View source for Szilárd Németh

{{Short description|Slovak footballer}}
{{About|the Slovak footballer|the Hungarian politician|Szilárd Németh (politician)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Szilárd Németh
| image = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1977|8|8}}
| birth_place = [[Komárno]], [[Czechoslovakia]]
| height = 1.78 m
| currentclub = 
| position = [[Striker (association football)|Striker]]
| youthyears1 = 1984–1992
| youthclubs1 = [[KFC Komárno]]
| youthyears2 = 1992–1994
| youthclubs2 = [[ŠK Slovan Bratislava|Slovan Bratislava]]
| years1 = 1994–1997
| clubs1 = [[ŠK Slovan Bratislava|Slovan Bratislava]]
| caps1 = 61
| goals1 = 25
| years2 = 1997
| clubs2 = [[MFK Košice|1. FC Košice]]
| caps2 = 
| goals2 = 
| years3 = 1997–1998
| clubs3 = [[AC Sparta Prague|Sparta Prague]]
| caps3 = 8
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1998–1999
| clubs4 = [[MFK Košice|1. FC Košice]]
| caps4 = 37
| goals4 = 20
| years5 = 1999–2001
| clubs5 = [[FK Inter Bratislava|Inter Bratislava]]
| caps5 = 58
| goals5 = 40
| years6 = 2001–2006
| clubs6 = [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]
| caps6 = 117
| goals6 = 23
| years7 = 2006
| clubs7 = [[RC Strasbourg|Strasbourg]]
| caps7 = 9
| goals7 = 0
| years8 = 2006–2010
| clubs8 = [[Alemannia Aachen]]
| caps8 = 77
| goals8 = 17
| totalcaps = 357
| totalgoals = 130
| nationalyears1 = 1996–2006
| nationalteam1 = [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]]<ref name=eufoot/>
| nationalcaps1 = 58
| nationalgoals1 = 22
| manageryears1 = 2014–2020
| managerclubs1 = [[ŠK Slovan Bratislava|Slovan Bratislava]] (juniors)
| manageryears2 = 2020–2021
| managerclubs2 = [[KFC Komárno|Komárno]]
| manageryears3 = 2021–2022
| managerclubs3 = [[FC Rohožník|Rohožník]]

}}
'''Szilárd Németh''' ({{IPA|sk|ˈsilaːrt ˈneːmet}}; {{IPA|hu|ˈsilaːrd ˈneːmɛt|lang}}; born 8 August 1977), also known mononymously as '''Szilárd''', is a Slovak former professional [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Striker (association football)|striker]].

After playing for clubs in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, he spent four and a half seasons at [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] of the [[Premier League]] from 2001 to 2006. After a brief stint at France's [[RC Strasbourg]], he played for [[Alemannia Aachen]] in Germany until his retirement in 2010.

Németh was at that time the highest scorer in the history of the [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia national team]], with 22 goals in 58 matches from 1997 to 2006.

==Club career==
===Early career===
Németh started his career with [[ŠK Slovan Bratislava|Slovan Bratislava]] before moving to eastern Slovakia to join [[MFK Košice|1. FC Košice]]. After making an impact at both clubs, in 1998 Németh moved to giants of the region, Czech team [[AC Sparta Prague|Sparta Prague]] for record fee of 35 million [[Czech koruna|CZK]] (€1.3 million). He subsequently returned to Slovakia, signing for [[FK Inter Bratislava|Inter Bratislava]]. He won consecutive [[Slovak First Football League]] titles in 1999–2000 and 2000–01, finishing as the league's top scorer on both occasions.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://madari.sk/magazin/sport/pan-futbalista-ktory-posobil-aj-v-anglicku-vo-francuzsku-a-v-nemecku | title=Pán futbalista, ktorý pôsobil aj v Anglicku, vo Francúzsku a v Nemecku |work=Madari.sk |language=sk |date=26 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701154003/http://madari.sk/magazin/sport/pan-futbalista-ktory-posobil-aj-v-anglicku-vo-francuzsku-a-v-nemecku |archive-date=1 July 2016}}</ref>

===Middlesbrough===
Amid rumoured interest from [[Inter Milan]], he eventually signed for English side [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] on 12 April 2001 for £2.1 million on a five-year contract. Earlier that season, he had a trial at their local rivals [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Boro net Nemeth|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/1274138.stm|work=[[BBC News]]|date=12 April 2001}}</ref>

Németh scored 23 goals in 117 Premier League appearances for the club.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/2123/Szilard-Nemeth/overview | title=Szilard Nemeth Profile, News & Stats &#124; Premier League}}</ref> He became known as the ''Lizard King of Teesside'' and ''Slovakian Express''<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1G1-431503710/no-stopping-the-slovakian-express-against-cottagers | title="No Stopping the Slovakian Express against Cottagers; He Didn't Score as Many Goals as He Should've Done but Nemeth Was a Thorn in Fulham's Side" - Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England), October 14, 2015 | access-date=11 October 2016 | archive-date=12 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012075553/https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1G1-431503710/no-stopping-the-slovakian-express-against-cottagers | url-status=dead }}</ref> for scoring regularly off the bench. Németh was part of Middlesbrough's [[2003–04 Football League Cup|2004 League Cup]]-winning team, despite not making the squad for the final.<ref>{{cite news|title=Boro lift Carling Cup|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/3507795.stm|work=[[BBC Sport]]|date=29 February 2004}}</ref> He also featured as they contested the [[UEFA Cup]] in the next two seasons. During his time in the Premier League, he scored in wins over [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]].

The 2005–06 season saw Németh turn down numerous transfer offers, including [[UEFA Cup]] winners [[PFC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]].{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} He faced competition up-front that season from [[Yakubu (footballer)|Yakubu]], [[Mark Viduka]], [[Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink]] and [[Massimo Maccarone]], leading to his exit in January.

===Later career===
On 25 January 2006, Németh was sold to French club [[RC Strasbourg]] for a 'nominal fee'.<ref>{{cite news|title=Striker Nemeth leaves Middlesbrough for Strasbourg|url=http://m.espn.go.com/soccer/story?storyId=356353&src=desktop|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055331/http://m.espn.go.com/soccer/story?storyId=356353&src=desktop|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 September 2013|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=25 January 2006}}</ref> Their season ended with relegation from [[Ligue 1]], and he was released.

On 28 August 2006, he agreed to join the German [[Bundesliga]] club [[Alemannia Aachen]] in a two-year deal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nemeth to join Alemannia Aachen|url=https://int.soccerway.com/news/2006/August/28/nemeth-to-join-alemannia-aachen|publisher=Soccerway|date=28 August 2006}}</ref> Németh spent most of his first season on the sidelines because of a [[pulmonary embolism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11902/2395848/nemeth-out-of-hospital|title=Nemeth out of hospital|publisher=Sky Sports|access-date=21 November 2014}}</ref> In May 2008, he signed a contract extension with Aachen until the end of the 2009–10 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sportnet.sme.sk/spravy/szilard-nemeth-zrejme-dalsie-dva-roky-v-aachene/|title=Szilárd Németh zrejme ďalšie dva roky v Aachene|publisher=SME|date=17 May 2008|access-date=16 June 2025|language=sk}}</ref> In the winter of 2010–11, he opted to retire from football due to health problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sport.sme.sk/c/5785955/szilard-nemeth-zdravie-mi-uz-profesionalny-futbal-nedovoli.html|title=Szilárd Németh: Zdravie mi už profesionálny futbal nedovolí|publisher=SME|date=28 February 2011|access-date=21 November 2014|language=sk}}</ref>

==International career==
Németh scored 22 times in 58 matches for [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]] between 1997 and 2006. His debut was a 4&ndash;0 friendly win against [[Belarus national football team|Belarus]] at the [[Štadión pod Zoborom]] in [[Nitra]] on 2 February 1997, replacing [[Róbert Semeník]] for the final 26 minutes. He scored his first goal on his third cap on 5 February 1997, in a 2–2 draw away against [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]]. Németh's last goal came in his 55th international on 1 March 2006, in an away friendly win over [[France national football team|France]]. His last game was on 6 September 2006, in qualification for [[Euro 2008]], a 3–0 home defeat to the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]].<ref name=eufoot>{{cite web|title=Szilárd Németh|url=http://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=14897|website=European Football}}</ref> He was the country's highest-scorer until [[Róbert Vittek]] broke the record, and is their seventh most-capped player.

==Personal life==
Németh belongs to the [[Hungarians in Slovakia|Hungarian minority in Slovakia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nepszamlalas2011.sk/hu/31/nemeth_szilard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002055300/http://www.nepszamlalas2011.sk/hu/31/nemeth_szilard|archive-date=2 October 2011|title=Népszámlálás 2011 – Németh Szilárd|publisher=nepszamlalas2011.sk|quote=For example about me, many knew both in England and Germany that I came from Slovakia, but I'm ethnic Hungarian. (Rólam például Angliában és Németországban is nagyon sokan tudták, hogy Szlovákiából jöttem, de magyar nemzetiségű vagyok.)|access-date=13 October 2011|language=hu|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Nagy | first = Myrtil | editor = Myrtil Nagy | chapter = Maďari | title = Naše národnostné menšiny | publisher = Fórum inštitút pre výskum menšín | year = 2012 | location = Šamorín | page = 9 | isbn = 978-80-89249-57-2 }}</ref>

==Career statistics==
:''Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Németh goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Szilárd Németh<ref name=eufoot/>
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
| align="center"|1 || 5 February 1997 || [[Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica (1924)|Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica]], [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]], Costa Rica || {{fb|CRI}} || align="center"|1–1 || align="center"|2–2 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|2 || 7 February 1998 || [[Tsirion Stadium]], [[Limassol]], Cyprus || {{fb|ISL}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|2–1 || 1998 [[Cyprus International Football Tournament]]
|-
| align="center"|3 || 8 September 1999 || [[Mestský štadión (Dubnica)|Mestský štadión]], [[Dubnica nad Váhom|Dubnica]], Slovakia || {{fb|Liechtenstein}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|2–0 || [[UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying Group 7|UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying]]
|-
| align="center"|4 || 16 August 2000 || [[Tehelné pole]], [[Bratislava]], Slovakia || {{fb|HRV}} || align="center"|1–1 || align="center"|1–1 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|5 || 7 October 2000 || [[Stadionul Republican]], [[Chişinău]], Moldova || {{fb|MDA}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|1–0 || [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|2002 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| align="center"|6 || 15 November 2000 || [[Diagoras Stadium]], [[Rhodes (city)|Rhodes]], Greece || {{fb|GRC}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|2–0 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|7 || 27 February 2001 || [[Stade 5 Juillet 1962]], [[Algiers]], Algeria || {{fb|DZA}} || align="center"|1–1 || align="center"|1–1 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|8 || rowspan="2"|28 March 2001 || rowspan="2"|[[Štadión Antona Malatinského]], [[Trnava]], Slovakia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|AZE}} || align="center"|1–0 || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|3–1 || rowspan="2"| 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| align="center"|9 || align="center"|2–1
|-
| align="center"|10 || 5 September 2001 || [[Štadión na Sihoti]], [[Trenčín]], Slovakia || {{fb|MDA}} || align="center"|2–1 || align="center"|4–2 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| align="center"|11 || 21 August 2002 || [[Andrův stadion]], [[Olomouc]], Czech Republic || {{fb|CZE}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|1–4 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|12 || 12 October 2002 || [[Tehelné pole]], [[Bratislava]], Slovakia || {{fb|England}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|1–2 || [[UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying Group 7|UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying]]
|-
| align="center"|13 || rowspan="2"|2 April 2003 || rowspan="2"|[[Štadión Antona Malatinského]], [[Trnava]], Slovakia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|LIE}} || align="center"|2–0 || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|4–0 || rowspan="2"|UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
|-
| align="center"|14 || align="center"|3–0
|-
| align="center"|15 || rowspan="2"|30 April 2003 || rowspan="2"|[[Štadión pod Dubňom]], [[Žilina]], Slovakia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|GRC}} || align="center"|1–1 || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|2–2 || rowspan="2"|Friendly
|-
| align="center"|16 || align="center"|2–2
|-
| align="center"|17 || 10 September 2003 || [[Štadión pod Dubňom]], [[Žilina]], Slovakia || {{fb|MKD}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|1–1 || UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
|-
| align="center"|18 || 8 September 2004 || [[Tehelné pole]], [[Bratislava]], Slovakia || {{fb|LIE}} || align="center"|5–0 || align="center"|7–0 || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| align="center"|19 || 9 October 2004 || [[Tehelné pole]], [[Bratislava]], Slovakia || {{fb|LVA}} || align="center"|1–1 || align="center"|4–1 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| align="center"|20 || 8 June 2005 || [[Stade Josy Barthel]], [[Luxembourg (city)|Luxembourg City]], Luxembourg || {{fb|LUX}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|4–0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| align="center"|21 || 12 November 2005 || [[Vicente Calderón Stadium]], [[Madrid]], Spain || {{fb|ESP}} || align="center"|1–2 || align="center"|1–5 || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|2006 FIFA World Cup European Qualification Playoffs]]
|-
| align="center"|22 || 1 March 2006 || [[Stade de France]], [[Paris]], France || {{fb|FRA}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|2–1 || Friendly
|}

==Honours==
'''Slovan Bratislava'''
*[[Slovak First Football League]]: [[1994–95 Slovak Superliga|1994–95]], [[1995–96 Slovak Superliga|1995–96]]
*[[Slovak Cup]]: [[1996–97 Slovak Cup|1996–97]]

'''Inter Bratislava'''
*Slovak First Football Leaguea: [[1999–2000 Slovak Superliga|1999–2000]], [[2000–01 Slovak Superliga|2000–01]]
*Slovak Cup: [[1999–2000 Slovak Cup|1999–2000]], [[2000–01 Slovak Cup|2000–01]]

'''Middlesbrough'''
*[[Football League Cup]]: [[2003–04 Football League Cup|2003–04]]

'''Individual'''
*[[Slovak Footballer of the Year]]: 2000
*Slovak First Football League top scorer: 1999–2000, 2000–01

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Soccerbase}}

{{Slovak Footballer of the Year}}
{{Slovak Superliga top scorers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nemeth, Szilard}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:Footballers from Komárno]]
[[Category:Hungarians in Slovakia]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Slovak men's footballers]]
[[Category:ŠK Slovan Bratislava players]]
[[Category:FC VSS Košice players]]
[[Category:Czech First League players]]
[[Category:AC Sparta Prague players]]
[[Category:FK Inter Bratislava players]]
[[Category:Middlesbrough F.C. players]]
[[Category:RC Strasbourg Alsace players]]
[[Category:Alemannia Aachen players]]
[[Category:Slovak First Football League players]]
[[Category:Premier League players]]
[[Category:Ligue 1 players]]
[[Category:Bundesliga players]]
[[Category:2. Bundesliga players]]
[[Category:Slovakia men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Slovakia men's under-21 international footballers]]
[[Category:Slovak expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Slovak expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Slovak expatriate sportspeople in England]]
[[Category:Slovak expatriate sportspeople in France]]
[[Category:Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Germany]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Germany]]
[[Category:Slovak people of Hungarian descent]]