 Schäfer with Hungary in 2022. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | András Schäfer[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-04-13)13 April 1999 (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | Szombathely, Hungary | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Union Berlin | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Grundball PFC | ||
| 2010–2014 | Haladás Szombathely | ||
| 2014–2016 | MTK Budapest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | MTK Budapest | 44 | (5) |
| 2019–2020 | Genoa | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | →Chievo Verona (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | →Dunajská Streda (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Dunajská Streda | 44 | (3) |
| 2022– | Union Berlin | 88 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Hungary U18 | |||
| 2017–2018 | Hungary U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2020– | Hungary | 41 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 February 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 November 2025 | |||
András Schäfer (born 13 April 1999) is a Hungarian professionalfootballer who plays as acentral midfielder forBundesliga clubUnion Berlin and theHungary national team.
Schäfer made hisHungarian League debut forMTK, appearing as a substitute away againstGyirmót FC Győr on 1 April 2017.[3]
In January 2019, Schäfer signed forSerie A clubGenoa on a three-and-a-half-year contract for a fee of around €1 million.[4] Having failed to appear for Genoa's first team since signing for them,[5] he joinedSerie B sideChievo Verona on loan in August 2019.[6] He was recalled by Genoa in January 2020 after failing to play for Chievo.[7]
On 17 January 2020, he joinedDunajská Streda, playing in theFortuna Liga on loan until the end of the2019–20 season, with an option to purchase.[8] On 9 September 2020, it was announced that he had signed for the club permanently on a four-year contract.[9]
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On 21 January 2022, Schäfer joinedUnion Berlin in theBundesliga.[10] On 7 May 2022, Schäfer scored his first goal in theBundesliga on the 33rd game week of the2021–22 Bundesliga season in a 4–1 away victory againstSC Freiburg at theEuropa-Park Stadion,Freiburg im Breisgau.[11] In the2021–22 Bundesliga season he earned 8 caps and scored 1 goal.[5]
In the2022–23 Bundesliga season he made 16 appearances. On 13 May 2023, he got injured in a 4-2 victory overSC Freiburg.[12] After the match againstSC Freiburg, he suffered an injury.[13][14] On 19 May 2023, the diagnosis was revealed that he had broken his leg.[15][16] On 2 June 2023, his foot was successfully operated on in Budapest.[17] He also mentioned that he was going through the hardest time in his career due to this injury.
He returned from injury as a substitute in a 1–1 draw againstFC Augsburg on 25 November 2023.[18][19] He started against1. FC Köln in a 2–0 home victory on 20 December 2023.[20] He was substituted only in the 85th minute.[21] On 24 February 2024, he scored the second goal in a 2–2 draw against1. FC Heidenheim on the 23rd game week of the2023–24 Bundesliga season.[22][23][24][25] He was also selected into the best team of the 23rd game week of the Bundesliga, according to WhoScored.[26] On 8 March 2024, he was sent off in a match againstVfB Stuttgart.[27][28] On 5 May 2024, he gave an assist toChris Bedia in a 3–4 defeat againstVfL Bochum.[29] In an interview with Union Berlin, he said that he and the whole team were relieved after avoiding relegation on the last matchday of the 2023–24 Bundesliga season.[30][31] In the 2023-24 Bundesliga season he earned 20 caps and scored one goal.
On 21 December 2024, he scored his first goal in the2024–25 Bundesliga season in a 4-1 defeat againstSV Werder Bremen at theStadion An der Alten Försterei,Berlin.[32][33] In the 2024–25 Bundesliga season, he made 26 appearances in total.
On 20 December 2025, he scored his first goal in the2025–26 Bundesliga season in a 1-0 victory over1. FC Köln at theRheinEnergieStadion,Cologne.[34][35]
Schäfer made his debut with theHungary national team in a 1–0UEFA Nations League win overTurkey on 3 September 2020.[36]
On 1 June 2021, he was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Hungary at the rescheduledUEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[37] On 4 June 2021, in a warm-up match for the tournament, he scored his first international goal to give theMagyars a 1–0 win overCyprus.[38] He started all three of Hungary'sGroup F matches, scoring the team's second goal againstGermany in a 2–2 draw.[39]
On 14 May 2024, Schäfer was named in Hungary's squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[40] He played all three matches as Hungary finished third inGroup A.[41]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| MTK Budapest II | 2016–17 | Nemzeti Bajnokság III | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||
| MTK Budapest | 2016–17 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | Nemzeti Bajnokság II | 28 | 4 | 6 | 2 | – | 34 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 15 | 1 | ||
| Total | 44 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 7 | ||
| Genoa | 2018–19 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| Chievo (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| Dunajská Streda (loan) | 2019–20 | Slovak Super Liga | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 11 | 1 | |
| Dunajská Streda | 2020–21 | Slovak Super Liga | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | Slovak Super Liga | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |
| Total | 52 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 62 | 4 | ||
| Union Berlin | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| Total | 88 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 100 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 191 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 220 | 16 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 2020 | 4 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 41 | 4 | |
Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Schäfer goal.[42]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 2021 | Szusza Ferenc Stadion,Budapest, Hungary |  Cyprus | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 23 June 2021 | Allianz Arena,Munich, Germany |  Germany | 2–1 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| 3 | 15 November 2021 | PGE Narodowy,Warsaw, Poland |  Poland | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 20 March 2025 | Rams Park,Istanbul, Turkey |  Turkey | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs |
Schäfer father's side belongs to theGerman minority of Hungary with ancestors believed to be fromBavaria, and while he was not able to speak fluentGerman when he first moved to Union Berlin, he has been improving, and has recently been able to converse in German without needing a translator.[43][44]
His father's, Péter Schafer, tattoos include the badges of his son's former football clubs.[45]
In an interview published onNemzeti Sport, Mátyás Esterházy, his andDominik Szoboszlai's manager, said that the most important moment in 2023 was Schafer's return from his injury in November.[46]
In December 2024, he married Luca.[47]
In December 2024, he donated 15 millionHUF (about €37,500) to save his former club,Szombathelyi Haladás, that was close to bankruptcy.[48]
Individual
Hungary squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
