár az utolsó percben hozta a győzelmet a görögök ellen". telex (in Hungarian). 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  46. ^ "Hungary vs. Lithuania - 20 June 2023 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  47. ^ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "Ahogy köll: itthon is megvertük a szerbeket - NSO". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  48. ^ UEFA.com. "Hungary-Serbia | European Qualifiers 2024". UEFA.com. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  49. ^ "Szoboszlai gets shot at Euro glory with Hungary as Rossi names squad". Reuters. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  50. ^ "Scotland vs Hungary: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  51. ^ "Nem sok kellett volna a győzelemhez: a hajrában, emberhátrányban egyenlítettek a hollandok". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 11 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  52. ^ UEFA.com. "Hungary-Netherlands | UEFA Nations League 2025". UEFA.com. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  53. ^ "Sallai Roland: Visszatértünk arra az útra, amin sikeresek voltunk". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 11 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  54. ^ "Roland Sallai: Hungary forward who has grown up fast with club and country | Hungary | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  55. ^ "Sallai nagybátyja is reagált a Freiburg edzőjének véleményére | Goal.com Magyarország". www.goal.com (in Hungarian). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  56. ^ "R. Sallai". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  57. ^ "Sallai Roland". MLSZ.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  58. ^ a b "Sallai, Roland". National Football Teams. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
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