Dániel Gazdag
Hungarian footballer (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dániel Gazdag (Hungarian: [ˈɡɒzdɒɡ ˈdaːnijɛl], born 2 March 1996) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew and the Hungary national team.
|
Gazdag with Hungary in 2020 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dániel Gazdag[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 March 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Nyíregyháza, Hungary | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Columbus Crew | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2010 | Nyíregyháza | ||
| 2010–2014 | Budapest Honvéd | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | Budapest Honvéd II | 26 | (1) |
| 2013–2021 | Budapest Honvéd | 175 | (21) |
| 2021–2025 | Philadelphia Union | 125 | (59) |
| 2025– | Columbus Crew | 26 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Hungary U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Hungary U18 | 9 | (0) |
| 2015 | Hungary U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Hungary U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 2019– | Hungary | 30 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:06, 26 October 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 11:30, 15 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Budapest Honvéd
Gazdag scored on his debut with Budapest Honvéd in the Hungarian Cup on 23 September 2014 against third-tier BKV Előre.[3] Three days later, he made his league debut in the Hungarian top flight, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute for Cristian Portilla.[4] In June 2015, he extended his contract with Honvéd until 2019.[5] During the 2016–17 season, Gazdag became a regular for the team that won the Nemzeti Bajnokság I.[6][7] He scored his first goal in the league in his 77th game, a 30-yard strike on 28 October 2017, a goal which won the league's goal of the year award.[8][9] In 2019, he extended with Honvéd through 2022.[10][11] He suffered an injury to his shoulder in late November which kept him sidelined until mid-February 2020.[12] In a first round Hungarian Cup matchup on 20 September 2020, Gazdag scored four goals and assisted two more as his team beat FC Tiszaújváros 7–1.[13] On 3 April 2021, Gazdag scored two goals within 46 seconds in a 2–2 league draw against Újpest.[14] At the conclusion of the season, Gazdag was recognized as the league's best player and was also credited with scoring the goal of the season.[15]
Philadelphia Union
On 11 May 2021, Gazdag was signed by the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer for a reported $1.8 million (€1.5 million),[16] and his two-year contract included a club option for a third and fourth year.[17][18][19] After visa issues delayed his debut, he appeared for his new club as a substitute in a 1–0 victory at D.C. United.[20] He then departed for his national team for UEFA Euro 2020, where he was injured at a pre-tournament training camp.[21] He returned to play for the Union on 26 June as a second-half substitute.[22][23] He converted a penalty kick to score his first goal for his new club on 4 August.[24] On 20 October, Gazdag scored two goals in a 3–2 loss to Minnesota United FC.[25][26]
During the 2022 season, Gazdag recorded goal-scoring streaks of four consecutive matches on two occasions, and a five-match streak once. Included in that five-match streak was his first career hat trick in the Union’s match against the Colorado Rapids on 27 August.[27] He scored his second hat trick of the season in a match on the last game of the regular season against Toronto FC.[28] He started all 38 matches across all competitions, scoring 24 goals, including one in the 2022 MLS Cup final, which his team ultimately lost.[28] At the conclusion of the season, Gazdag was named to the MLS Best XI.[29]
During the 2023 offseason, Gazdag signed a contract extension with the Union.[30] On the first match of the 2023 season, Gazdag scored two goals via penalty kick in a 4–1 victory against the Columbus Crew.[31]
On 30 April 2024, he became the club's all-time leading goal scorer with his 57th goal across all competitions.[32] He scored a hat trick on 20 July in a win at home against Nashville SC.[33]
Columbus Crew
After the Union declined to offer him a contract extension, Gazdag was transferred to the Columbus Crew for $4 million on 11 April 2025,[34][35] and a new contract was announced on 7 May through the 2027 season with a club option for the 2028 season.[36] He scored his first goal for the club on 19 July via a penalty kick against D.C. United.[37]
International career
Gazdag made his debut for the Hungary national team on 5 September 2019 in a friendly against Montenegro, as a starter.[38]
He scored his first national team goal on 31 March 2021 against Andorra, via a header. It was a goal that Gazdag called "almost cathartic, it’s a big thing to score for the national team.”[39]
On 1 June 2021, Gazdag was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Hungary at the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[40] He withdrew from the squad on 16 June due to injury without making an appearance.
On 14 June 2022, Gazdag scored Hungary's fourth goal as they beat England 4–0 in the UEFA Nations League.[41][42]
On 14 May 2024, Gazdag was named in Hungary's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[43] He made one appearance at the tournament, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute for Barnabás Varga in a 2–0 loss to Germany.[44]
Style of play
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 30 August 2025[45]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Honvéd II | 2013–14 | Nemzeti Bajnokság III | 7 | 0 | – | – | – | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | 9 | 1 | – | – | – | 9 | 1 | |||||
| 2015–16 | 10 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Honvéd | 2014–15 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 0 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 2 | – | 2[a] | 0 | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2018–19 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 0 | – | 3[b] | 0 | 35 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 1 | — | 3[b] | 1 | 35 | 7 | |||
| 2020–21 | 30 | 13 | 2 | 5 | – | 2[b] | 0 | 34 | 18 | |||
| Total | 175 | 21 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 212 | 31 | ||
| Philadelphia Union | 2021 | Major League Soccer | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[c] | 1 | 28 | 5 | |
| 2022 | 34 | 22 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 2 | 38 | 24 | |||
| 2023 | 32 | 14 | 1 | 0 | — | 15[e] | 8 | 48 | 22 | |||
| 2024 | 30 | 17 | 0 | 0 | — | 11[e] | 2 | 41 | 19 | |||
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |||
| Total | 125 | 59 | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 13 | 161 | 72 | |||
| Columbus Crew | 2025 | Major League Soccer | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| Career total | 350 | 84 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 14 | 419 | 106 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Three appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs, two appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
- Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
International
- As of match played on 15 June 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 4 | |
- As of match played 14 June 2022[46]
- Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gazdag goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 March 2021 | Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra |  Andorra | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 12 November 2021 | Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary |  San Marino | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 15 November 2021 | PGE Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland |  Poland | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 14 June 2022 | Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England |  England | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A |
