Men’s national team: Zsolt Kalmár returns after 18 months out

Three players who’ve been injured recently will return to the national team, among them Zsolt Kalmár who has been absent the longest, since March 2021 to be precise, when he suffered a cruciate ligament tear in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra. Zsolt Nagy, who scored two goals in the Nations League campaign this year, has been fully fit for weeks now, and Roland Sallai, who also scored two goals in June’s Nations League matches, has also returned to football at club level, although he still has to wear a face mask during matches and training sessions. Furthermore, András Németh, a Hungarian U21 international striker who plays for Belgian club Genk, has been called up to the full national squad for the first time.

“I’m very happy about the return of these players who’ve been injured, given all three of them are considered to be key national-team members”, Hungary head coach Marco Rossi commented. “As I’ve said before, Ádám Szalai's retirement presents us with a serious challenge, but at the same time, this is the perfect moment to give András Németh the opportunity to show whether or not he is ready yet for full international football. The opportunity has been given to him and we trust that he will take advantage of it”.

The latest Hungary squad:

Goalkeepers:

Dénes Dibusz (Ferencváros)
Péter Szappanos (Budapest Honvéd)
Balázs Tóth (Puskás Akadémia)

Defenders:

Bendegúz Bolla (Grasshopper Zurich)
Endre Botka (Ferencváros)
Attila Fiola (MOL Fehérvár)
Ádám Lang (Omonia Nicosia)
Attila Mocsi (ZTE)
Zsolt Nagy (Puskás Akadémia)
Willi Orbán (RB Leipzig)
Attila Szalai (Fenerbahce)

Midfielders:

Péter Baráth (DVSC)
Milos Kerkez (AZ Alkmaar)
László Kleinheisler (NK Osijek)
Ádám Nagy (AC Pisa)
Loic Nego (MOL Fehérvár)
Callum Styles (Millwall)
Bálint Vécsei (Ferencváros)

Forwards:

Ádám Martin (Ulsan Hyundai)
Dániel Gazdag (Philadelphia Union)
Zsolt Kalmár (DAC)
András Németh (KRC Genk)
Roland Sallai (SC Freiburg)
Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig)

Additionally for Hungary vs Greece: Balázs Dzsudzsák

The day after the Luxembourg vs Hungary fixture on 17th November, Balázs Dzsudzsák will also join the squad in preparation for his farewell match for the Hungarian national team against Greece on 20th November.

“I’ve said many times before that I value Balázs's career highly, especially in regard to everything he did for the national team and what he achieved with them, so I’ve always wanted to give him the chance to say goodbye to the national team on the pitch”, Rossi admitted. “I can't give the exact details yet, but the fact that he made his national team debut against Greece in 2007, scored his first international goal against them a year later and will now say goodbye to the national team against them gives a nice symmetry to his international career”.

According to Rossi, the most important task during these friendly matches is to make progress on how to fill the void created by the recent retirement of striker Ádám Szalai. The two upcoming opponents will offer Hungary contrasting challenges.

“The Luxembourg national team is no longer one which opponents no longer feel comfortable facing”,  Rossi explained. “They beat one of our prospective qualifying opponents for Euro 2024, Lithuania, 1-0, drew 3-3 away with Turkey and won away against the Faroe Islands, which we know from our own experience is not an easy task. Regarding Greece, by winning their group, they have now advanced to division B of the Nations League and last year, for example, Spain could only beat them 1-0, which shows they also represent a serious force on the pitch. I expect two difficult matches, especially considering that we will also have to change and innovate. This is why I really hope that this time we’ll manage to fill the Puskás Arena and that, as usual, our fans create a fantastic atmosphere”.

Hungary’s squad members will gather in Telki on Monday 14th November and travel to Luxembourg two days later before playing on the Thursday and returning to Budapest to prepare for their last game of the year against Greece in the Puskás Arena at 20:15 CET on 20th November.