 Sallai playing forHungary in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roland Sallai[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-05-22)22 May 1997 (age 28)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Budapest, Hungary | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Right winger | ||
| 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 | 46 | (3) |
| 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 | 64 | (15) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:43, 8 February 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:33, 16 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Roland Sallai (born 22 May 1997) is a Hungarian professionalfootballer who plays as aright winger forSüper Lig clubGalatasaray and theHungary national team.[3]
Sallai started his professional career atPuskás Akadémia where he played from 2014 until the summer of 2017. He scored twice againstPanathinaikos F.C. in the group match of the2014 Puskás Cup. He made his debut on 1 August 2014 againstPécs, and scored first goal in Hungarian league againstFerencváros on 14 September 2014 inGroupama Aréna.[4]
On 4 August 2016, Sallai joined Italian clubPalermo 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 forSerie A's club on 10 September 2016 againstNapoli. He scored his first official goal for Palermo on 19 March 2017 againstUdinese. He appeared in 21 Serie A matches (eleven in the starting line-up, ten as a substitute) and scored one goal.
On 5 August 2017, it was announced thatAPOEL 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 againstNea Salamina. He appeared in 29Cypriot First Division matches and scored 9 goals.
He also appeared in sixUEFA Champions League matches againstReal Madrid,Borussia Dortmund andTottenham Hotspur.
On 31 August 2018, Sallai signed a four-year deal withBundesliga 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 againstWolfsburg atVolkswagen 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 againstFortuna Düsseldorf.
Sallai started his third season at the Freiburg with a goal and a assist againstVfB Stuttgart in a 3–2 victory.[8] He scored two goals againstSchalke 04 in 2–0 victory inVeltins-Arena and was named in the team of the 12th match day by sports magazinekicker.[9]
On 16 April 2022, he scored twice againstVfL Bochum at theEuropa-Park Stadion on the 30th game week in the2021–22 Bundesliga season. Both assist were prepared byJeong Woo-yeong.[10] He was also voted for the best player of Game Week 30 by Kicker.[11][12]
In the2022–23 Bundesliga season, he scored only one goal againstSV Werder Bremen at theWeserstadion,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.
On 19 August 2023, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory againstTSG 1899 Hoffenheim on the first match day of the2023–24 Bundesliga season.[14] According toKicker, 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 bySteven 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 againstOlympiacos F.C. in the2023–24 UEFA Europa League season.[20] On 5 October 2023, he scored the only Freiburg goal in a 2–1 defeat againstWest Ham United F.C. in the Europa League.[21] On 26 October 2023, he got injured in the third round of the2023–24 UEFA Europa League group stage match againstFK TSC.[22][23][24] On 30 November 2023, he returned from his injury in a2023–24 UEFA Europa League match againstOlympiacos F.C.[25]
He scored his first goal in the 95th minute in a 2–0 home victory against1. 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 overTSG 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 overRC Lens in the second leg of the 16th finals of the2023–24 UEFA Europa League.[31][32][33]
On 13 September 2024, he signed with the TurkishSüper Lig clubGalatasaray on a 4-year contract.[34][35] On 21 September 2024, he made hisleague debut for Galatasaray against rivalsFenerbahçe.[36] He entered the pitch as a substitute forDries Mertens in the 75th minute.[37] On 1 December 2024, he scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw againstEyüpspor.[38][39]
He scored his first goal in the2025–26 Süper Lig season in a 4-1 victory overAntalyaspor at theAntalya Stadium inAntalaya on 13 December 2025.[40][41]
Sallai was part of theHungarian U-20 team at the2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup,[3] playing in two games. He made his debut forU-21 team againstItaly U21 on 12 August 2015.
He made his full international debut on 20 May 2016 in a friendly match againstIvory Coast at theGroupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary.[42] On 5 May 2016, Sallai was named in Hungary's preliminaryEuro 2016 squad, but was left off of final squad for the tournament.[43] On 11 September 2018, he scored his first goal for the national team againstGreece at theGroupama Arena, Budapest, in a2018–19 UEFA Nations League C match.[44]
On 1 June 2021, Sallai was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Hungary at the rescheduledUEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[45] On 14 June 2022, he scored a brace in a 4–0 away win overEngland in the2022–23 UEFA Nations League A, to be England's worst home defeat since theWembley Wizards match in 1928.[46]
He scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory against Greece on 20 November 2022. The match was also the farewell ofBalázs Dzsudzsák.[47]
On 20 June 2023, he scored his 10th international goal, by netting the second goal in a 2–0 win againstLithuania in the 83rd minute at thePuskás Aréna in theUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group G.[48]
On 14 October 2023, he scored the second Hungarian goal in a 2–1 victory overSerbia at thePuskás Aréna in theUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match.[49][50]
On 14 May 2024, Sallai was named in Hungary's squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[51] He started all threeGroup A matches, assistingKevin Csoboth's 100th-minute winning goal againstScotland in the final group match on 24 June.[52]
On 11 October 2024, he scored the first goal in a 1–1 draw against theNetherlands in the2024–25 UEFA Nations League A match at the Puskás Aréna.[53] The assist was performed byZsolt Nagy.[54] After the match, he said that the team found themselves again.[55]
On 6 September 2025, he scored a goal in a 2-2 draw againstIreland in the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification at theAviva Stadium inDublin, Ireland. However, later in the game he was sent off.[56] After the match, his team mateDominik Szoboszlai said that he has to defend Sallai by saying "he would never do such a thing on purpose".[57]
His father, Tibor, was also a professional football player.[58]
Sallai's uncle is former Hungarian national team defenderSándor Sallai.[59]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | 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 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | 2[e] | 2 | — | 33 | 6 | ||
| 2025–26 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[c] | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |||
| Total | 46 | 3 | 6 | 2 | — | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 64 | 7 | |||
| Career total | 282 | 36 | 28 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 351 | 49 | ||
| 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 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 64 | 15 | |
| 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 |
| 15 | 6 September 2025 | Aviva Stadium,Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
APOEL
Galatasaray
Hungary squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
