Szabolcs Huszti

Szabolcs Huszti (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈsɒbolt͡ʃ ˈhusti]; born 18 April 1983) is a retired Hungarian footballer. He is well known for his dribbling, pace, passing and goal scoring ability from midfield.

Szabolcs Huszti

Personal information
Date of birth	18 April 1983
Place of birth	Miskolc, Hungary
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Fehérvár[1]
Number	9[2]
Youth career
0000–1997	Tapolca Bauxit
1997–2002	Ferencváros
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2005	Ferencváros	24	(3)
2003–2004	→ Sopron (loan)	14	(6)
2005–2006	Metz	18	(1)
2006–2009	Hannover 96	81	(17)
2009–2012	Zenit Saint Petersburg	58	(7)
2012–2014	Hannover 96	51	(19)
2014–2015	Changchun Yatai	39	(9)
2016–2017	Eintracht Frankfurt	30	(3)
2017	Changchun Yatai	16	(4)
2018–2019	Fehérvár	43	(7)
National team
2004–2010	Hungary	51	(7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 August 2020

Career

Ferencváros

Huszti (his surname meaning "from Huszt" now in Ukraine) began his professional career at the Hungarian club Ferencváros. Following a solitary first team appearance, he was loaned out to fellow top-flight team FC Sopron in December 2003. During this six-month stint, he scored goals in his 14 appearances. He was called back to his parent club for the 2004–05 season, and began brightly, scoring on his return against Gyor and establishing himself as a regular starter.

Huszti's time in his native country wasn't to last beyond that one season. Despite interest from Rangers and West Bromwich Albion,[3] he was eventually sold to FC Metz of France's Ligue 1 in summer 2005. His new club was to endure a difficult season though, as they ended up suffering relegation. This was the catalyst for another move, as he transferred to German Bundesliga club Hannover 96 for just £210,000 in July 2006.

Hannover

He made his Bundesliga debut on 13 August 2006, against then-champions Werder Bremen. His versatility – being adept in both wide positions (despite his preferred left foot), amid the midfield or even as an advanced attacker – saw him become a permanent fixture in the team. He also managed six goals in his first season, the most memorable perhaps coming in a shock 1–0 victory at Bayern Munich.[4] Huszti returned a nemesis for Bayern Munich again when he scored from a wonderfully curved free kick in Hannover's 1–0 win at the start of the 2008–09 season. Hannover had not beaten Bayern at home for 20 years and thus Huszti had ended that drought.

In the 2007–08 season, he established himself as a key player at Hannover, who were having quite a successful season, always being placed in the upper half of the table. Huszti was certainly one of the most prominent midfielders in the German top division, having played all but one match for his team and scoring ten goals.

Zenit St. Petersburg

On 1 February 2009, he moved to FC Zenit St. Petersburg to replace Arsenal-bound Andrei Arshavin. He was also one of the main targets of Glasgow Celtic in the transfer period, but the Scottish club was outbid by Zenit's £2.5million offer.[5][6] He joined the team on the training camp in Turkey in early February 2009. He scored in his first official game on 18 February 2009 for FC Zenit St. Petersburg a goal against VfB Stuttgart, after 1.53 minutes in the UEFA Cup. He made his league debut two months later against FC Lokomotiv Moscow as a substitute of Viktor Fayzulin.

Hannover

On 23 July 2012, he returned to Hannover 96 signing a three-year contract until June 2015.[7] He gave four assists in his first match against VfL Wolfsburg.[8]

Changchun Yatai

On 16 July 2014, Hannover 96 announced Huszti's transfer to Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai.[9] He scored his first goal in China on 3 August, helping Changchun to a win over defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande 2–1.[10]

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 30 December 2015, Huszti signed an 18-month contract with Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.[11][12]

Changchun Yatai

Huszti received an offer from his former club, the Chinese Changchun Yatai.[13] German press reported a salary of 3.3 million euros annually.[14] In the second round of the tournament he debuted for the second time in the colors of Changchun. in a 0–1 to loss Guangzhou R&F F.C.[15] On 9 April, he shot his first goal against Liaoning.[16]

Videoton

On 11 January 2018, after twelve and a half years abroad, he returned home and became a Videoton FC player.[17][18]

Club statistics

Statistics correct as of 28 September 2019

Club	Season	League		Cup		Continental		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Ferencváros
	2003–04	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2004–05	23	3	0	0	0	0	23	3
Total		24	3	0	0	0	0	24	3
FC Sopron (loan)
	2003–04	14	6	0	0	0	0	14	6
FC Metz
	2005–06	18	1	0	0	0	0	18	1
Hannover 96
	2006–07	31	4	3	1	0	0	34	5
	2007–08	33	10	2	0	0	0	35	10
	2008–09	17	3	1	0	0	0	18	3
Total		81	17	6	1	4	2	87	18
Zenit St. Petersburg
	2009	19	2	2	0	2	1	23	3
	2010	13	1	1	0	1	1	15	2
	2011–12	26	4	3	0	1	0	30	4
Total		58	7	6	0	4	2	68	9
Hannover 96
	2012–13	21	9	2	0	11	5	34	14
	2013–14	30	10	2	1	0	0	32	11
Total		51	19	4	1	11	5	66	25
Changchun Yatai
	2014	14	3	0	0	0	0	14	3
	2015	25	6	0	0	0	0	25	6
Total		39	9	0	0	0	0	39	9
Eintracht Frankfurt
	2015–16	15	1	0	0	0	0	15	1
	2016–17	15	2	2	0	1	0	18	2
Total		30	3	2	0	1	0	33	3
Changchun Yatai
	2017	16	4	0	0	0	0	16	4
Total		16	4	0	0	0	0	16	4
Videoton
	2017–18	9	1	0	0	0	0	9	1
	2018–19	27	5	9	4	11	2	47	11
	2019–20	7	1	0	0	4	1	11	2
Total		43	7	9	4	15	3	67	14
Career total		374	76	27	6	31	10	432	92

International career

He had also established himself as a regular member of the Hungary national team. He was first chosen during his time in Sopron, by then-manager Lothar Matthäus. His debut came on 25 April 2004 in a friendly with Japan, which he marked with a goal. Huszti scored his two goals for the national team in August 2004, in a Man of the Match display away to Scotland.

However, his international career suffered a setback when current manager Péter Várhidi suspended him from the national team until the end of the year in June 2007. Hungary took this disciplinary action after Huszti walked out of their training camp ahead of two European Championship qualifying games. The player claimed this was because he was unsure whether he would be named as a starter.[19]

In 2008, Huszti made a comeback for his country on 6 February, in a 1–1 draw against Slovakia.

On 9 September 2010, Huszti announced his retirement from the national team. He published an open letter following the Euro 2012 qualification match against Moldova in which he cited various reasons for his decision, including that he wants to focus on his club career and that he does not like the current atmosphere around the national team.[20] Following the announcement, former Hungarian international and Hertha BSC midfielder, Pál Dárdai suggested discussing the controversies between Huszti and Hungarian national football team manager Sándor Egervári claiming that Huszti is now one of the best Hungarian players and could be very useful for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifications.[21] Years later, when the Hungarian nationals qualified to UEFA Euro 2016, Huszti reiterated his opinion that he has no intention to returning to the team.[22]

International statistics

As of 3 September 2010

Season	Apps	Goals
2004	7	3
2005	10	1
2006	8	2
2007	3	0
2008	10	0
2009	8	1
2010	5	0
Total	51	7

International goals

Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first.[23]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	25 April 2004	ZTE Arena, Zalaegerszeg, Hungary	Japan	3–2	3–2	Friendly
2.	18 August 2004	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	1–0	3–0	Friendly
3.				3–0
4.	4 June 2005	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik, Iceland	Iceland	3–2	3–2	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	24 May 2006	Szusza Ferenc Stadion, Budapest, Hungary	New Zealand	1–0	2–0	Friendly
6.	6 September 2006	Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
7.	5 September 2009	Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary	Sweden	1–1	1–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

Ferencváros

• Hungarian League: Runner-up 2002–03,2004–05
• Hungarian Cup: Runner-up 2004–05

Zenit

• Russian Premier League: 2010, 2011–12
• Russian Cup: 2009–10
• Russian Super Cup: 2011

Individual

• Young Hungarian Player of the Year: 2004
• Hungarian Football Federation nominated him to be the best domestic footballer of the year: 2006,[24] 2013

References

1. "Videoton:NB I: Huszti hazatért, aláírt a Videotonhoz – hivatalos" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
2. "#9 Szabolcs Huszti". vidi.hu. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
3. "Rangers target Hungary defender". The Sunday Herald. 13 February 2005. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
4. "Szabolcs Huszti vs Bayern München". 24 November 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
5. "Celtic target Szabolcs Huszti signs for Zenit". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
6. "Jacek Krzynowek zu 96" (in German). kicker.de. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
7. "Huszti zurück in Hannover" (in German). bundesliga.de. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
8. "VfL Wolfsburg vs Hannover 96 Lineups and Statistics". goal.com. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
9. 匈牙利国脚胡斯蒂将签约亚泰 具体待遇仍需商谈 (in Chinese). sohu. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
10. 德拉甘解密为何总能赢恒大 就告诉队员不要怕要去拼 (in Chinese). sina. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
11. "Németország: Huszti visszatért a Bundesligába – hivatalos!" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
12. "Frankfurt snap up Huszti". Bundesliga.com. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
13. "Légiósok: a Frankfurt edzője megerősítette, Huszti visszatér Kínába". Nemzeti Sport. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
14. "Légiósok: Huszti ma aláírt, bemutatta a klubja – hivatalos". Nemzeti Sport. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
15. "Kína: továbbra sincs meg Husztiék első pontja". Nemzeti Sport. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
16. "Légiósok: Huszti első gólja pontot hozott a konyhára – videó". Nemzeti Sport. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
17. "HUSZTI SZABOLCS HIVATALOSAN IS A VIDEOTON JÁTÉKOSA" (in Hungarian). Origo. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
18. "Szabolcs Huszti joins Videoton FC". Vidi.hu. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
19. "Hungary suspend Huszti". theworldgame.sbs.com. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
20. "Huszti: Ami most zajlik, annak köze sincs a realitáshoz. Az hülyítés. Az nevetséges" (in Hungarian). nso.hu. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
21. "A sértettség nem állhat a válogatott érdekei elé". nb1.hu. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
22. "Ha a magyarok döntőt játszanának az Eb-n, Huszti akkor se akarna már válogatott lenni". index.hu (in Hungarian). 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
23. "Huszti, Szabolcs". National Football Teams. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
24. "Huszti Szabolcs lett az év labdarúgója" (in Hungarian). origo.hu. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2006.

External links

• Szabolcs Huszti at Soccerway
• Szabolcs Huszti at National-Football-Teams.com
• Szabolcs Huszti at ESPN FC
• Huszti Szabolcs football profile