Roland Sallai

The native form of this personal name is Sallai Roland. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

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)
2016–2017	→ Palermo (loan)	21	(1)
2017–2018	APOEL	29	(9)
2018–2024	SC Freiburg	138	(20)
2024–	Galatasaray	17	(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 23:08, 17 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:51, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

Puskás Akadémia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 made his league debut for Galatasaray against rivals Fenerbahçe.^[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.^[38][39]

International career

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

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

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

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 20 February 2025^[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	17	1	1	0	—		2[e]	2	20	3
Career total			253	34	23	3	4	1	27	7	307	45

1. Includes Magyar Kupa, Coppa Italia, Cypriot Cup, DFB-Pokal, Turkish Cup
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. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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

1. "UEFA Nations League 2019 Booking List before League phase Matchday 6" (PDF). UEFA. 17 November 2018. p. 10. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
2. "Roland Sallai | Playerprofile | Bundesliga". bundesliga.com. DFL. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
3. "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. "Sallai, Roland". National Football Teams. Retrieved 22 June 2021.

External links

• Roland Sallai at National-Football-Teams.com
• MLSZ (in Hungarian)
• Roland Sallai profile at magyarfutball.hu (in Hungarian and English)
• Roland Sallai at Soccerway