Barnabás Varga

Barnabás Varga (born 25 October 1994) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Ferencváros and the Hungary national team.

Club career

With 26 goals for Paks, Varga was the top scorer of the 2022–23 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. On 1 June 2023, Varga moved to then defending champions, Ferencváros. On 27 July 2023, Varga scored his first European goal against Shamrock Rovers in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League.

On 6 August 2023, Varga scored his first goal in the 2023–24 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season against Fehérvár FC at the Sóstói Stadion. On 27 August, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 victory over former club Paks in the fifth game day of the league season. He followed this up with another hat-trick in the club's next league match, a 6–2 win over Zalaegerszeg on 3 September.

On 22 October 2023, Varga was injured in a Nemzeti Bajnokság I match against Diósgyőri VTK. Ferencváros manager, Dejan Stanković, said that Varga paid for his matches in the national team. Therefore, he had to miss the UEFA Europa League match against K.R.C. Genk. In an interview with M4 Sport, Gábor Kubatov, the president of Ferencváros, said that he is happy that he had been convinced to purchase the top scorer of the 2022–23 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. However, Kubatov was hesitating during the summer of 2023 to sign or not to sign Varga.

In January 2024, Varga started training with the team after his injury. On 6 February 2024, Varga scored four goals in a 5–1 victory over arch-rivals MTK Budapest FC. After the match, Dejan Stanković, Ferencváros manager, said that Varga is a fascinating football player. In an interview, published on Nemzeti Sport, Varga said that scoring four goals was really beneficial for his soul after his long injury. On 20 April 2024, the Ferencváros–Kisvárda tie ended with a goalless draw at the Groupama Aréna on the 29th match day of the 2023–24 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season which meant that Ferencváros won their 35th championship. On 15 May 2024, Ferencváros were defeated by Paks 2–0 in the 2024 Magyar Kupa Final at the Puskás Aréna. On 3 October 2024, he scored against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league phase match in Budapest. The match ended with a 2-1 defeat for Ferencváros.

On 7 November 2024, he scored twice in a 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league phase match against FC Dynamo Kyiv. After the match, he was included in the 4th match day of the Europa League. He scored twice again in the next round of the league phase against the Swedish Malmö FF, bringing his goal tally to five goals in the first five games of the EL season.

International career

On 27 March 2023, Varga made his first appearance as a substitute for the Hungary national team in an UEFA Euro qualifying match against Bulgaria. Three games later, he scored his first goal in the third qualifying group stage match against Lithuania.

On 7 September 2023, Varga scored the first Hungarian goal in a 2–1 victory against Serbia in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match at the Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade, Serbia. On 14 October 2023, Varga scored the first Hungarian goal in a 2–1 victory over Serbia at the Puskás Aréna in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match.

On 14 May 2024, Varga was named in Hungary's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. On 8 June 2024, he scored two goals in a friendly tie against Israel at the Nagyerdei Stadion. Prior to the Euro 2024, he was included along with Robert Andrich, Jasir Asani, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Álex Grimaldo, and Maximilian Mittelstädt by The Guardian among the six "late bloomers" who could shine at the championship. In the team's first match of the tournament, Varga scored Hungary's only goal as they were beaten 3–1 by Switzerland in Cologne.

On 23 June 2024, during the Euro 2024 group match against Scotland, Varga was rendered unconscious and landed in a fencing response, following a free kick and clash with Scotland's goalkeeper Angus Gunn. After a 10 minute wait he was stretchered off the pitch. After the match, it was reported Varga was in a conscious and stable condition.

Personal life

In an article, published on ''Nemzeti Sport'', Gábor Thury said that Varga is a player who reached his peak at the end of his career. Varga was about to give up his career in his early 20s, when he received an offer from SV Mattersburg.

Varga resides in a small village, Szentpéterfa, located close to the Austrian border. In an interview published on Nemzeti Sport, he said that when he retires he wants to spend his life there.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Varga goal.''

Honours

Ferencvárosi TC
*Nemzeti Bajnokság I: 2023–24, 2024–25

Individual
*Nemzeti Bajnokság I top goalscorer: 2022–23 2023–24
*Nemzeti Bajnokság I Plyer of the Month: September 2023

References

External links

*

MLSZ Profile

International Career

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varga, Barnabas
1994 births
Living people
Hungarian men's footballers
Hungary men's international footballers
SV Mattersburg players
SV Lafnitz players
Gyirmót FC Győr players
Paksi FC players
Ferencvárosi TC footballers
Austrian Football Bundesliga players
2. Liga (Austria) players
Nemzeti Bajnokság I players
Nemzeti Bajnokság II players
Hungarian expatriate men's footballers
Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Austria
Expatriate men's footballers in Austria
Men's association football forwards
Footballers from Szombathely
UEFA Euro 2024 players
21st-century Hungarian sportsmen