It’s official: Balázs Borbély has been named the new head coach of the Ferencváros men’s soccer team. FTC has chosen one of Hungary’s most sought-after coaches after he did an amazing job with ETO FC Győr last season.

The 46-year-old coach’s name has been constantly mentioned in connection with the Green-Whites in recent weeks, but now it’s official: he will indeed take the reins of the team. Borbély achieved tremendous success in Győr, leading ETO from NB II all the way to the league title in just a few years.

Balázs Borbély also had a distinguished international career as a player. As captain of Artmedia Petrzalka, he competed in the Champions League group stage, and he also played for Kaiserslautern in Germany, as well as in Romania and Cyprus. He made 15 appearances for the Slovak national team.

As a coach, he has gradually built his career. He worked in Dunaszerdahely, at Petrzalka, and then in the Ferencváros youth system from 2019 to 2022, so the club’s operations are not entirely unfamiliar to him. In his first season, he coached the U17 team, then the U19 team, and later became head coach of the NB III squad.

The Ferencváros management was looking for a professional who embodies modern football, is capable of developing a disciplined and aggressive style of play, while also building a stable system for the long term. Borbély’s philosophy fits perfectly into this vision.

Fradi fans are now hopeful that the successes and the style of play they saw at ETO will continue at Groupama Arena. One thing is certain: Balázs Borbély’s appointment is one of the most exciting coaching changes in Hungarian soccer in recent years.

Our club’s sporting director, Tamás Hajnal, has known our new coach for a long time, but that is not why Balázs Borbély was chosen.

“It’s no secret that we’ve known each other for exactly 20 years now, and we’re very good friends; we’ve been through a lot together, so that’s precisely why the responsibility to do this well is so great. The choice fell on Balázs Borbély because we know him well, he spent a lot of time here at Ferencváros, and we could already see back then what a talented coach he was when he worked with the U17s, the U19s, and our second team. Later, when he left us, seeing the work he did in Győr—how he developed the team, how the players improved under his guidance, the style of play Győr adopted—and his results speak for themselves. So we believe this is the right moment for such a talented coach to lead our team. So these factors played a role; we’ve been watching him for a long time and waiting for the moment when he could return home, rejoin Ferencváros, and lead the senior team.

With Borbély’s return, our team is once again led by a Hungarian head coach.

- That wasn’t the main consideration. We’re happy that this is how things have turned out, and I think a lot of people view it positively, but of course, professional expertise has always been the most important factor. In our opinion, only the right coach can lead the team to success, because I think that’s what the fans expect. That’s what we work toward every day, so I’m confident that this partnership will bring the fans a lot of joy as well.