Bence Dardai has chosen Hungary. The 19-year-old former VfL Wolfsburg player for the German national team reports on the influence of his brothers and a jubilant dad.
The DFB tried to show him a perspective, wanted to convince Bence Dardai, who played for the German national teams from U17 to U19 (24 appearances in total), to work with the eagles’ jersey in the future. However, the 19-year-old has decided otherwise and will now play for Hungary, his family’s home country. Did the DFB even stand a chance?
The Hungarians, who primarily courted the Wolfsburg player in the person of national coach Marco Rossi, ultimately had the best supporters in the midfielder’s immediate circle. Bence’s brothers Marton and Palko (both Hertha BSC) had already made the switch in the past, not to mention dad Pal, who played 61 times for his home country.
Papa Pal Dardai “celebrated, of course”
He weighed up the decision carefully, says Bence Dardai, his brothers “told him a lot”, and when the decision was finally made, his father “celebrated, of course”. In his statement on Instagram, Dardai wrote: “My roots are in Hungary, my heart and that of my family beats for Hungary, and I am very happy to get the opportunity to play for the Hungarian national team.”
But Dardai, who was born in Berlin, did not forget to thank the DFB for the past years. “I was born in Germany, grew up in Germany and was trained by the DFB juniors. I am very grateful for that and always will be. I would also like to thank all the coaches and officials who have given me the opportunities at the DFB so far.”
Strong development in Wolfsburg
Would he have had the potential for the U21s or even the senior national team? It’s hard to say. One thing is clear: Dardai has already developed strongly in his first Bundesliga season in Wolfsburg. The teenager, who could still play for the A-Juniors, has made twelve league appearances, scoring one goal and providing three assists. He emphasizes: “I’m just trying to learn a lot this year. If I get minutes, all the better.”
In any case, the competition in Germany with regard to the senior national team is huge: in central midfield, both defensively and offensively, there are numerous top players such as Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Angelo Stiller, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and, potentially, Tom Bischof or Paul Wanner, and the prospect of Dardai being nominated anytime soon would have been extremely slim.
With the Hungarians, on the other hand, things will move a lot faster. The plan is for Dardai to be named as early as the Nations League play-offs in March, and the Wolfsburg player could make his debut in Turkey as early as March 20. Will he be there then? “I hope and think so.”
