Medical emergency: Ex-Bundesliga star Szalai collapsed in Hungary game

There was a medical emergency in the early stages of the Nations League game between the Netherlands and Hungary. After a few minutes, Hungary’s assistant coach Adam Szalai collapsed on the sidelines. The football game in the Johan Cruijff Arena was immediately stopped and paramedics rushed to the team’s coaching zone.

During the first half, the Hungarian football association MLSZ announced that Szalai’s condition was stable and he was conscious. He was therefore transported by ambulance to an Amsterdam hospital for examination.

There had previously been dramatic scenes in the stadium. Silence fell, supervisors and substitutes formed a circle around Szalai while he was treated. Much was reminiscent of the drama surrounding the Danish star Christian Eriksen, who collapsed on the pitch at the 2021 European Championships and suffered a cardiac arrest.

When the paramedics brought Szalai inside the stadium after just over twelve minutes, there was a burst of applause. The game resumed shortly afterwards with a penalty kick according to video evidence for the Dutch. Wout Weghorst scored to make it 1-0, but the celebration was muted given the previous circumstances.

Only assistant coach since October

Szalai, who played 276 Bundesliga games for Mainz, Hoffenheim, Schalke and Hannover, played for Hungary until two years ago, most recently as captain. The 36-year-old ended his active playing career in the summer of 2023. It was only in October, in the first leg against the Netherlands, that he served as assistant coach of the Hungarian national team for the first time.