Barnabas Varga, the “Hungarian Jamie Vardy”

“Every opportunity he has, he puts it to the bottom,” warns Bence Boszák, specialist in Hungarian football. This threat is Barnabas Varga. The Ferencváros striker has scored 29 goals – and provided 12 assists – this season between Cup, Championship and Conference League, for a ratio of one goal every 92 minutes. Impressive.

Last April, the almost 30-year-old striker even had the best ratio of goals scored excluding penalties among the 72 world championships recorded by the Neuchâtel Football Observatory (CIES)! With 1.26 goals per 90 minutes, he was ahead of Serhou Guirassy, ​​revelation of the season for Stuttgart.

If everything seems to have been going well for the Hungarian striker for two seasons, it hasn’t always been easy for the man who made his debut at Eberau, in the Austrian 4th division, at the age of 19. After scoring 35 goals in two seasons, he signed for Mattersburg, in the Austrian Bundesliga. But, hampered by injuries, he only played 16 matches (1 goal) in two and a half years before packing his bags.

He bounced around for Lafnitz, in the Austrian second division, before finally returning to the country in the winter of 2020. Then aged 25, he signed for Gyirmot, in the Hungarian 2nd division. “That’s when he started to make a name for himself in the country,” explains Bence Boszák. And for good reason. In 60 matches with Gyirmot, he scored 26 goals and delivered 8 assists, which allowed him to sign for Paksi and finally discover, at the age of 27, the Hungarian first division.

The machine is launched and the attacker goes on goal after goal. In March 2023, he wore the jersey of his selection for the first time. In his 11 caps since then, he has already scored six goals, including a double in three minutes against Israel in a preparation match last Saturday.

He finally ends this 2022-2023 season with 29 goals, which allows him to make the big leap to the most prestigious club in the country, Ferencváros. “His career is really reminiscent of that of Jamie Vardy. He worked very hard, and today that work is paying off. He climbed the ranks one by one, in increasingly prestigious clubs,” comments Bence Boszák.

In the calendar year 2023, he was the ninth top scorer in Europe, with 35 goals in all competitions. Figures which allowed Ferencváros to win a 35th league title and Varga to lift a second consecutive title of top scorer in the Hungarian championship. “He’s a real goal chaser,” warns Bence Boszák. And given his statistics, it’s hard to prove him wrong. After his double against Israel, the striker declared: “I hope I can do the same against Switzerland”. Murat Yakin’s gang has been warned.

Competing with Martin Ádám for the starting position, the Ferencváros player seems to have taken the best for a place in the eleven. “Given Martin’s form and recent performances, Varga will start against Switzerland. Barring injury, he will start in all matches of this Euro,” confirms Noel Miklós, of the Hungarian Football specialist account on X.

Barnabas Varga may only be 1.81 meters tall, but he is formidable in the aerial game. “His heading game is really high level. His defensive efforts are also very valuable,” analyzes Noel Miklós. One of the last specialists in the air to face Switzerland? Perhaps Aleksandar Mitrović with Serbia, who scored two headed goals against the Nati between Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.

“He exudes real physical strength, and finds spaces very well. Switzerland will really have to watch him in the box. Once he receives the ball in a good position, he’s a real killer,” adds Bence Boszák. Dangerous in aerial play and with the ball at his feet, therefore. Just that. Switzerland was already warned of the danger induced by the presence of Dominik Szoboszlai, who can both deliver the last pass and arm from 30 meters. Now she is also warned of the presence of the fearsome Barnabas Varga.