MTK Budapest U20

31 Jan 2029
Wednesday
Process
131 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

29 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

MTK Budapest sink to position 12

17 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Market

Daniil Penchikov puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Kevin Cárdenas has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around MTK Budapest they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

MTK Budapest lose Gábor Megyeri

137 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ignacio Sáez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

Back issues
130 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

János Szépe asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Pedro Velásquez has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around MTK Budapest they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Nándor Kóródi out for 46 days

The medical room confirms 46 days on the sidelines for Nándor Kóródi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Donát Kákonyi out for 16 days

The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Donát Kákonyi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Honved expected to open talks for Kevin Cárdenas

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. MTK Budapest will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

129 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

15 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Erwin Paiva puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Only the photograph left for Erwin Paiva

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Erwin Paiva will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around MTK Budapest the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Still no name above the door at MTK Budapest

Day 14 of the vacancy. Candidates have been priced, sounded out and quietly ruled out — and the caretaker’s win ratio is becoming an argument all by itself.

Squad

Nándor Kóródi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nándor Kóródi commits to MTK Budapest for another 3 years.

Market

Debrecen are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. MTK Budapest will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

In brief

128 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

8 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

MTK Budapest run out of patience with Krisztian Gazdag

The end came on a Tuesday, as these things usually do: a short meeting, a shorter statement, and Krisztian Gazdag clearing his office by noon. Football’s cruellest ritual, performed to schedule.

Boardroom

Interim Coach steps up at MTK Budapest for now

“Somebody picks the team on Saturday. This week it is me, and that is as far as I have thought.” No promises were made in either direction, which is how these usually begin.

Market

Juan Díaz puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Daniil Penchikov out for 41 days

The medical room confirms 41 days on the sidelines for Daniil Penchikov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Joaquín Mateo stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Joaquín Mateo and MTK Budapest agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for József Balázs

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to József Balázs, and the manager let it.

Market

Honved expected to open talks for Pedro Velásquez

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. MTK Budapest will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Market

The Jakub Plšek talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. MTK Budapest know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

127 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

1 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

MTK Budapest sink to position 12

17 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Market

Daniil Penchikov asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

126 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

János Szépe hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what MTK Budapest can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Vasas

Vasas left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Joaquín Mateo

Marked 8.99 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Benedek Varju gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Ádin Molnár story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Ádin Molnár signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Kevin Kántor

A mark of 5.58 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Péter Molnár

Marked 5.64, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

In brief

125 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

18 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Erwin Paiva asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Paksi take the points off MTK Budapest

Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mihály Kata

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Erwin Paiva wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and MTK Budapest know it.

In brief

124 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

11 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tamás Fadgyas keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” MTK Budapest may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Daniil Penchikov out for 71 days

The medical room confirms 71 days on the sidelines for Daniil Penchikov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Stelios Vallindras puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Daniil Penchikov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Kevin Kántor in the eights

A performance of 8.41 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

MTK Budapest and Debrecen take a point apiece

It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Artúr Horváth

Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A costly moment from Daniil Penchikov

One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at MTK Budapest, and it is a cruel one.

In brief

123 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

4 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the MTK Budapest boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Match

Every point is an argument now for MTK Budapest

Position 11 and 16 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Boardroom

MTK Budapest spell it out for Krisztian Gazdag

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Krisztian Gazdag has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Squad

József Balázs keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” MTK Budapest may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Juan Díaz puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Jakub Plšek stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Jakub Plšek and MTK Budapest agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Mihály Kata

Marked 9.22 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

122 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

27 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 33. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

János Szépe puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Szabolcs Kátai says MTK Budapest went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Róbert Polievka

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Róbert Polievka, and the manager let it.

Match

A bad afternoon for MTK Budapest against Bekescsaba

0‑1 to Bekescsaba, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

No place for Donaldo Açka on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at MTK Budapest pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Johan Portilla

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

Player ratings

Kevin Kántor keeps on missing

Shots: 9, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

121 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

20 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Donaldo Açka puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Johan Portilla

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artúr Horváth

Defensive actions: 31. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Mihály Kata

Defensive actions: 28. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Jakub Plšek in the eights

A performance of 9.03 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

MTK Budapest see off Ujpest

Three points for MTK Budapest, 1‑0 the final word against Ujpest in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

Imre Antal Széles shuts the door

Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Donaldo Açka knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Donaldo Açka trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

120 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

13 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Erwin Paiva puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Johan Portilla keeps MTK Budapest in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

No hiding place for Kevin Kántor

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kevin Kántor, and the manager let it.

Squad

MTK Budapest count the cost of losing Donát Kákonyi

35 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Daniil Penchikov

Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Artúr Horváth shuts the door

Defensive actions: 14, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Match

MTK Budapest draw a blank against Diosgyor

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Diosgyor defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

119 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

6 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

MTK Budapest are in real trouble now

Position 12, 9 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at MTK Budapest

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at MTK Budapest is running low.

Market

Stelios Vallindras asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for MTK Budapest against Puskas Akademia

0‑2 to Puskas Akademia, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Patrik Kovács gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

The armband comes off Imre Antal Széles

MTK Budapest will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Mihály Kata

A mark of 4.69 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

118 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

30 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Juan Díaz hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what MTK Budapest can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artúr Horváth

Defensive actions: 27. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Home is on Juan Díaz's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; MTK Budapest are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Ádin Molnár gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Kevin Kántor sends MTK Budapest past Ferencvaros

It finished 1‑0, and it was Kevin Kántor’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to MTK Budapest.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

One of those days for Kevin Kántor

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.12, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Imre Antal Széles

Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

117 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

23 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

10 matches without a win for MTK Budapest

The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around MTK Budapest are no longer polite ones.

Market

Donaldo Açka asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Gábor Megyeri: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Róbert Polievka gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Bence Batik out for 22 days

The medical room confirms 22 days on the sidelines for Bence Batik, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Honved

Honved left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

The one thing Kevin Kántor could not do

Shots: 9, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

116 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

16 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 39. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

No end in sight to MTK Budapest's wait for a win

9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at MTK Budapest has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Erwin Paiva puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Ignacio Sáez: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

József Balázs stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” József Balázs and MTK Budapest agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Mihály Kata gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Fehervar

Fehervar left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Kevin Kántor leaves them behind him

Shots: 6. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

115 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

9 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

MTK Budapest sink to position 12

6 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Match

The wait goes on for MTK Budapest

8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Pedro Velásquez: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Stelios Vallindras puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Imre Antal Széles signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Imre Antal Széles and MTK Budapest agree another 2 years.

Squad

Marin Jurina gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

MTK Budapest and Vasas cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Vasas came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

114 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

2 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Juan Díaz hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what MTK Budapest can pretend not to have heard.

Match

No end in sight to MTK Budapest's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at MTK Budapest has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Vilius Armalas keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” MTK Budapest may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Imre Antal Széles stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Imre Antal Széles and MTK Budapest agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Paksi

Paksi left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Home is on Erwin Paiva's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; MTK Budapest are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Player ratings

Patrik Kovács's mistake decides it

Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at MTK Budapest needed to.

In brief

113 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

25 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Daniil Penchikov hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what MTK Budapest can pretend not to have heard.

Match

The wait goes on for MTK Budapest

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Johan Portilla

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Debrecen

Debrecen left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

The one thing Kevin Kántor could not do

Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Squad

János Szépe asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Ádin Molnár question follows MTK Budapest around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Ádin Molnár’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

112 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

18 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

János Szépe asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Braian Aquino: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

No end in sight to MTK Budapest's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at MTK Budapest has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Róbert Polievka

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Haladas take the points off MTK Budapest

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Joaquín Mateo runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

Imre Antal Széles gives it away

There was no pressure on him and nowhere he had to be. MTK Budapest lost a goal to a decision that took half a second and will be discussed all week.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Mihály Kata

A mark of 4.88 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

111 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

11 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

MTK Budapest sink to position 12

5 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Market

Donaldo Açka asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

4 matches without a win for MTK Budapest

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around MTK Budapest are no longer polite ones.

Market

The Debrecen deal is off

Everything was agreed until it was not, and Tamás Fadgyas reports back to MTK Budapest with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for MTK Budapest against Bekescsaba

1‑3 to Bekescsaba, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Artúr Horváth runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Daniil Penchikov gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

One of those days for Joaquín Mateo

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.64, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

110 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

4 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

MTK Budapest bow out of the cup

Paksi go through and MTK Budapest go home, 1‑2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

Market

Juan Díaz hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what MTK Budapest can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Johan Portilla keeps MTK Budapest in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Player ratings

Nándor Kóródi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Gerônimo has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around MTK Budapest they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Juan Díaz wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and MTK Budapest know it.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Ujpest

Ujpest left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Market

Eyes on Tamás Fadgyas again

The phone has started ringing about Tamás Fadgyas again, and this time the name on the line is Debrecen. MTK Budapest are listening politely and promising nothing.

In brief

109 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

28 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Stelios Vallindras puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Kevin Kántor

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kevin Kántor, and the manager let it.

Match

A bad afternoon for MTK Budapest against Diosgyor

0‑1 to Diosgyor, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

“I want to play”: Kolen Onder speaks

“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.

In brief

108 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

21 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artúr Horváth

Defensive actions: 40. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Kevin Kántor says MTK Budapest went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Mihály Kata

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 31 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Market

Erwin Paiva puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

MTK Budapest find a way past Puskas Akademia

Puskas Akademia made MTK Budapest work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Kevin Kántor in the eights

A performance of 8.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kolen Onder

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

107 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Donaldo Açka puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Kolen Onder says MTK Budapest went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

No end in sight to MTK Budapest's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at MTK Budapest has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Home is on Donaldo Açka's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; MTK Budapest are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Mihály Kata

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mihály Kata, and the manager let it.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Ferencvaros

Ferencvaros left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

The Jakub Plšek story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jakub Plšek signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

106 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

7 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Gerônimo has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around MTK Budapest they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Home is on Joaquín Mateo's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; MTK Budapest are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Donaldo Açka gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Kevin Kántor

Marked 8.34 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

MTK Budapest share the spoils with Honved

A 2‑2 draw with Honved leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Kevin Kántor finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. MTK Budapest have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Ádin Molnár linked with a move away

The name of Ádin Molnár keeps appearing in other people's back pages. MTK Budapest say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

105 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

31 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Zoltan Sallai comes home

The shirt still fits. Zoltan Sallai is back at MTK Budapest, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Marton Orban comes home

The shirt still fits. Marton Orban is back at MTK Budapest, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Attila Orban comes home

The shirt still fits. Attila Orban is back at MTK Budapest, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

As if he never left: Bence Lisztes returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Bence Lisztes is a MTK Budapest player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár in the eights

A performance of 8.94 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Johan Portilla gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Róbert Polievka

Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Honours even between MTK Budapest and Fehervar

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

104 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

24 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at MTK Budapest

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Stelios Vallindras puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

103 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

17 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Tamás Fadgyas puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

MTK Budapest lose Tamás Fadgyas

15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

102 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

10 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Bence Batik hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what MTK Budapest can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Gerônimo has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around MTK Budapest they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Artúr Horváth signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Artúr Horváth commits to MTK Budapest for another 4 years.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Artúr Horváth

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Benedek Varju story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Benedek Varju signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

101 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

3 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Krisztian Gazdag has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at MTK Budapest can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Market

Braian Aquino puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Mihály Kata signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mihály Kata commits to MTK Budapest for another 4 years.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Bence Batik gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Mihály Kata loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Mihály Kata. MTK Budapest will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Boardroom

$3.1M taken back off the MTK Budapest table

What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.

Market

The Ádin Molnár talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. MTK Budapest know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Still no ink between MTK Budapest and Erwin Paiva

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at MTK Budapest, another week without a signature from Erwin Paiva.

In brief

100 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

26 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at MTK Budapest

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Ádin Molnár signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ádin Molnár commits to MTK Budapest for another 5 years.

Market

MTK Budapest sell Ancizar Aragón for $910.0K

Ancizar Aragón has left for Diosgyor in a $910.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ignacio Sáez knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at MTK Budapest, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Tamás Fadgyas is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at MTK Budapest has been clear about where Tamás Fadgyas stands, which is more than many ever get.

In brief

99 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

19 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Stelios Vallindras asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Diosgyor join the queue for Ancizar Aragón

Add another name to the list: Diosgyor have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Ancizar Aragón. The answer from MTK Budapest has not changed — yet.

Market

Bence Batik is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at MTK Budapest has been clear about where Bence Batik stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Braian Aquino

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Ignacio Sáez asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

98 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

12 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gerônimo has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around MTK Budapest they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

MTK Budapest sign Johan Portilla for $870.0K

The paperwork is done: Johan Portilla joins from Bekescsaba in a deal worth $870.0K. Now comes the harder part.

Market

Gábor Megyeri is a MTK Budapest player

The fee is $730.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Diosgyor drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad

Patrik Kovács signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Patrik Kovács commits to MTK Budapest for another 4 years.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

No place for Braian Aquino in the plan

“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Braian Aquino has his answer from MTK Budapest; what he does with it is the next window’s story.

In brief

97 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

5 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Krisztian Gazdag has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at MTK Budapest can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Kolen Onder asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Boardroom

$3.1M taken back off the MTK Budapest table

What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.

Market

The Ádin Molnár talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. MTK Budapest know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Still no ink between MTK Budapest and Erwin Paiva

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at MTK Budapest, another week without a signature from Erwin Paiva.

Squad

Somebody is after Mihály Kata’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Mihály Kata suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. MTK Budapest have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Market

Bence Batik placed on the list

MTK Budapest have made Bence Batik available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Squad

A season on the outside for Erwin Paiva

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at MTK Budapest has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

In brief

96 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

29 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the MTK Budapest boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ancizar Aragón gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

95 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

22 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Ancizar Aragón: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

The Jakub Plšek story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jakub Plšek signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

94 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

15 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gerônimo has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around MTK Budapest they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

The Benedek Varju story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Benedek Varju signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

93 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

8 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

MTK Budapest spell it out for Krisztian Gazdag

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Krisztian Gazdag has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Squad

Jakub Plšek stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Jakub Plšek and MTK Budapest agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Braian Aquino

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Braian Aquino, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

$3.1M taken back off the MTK Budapest table

What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.

Market

The Ádin Molnár talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. MTK Budapest know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

92 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

1 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at MTK Budapest

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Ignacio Sáez

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ignacio Sáez, and the manager let it.

In brief

91 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Bence Batik: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Stelios Vallindras asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

90 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gerônimo is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at MTK Budapest is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

The Benedek Varju story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Benedek Varju signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

89 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

10 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

MTK Budapest count the cost of losing Giancarlo

17 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Edgar Villavicencio signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Edgar Villavicencio commits to MTK Budapest for another 4 years.

In brief

88 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

3 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

MTK Budapest spell it out for Krisztian Gazdag

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Krisztian Gazdag has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the MTK Budapest boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

MTK Budapest count the cost of losing Ignacio Sáez

24 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The armband comes off Róbert Polievka

MTK Budapest will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Boardroom

MTK Budapest pull $3.1M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

In brief

87 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

27 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Stelios Vallindras puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at MTK Budapest, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Bence Batik

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Bence Batik, and the manager let it.

In brief

86 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

20 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Gerônimo is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at MTK Budapest is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

MTK Budapest count the cost of losing Patrik Kovács

29 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

In brief

85 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

13 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Braian Aquino: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Kolen Onder signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Kolen Onder and MTK Budapest agree another 4 years.

In brief

84 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

6 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at MTK Budapest

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at MTK Budapest is running low.

Squad

Ignacio Sáez out for 53 days

The medical room confirms 53 days on the sidelines for Ignacio Sáez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Róbert Polievka stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Róbert Polievka and MTK Budapest agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

MTK Budapest lose Tamas Lisztes

23 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Boardroom

MTK Budapest pull $3.1M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

In brief

83 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

28 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

MTK Budapest bow out of the cup

Ferencvaros go through and MTK Budapest go home, 0‑3 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Bence Banó-Szabó

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

Inquest at MTK Budapest

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Player ratings

Bence Banó-Szabó gives it away

There was no pressure on him and nowhere he had to be. MTK Budapest lost a goal to a decision that took half a second and will be discussed all week.

Market

The Jakub Plšek story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jakub Plšek signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke leaves them behind him

Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

Player ratings

Georgi Lazarov leaves them behind him

Shots: 5. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

82 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

21 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Patricio Salas keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” MTK Budapest may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ignacio Sáez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

81 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

14 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Pedro Velásquez signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pedro Velásquez commits to MTK Budapest for another 3 years.

Squad

No hiding place for Braian Aquino

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Braian Aquino, and the manager let it.

Market

The Ádin Molnár talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. MTK Budapest know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Georgi Lazarov has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and MTK Budapest will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

Market

MTK Budapest bring in Bence Banó-Szabó on loan

A season-long audition: Vasas still own him, but the shirt and the minutes are MTK Budapest's to give. A loan is a bet both clubs believe they are winning.

In brief

80 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

7 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the MTK Budapest boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

Marin Jurina says MTK Budapest went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

István Bognár signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” István Bognár commits to MTK Budapest for another 2 years.

Squad

Bence Batik gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

MTK Budapest pull $3.1M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

In brief

79 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

31 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Giancarlo says MTK Budapest went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Gerônimo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gerônimo, and the manager let it.

In brief

78 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

24 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

MTK Budapest count the cost of losing Giancarlo

59 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Edgar Villavicencio stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Edgar Villavicencio and MTK Budapest agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

77 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

17 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ancizar Aragón says MTK Budapest went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Vilius Armalas

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vilius Armalas, and the manager let it.

In brief

76 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

10 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Leon Ivančić keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” MTK Budapest may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Ignacio Sáez gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

75 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The season belongs to Blessing Eleke

An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and MTK Budapest have had the benefit of it.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tamás Fadgyas

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

74 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

27 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár in the eights

A performance of 9.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Ádin Molnár the difference as MTK Budapest beat Vasas

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Ádin Molnár. 2‑1 against Vasas, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke in the eights

A performance of 8.55 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Loan watch

Kolen Onder wants to come home

“I did not go to Vasas to sit and watch. I want to come back to MTK Budapest and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.

Squad

No hiding place for Braian Aquino

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Braian Aquino, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Mihály Kata

Marked 4.74, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

Market

The Benedek Varju question follows MTK Budapest around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Benedek Varju’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Squad

Róbert Polievka wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Róbert Polievka has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. MTK Budapest know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

73 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

20 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

József Balázs keeps MTK Budapest in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

The wait goes on for MTK Budapest

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Róbert Polievka

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

No place for Ignacio Sáez on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at MTK Budapest pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artúr Horváth

Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

72 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

13 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Ignacio Sáez stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ignacio Sáez and MTK Budapest agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Debrecen take the points off MTK Budapest

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Ignacio Sáez gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Georgi Lazarov has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and MTK Budapest will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

In brief

71 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Braian Aquino: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Róbert Polievka

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Blessing Eleke

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.39, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Giancarlo signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Giancarlo commits to MTK Budapest for another 1 years.

Squad

Costly mistake from József Balázs

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. József Balázs knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

In brief

70 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Tamás Fadgyas

There were 13 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

Cup progress for MTK Budapest

A 2‑1 win over Fehervar, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Kevin Cárdenas keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” MTK Budapest may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Artúr Horváth shuts the door

Defensive actions: 21, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Vilius Armalas in the eights

A performance of 9.02 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Patricio Salas

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.09, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Marin Jurina gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

69 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to MTK Budapest's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at MTK Budapest has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Róbert Polievka runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

A bad afternoon for MTK Budapest against Ujpest

1‑2 to Ujpest, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke in the eights

A performance of 8.22 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Jakub Plšek

Marked 8.02 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

68 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 33. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

The wait goes on for MTK Budapest

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Vilius Armalas says MTK Budapest went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Diosgyor take the points off MTK Budapest

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Gerônimo

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke keeps on missing

Shots: 11, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Artúr Horváth

A mark of 4.82 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

Market

The Mihály Kata question follows MTK Budapest around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Mihály Kata’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

67 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to MTK Budapest's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at MTK Budapest has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke in the eights

A performance of 8.10 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Georgi Lazarov

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Georgi Lazarov, and the manager let it.

Match

Honours even between MTK Budapest and Puskas Akademia

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

66 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for MTK Budapest

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Ferencvaros

Ferencvaros left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Jakub Plšek runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Marin Jurina gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Kolen Onder wants to come home

“I did not go to Vasas to sit and watch. I want to come back to MTK Budapest and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke keeps on missing

Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Market

The Benedek Varju question follows MTK Budapest around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Benedek Varju’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Marin Jurina

A mark of 5.57 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

65 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Gerônimo: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” MTK Budapest have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Honved

Honved left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Patrik Kovács

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

The one thing Blessing Eleke could not do

Shots: 9, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

64 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

10 unbeaten for MTK Budapest

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation MTK Budapest did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke in the eights

A performance of 8.14 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Bence Batik

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Bence Batik, and the manager let it.

Match

Blessing Eleke rescues a point for MTK Budapest

It needed Blessing Eleke to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Fehervar, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

63 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

9 unbeaten for MTK Budapest

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation MTK Budapest did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Blessing Eleke

Marked 8.10 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for János Szépe

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to János Szépe, and the manager let it.

Match

MTK Budapest and Vasas take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

62 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

József Balázs keeps MTK Budapest in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

Whatever happens, MTK Budapest do not lose

8 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Squad

Jakub Plšek signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jakub Plšek commits to MTK Budapest for another 2 years.

Match

MTK Budapest get the job done against Paksi

A 5‑3 win over Paksi, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Róbert Polievka

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.29, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár in the eights

A performance of 9.25 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Loan watch

Kolen Onder wants to come home

“I did not go to Vasas to sit and watch. I want to come back to MTK Budapest and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

Squad

No hiding place for Benedek Varju

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Benedek Varju, and the manager let it.

In brief

61 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Whatever happens, MTK Budapest do not lose

7 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Ádin Molnár

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ádin Molnár, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Blessing Eleke

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.16, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár's mistake decides it

Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at MTK Budapest needed to.

Match

MTK Budapest and Debrecen take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

60 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from József Balázs

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artúr Horváth

Defensive actions: 26. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Ádin Molnár signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ádin Molnár and MTK Budapest agree another 5 years.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Imre Antal Széles

Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Match

Still nobody has beaten MTK Budapest

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Ádin Molnár

Marked 8.70 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Ádin Molnár sends MTK Budapest past Haladas

It finished 1‑0, and it was Ádin Molnár’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to MTK Budapest.

Squad

Bence Batik gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

59 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from József Balázs

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

MTK Budapest see off Bekescsaba

Three points for MTK Budapest, 1‑0 the final word against Bekescsaba in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Ádin Molnár

Marked 8.43 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Blessing Eleke in the eights

A performance of 8.16 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Vilius Armalas stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Vilius Armalas and MTK Budapest agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Jakub Plšek

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

MTK Budapest lose Edgar Villavicencio

14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Imre Antal Széles

Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

58 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artúr Horváth

Defensive actions: 25. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Kolen Onder has seen enough of Vasas

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at MTK Budapest, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Gerônimo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Point won or two lost for MTK Budapest?

Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Ujpest? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.

Squad

Marin Jurina knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at MTK Budapest, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Mihály Kata linked with a move away

The name of Mihály Kata keeps appearing in other people's back pages. MTK Budapest say nothing, which says plenty.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Imre Antal Széles

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 12 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

In brief

57 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

MTK Budapest march on in the cup

Haladas are out and MTK Budapest go through, 1‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artúr Horváth

Defensive actions: 28. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Cárdenas

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Mihály Kata shuts the door

Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

MTK Budapest see off Diosgyor

Three points for MTK Budapest, 2‑0 the final word against Diosgyor in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

No hiding place for Marin Jurina

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marin Jurina, and the manager let it.

Squad

Blessing Eleke is off the mark for MTK Budapest

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

56 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

6 matches without a win for MTK Budapest

The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around MTK Budapest are no longer polite ones.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Artúr Horváth

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Mihály Kata

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

János Szépe gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Imre Antal Széles

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 14 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Market

MTK Budapest bring in an old head

Bence Batik is 33 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.

Match

MTK Budapest and Puskas Akademia cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Puskas Akademia came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

55 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A one-man rearguard from József Balázs

There were 16 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

5 matches without a win for MTK Budapest

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around MTK Budapest are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Ádin Molnár

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ádin Molnár, and the manager let it.

Match

A bad afternoon for MTK Budapest against Ferencvaros

0‑1 to Ferencvaros, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ádin Molnár

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

54 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Róbert Polievka runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

4 matches without a win for MTK Budapest

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around MTK Budapest are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Jakub Plšek gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

MTK Budapest come up short against Honved

Honved left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Giancarlo signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Giancarlo commits to MTK Budapest for another 1 years.

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár's mistake decides it

Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at MTK Budapest needed to.

Market

Mihály Kata linked with a move away

The name of Mihály Kata keeps appearing in other people's back pages. MTK Budapest say nothing, which says plenty.

Player ratings

The one thing Blessing Eleke could not do

Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

53 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Ádin Molnár runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Bence Szalai is a MTK Budapest player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

As if he never left: Roland Lang returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Roland Lang is a MTK Budapest player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Market

Krisztian Orban is a MTK Budapest player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Tamas Lisztes comes home

The shirt still fits. Tamas Lisztes is back at MTK Budapest, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

In brief

52 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Kolen Onder attracts admirers

The name of Kolen Onder has come up in conversations MTK Budapest were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Market

The Ádin Molnár story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Ádin Molnár signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

51 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Stelios Vallindras wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and MTK Budapest know it.

Market

The Jakub Plšek question follows MTK Budapest around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Jakub Plšek’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

50 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

12 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

MTK Budapest say no — this time

The offer from Ferencvaros for Mihály Kata was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Squad

Benedek Varju signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Benedek Varju commits to MTK Budapest for another 4 years.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

49 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

The Mihály Kata talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. MTK Budapest know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Ayrton Unzueta still has not settled

A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at MTK Budapest would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.

In brief

48 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Gerônimo asks to leave MTK Budapest

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ádin Molnár knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ádin Molnár trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

47 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ádin Molnár knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at MTK Budapest, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Jakub Plšek question follows MTK Budapest around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Jakub Plšek’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

46 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Business is business: Ádám Zubor goes

Paksi paid $95.0K and MTK Budapest took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.

Squad

Krisztián Hegyi called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at MTK Budapest that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

In brief

45 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Gerônimo is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at MTK Budapest has been clear about where Gerônimo stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Braian Aquino gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

44 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The season belongs to Mihály Kata

An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and MTK Budapest have had the benefit of it.

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Gerônimo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gerônimo, and the manager let it.

In brief

43 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tamás Kádár

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Jakub Plšek question follows MTK Budapest around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Jakub Plšek’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

42 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ancizar Aragón signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ancizar Aragón commits to MTK Budapest for another 3 years.

Market

The Artúr Horváth story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Artúr Horváth signs something — a contract at MTK Budapest or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

41 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Kevin Cárdenas signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Kevin Cárdenas and MTK Budapest agree another 3 years.

Squad

Ádin Molnár asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

40 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Mihály Kata loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Mihály Kata. MTK Budapest will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Squad

The manager makes an example of József Balázs

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

39 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Braian Aquino keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” MTK Budapest may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Patrik Kovács out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Patrik Kovács, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

38 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Mihály Kata stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Mihály Kata and MTK Budapest agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Jakub Plšek has seen what the next man earns

Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at MTK Budapest that is a harder question to answer.

In brief

37 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

MTK Budapest count the cost of losing Balázs Jádi

39 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

No hiding place for Gerônimo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gerônimo, and the manager let it.

In brief

36 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Ádin Molnár linked with a move away

The name of Ádin Molnár keeps appearing in other people's back pages. MTK Budapest say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Braian Aquino is not saying it is over

“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 34 with 4 appearances behind him, and MTK Budapest have to plan for both answers.

In brief

35 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Mihály Kata in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Braian Aquino

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Braian Aquino, and the manager let it.

Market

The Jakub Plšek talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. MTK Budapest know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

34 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Mihály Kata was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Ádin Molnár asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

International call for Krisztián Hegyi

Krisztián Hegyi joins up with his country. MTK Budapest lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

In brief

33 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at MTK Budapest

Jakub Plšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Tamás Kádár gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ádin Molnár asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

32 Edition

The MTK Budapest Courier

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Jakub Plšek signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jakub Plšek and MTK Budapest agree another 2 years.

Squad

Jakub Plšek in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at MTK Budapest this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Tamás Kádár knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Tamás Kádár trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief