Attila Szalai

Early years

Szalai started playing football in Göd, then moved to youth team of Vác FC and later to the youth team of Vasas's academy,

Rapid Wien

In 2012, Austrian Bundesliga club Rapid Wien called Szalai up, and, after a week of trials, he was signed. First, he played in the club's youth and reserve teams, in the third division, and then he was promoted to the senior team. He made his debut as a professional at the age of 18 on 11 May 2016, starting in a 1–1 home tie against Altach. It was the only time Szalai played for the team in a professional match.

Mezőkövesd

On 1 July 2017, Szalai signed a three-year contract with Mezőkövesd. On 30 July 2017, he debuted in a 5–0 defeat against Ferencvárosi TC at the Ferencváros Stadion in the 2017–18 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. In his two seasons in the Hungarian top flight, he scored two goals in 45 matches for the club. On 21 July 2018, he scored the second goal in a 3–1 victory over Paksi FC in the 2018–19 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season at the Mezőkövesdi Városi Stadion. He scored his second goal in a 1–1 draw with Újpest FC at the Szusza Ferenc Stadion on 18 August 2018.

Apollon Limassol

On 1 July 2019, Szalai signed a four-year contract with Cypriot team Apollon Limassol. Szalai made his debut in Cyprus on as a half-time substitute in Apollon's UEFA Europa League qualifying match against Kauno Žalgiris, which his team won 2–0, on 11 July 2019. He then scored his first goal for his new team in…

Szalai made his senior debut for the Hungary national team on 15 November 2019, in a friendly against Uruguay. He was substituted for Botond Baráth in the 72nd minute. On 1 June 2021, Szalai was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Hungary at the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. He played all three of the team's Group F matches as a left-sided centre back as the Magyars lost to Portugal and drew with both France and Germany. On 17 November 2022, Szalai scored his first international goal against Luxembourg, in a friendly match played at the Stade de Luxembourg in Gasperich, Luxembourg City. On 14 May 2024, Szalai was named in Hungary's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He started the team's opening match of the tournament against Switzerland, playing 79 minutes of the 3–1 loss before being substituted for Márton Dárdai. After being an unused substitute in the second match against Germany, he appeared as a 74th-minute substitute for Dárdai in the 1–0 win over Scotland that ensured Hungary would finish third in Group A. On 27 August 2024, Marco Rossi did not invite him to play against Germany in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League match due on 7 September 2024. In March 2025, he was called up against Turkey in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs after almost a year of pause. However, he did not play in the first leg of the playoff in Istanbul. On 23 March 2025, he entered the pitch as a substitute for Márton Dárdai in the 60th minute against…

Club

As of match played 23 May 2026

International

As of match played 16 November 2025

As of match played 14 October 2025 Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Szalai goal.

Szalai is the third most popular sportsperson in Hungary, based on followers on Instagram. In an interview with Nemzeti Sport, his father, also named Attila Szalai, said that in a transfer the most important factor is not the money, but being happy with the move. On 27 December 2022, he played an important role before the match against Hatayspor by holding a picture of a 6-year-old boy who suffers from Leukemia. In this way, Mustafa Roni Güclü could 'participate' in the match. He donated blood to the victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake along with other footballers of Fenerbahçe. His nickname is Sancho (in Hungarian: Szancsó). He can speak fluently in Turkish.