Zoltán Stieber facts for kids
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Stieber representing Hungary at UEFA Euro 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 October 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Sárvár, Hungary | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger Attacking midfielder |
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| Team information | |||
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Current team
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MTK Budapest | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1999 | Sárvári FC | ||
| 1999–2001 | Győri ETO | ||
| 2001–2002 | Goldball '94 | ||
| 2002–2005 | Újpest | ||
| 2005–2007 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2009 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Yeovil Town (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | TuS Koblenz | 38 | (5) |
| 2010–2011 | Alemannia Aachen | 34 | (10) |
| 2011–2012 | Mainz 05 | 7 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Mainz 05 II | 3 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Greuther Fürth | 48 | (12) |
| 2012 | → Greuther Fürth II | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Hamburger SV | 27 | (3) |
| 2016 | → 1. FC Nürnberg (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 19 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | D.C. United | 44 | (6) |
| 2019–2020 | Zalaegerszeg | 22 | (2) |
| 2020–2022 | Újpest | 24 | (2) |
| 2020 | → Újpest II | 1 | (1) |
| 2022– | MTK Budapest | 89 | (16) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2006–2008 | Hungary U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Hungary U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2009 | Hungary U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2011–2018 | Hungary | 26 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 May 2020 |
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Zoltán Stieber (born 16 October 1988) is a Hungarian football player. He plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder for MTK Budapest. Zoltán played for many youth teams in Hungary. He then spent four years at the Aston Villa academy in England. After that, he moved to Germany and played for several clubs there. He also became a regular player for the Hungarian national team, even playing in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Zoltán Stieber started his football journey at Goldball '94 in Budapest. His younger brother, András Stieber, also played there. Zoltán then moved to a big Hungarian club called Újpest. He played so well that he got invited to try out for English clubs. He tried out for Arsenal and Manchester United but didn't sign with them. Finally, he joined Aston Villa as a youth player and stayed there for four years.
Time at Aston Villa
Zoltán signed a two-year contract with Aston Villa in May 2005. He quickly impressed his coaches with his skills in the youth academy. In his first season, he played 30 games for the Academy and scored 4 goals. He helped his team reach the final of the FA Premier Academy League in May 2006, but they lost to Southampton. He also played six times for the reserve team that season.
In the 2006–07 season, Zoltán played 13 games for the Aston Villa Reserves and scored two goals. He also made three amazing assists in one game, helping his team win 3–0 against Reading. On 4 January 2007, he signed another two-year contract with the club.
In May 2007, Zoltán helped Aston Villa win the HKFC Philips Lighting International Soccer Sevens tournament. He scored a fantastic winning goal that helped them get into the knockout stages. He then led his team to victory against other clubs like Urawa Red Diamonds and PSV. Zoltán was named the Player of the Tournament, following in the footsteps of Gabriel Agbonlahor. Because of his great performance, he was given a three-year contract, which showed how much potential he had.
In July 2007, Zoltán got his first chance to play with the senior team during their tour in the U.S. and Canada. He played his first game against Toronto and did well. He also played in another pre-season match against Walsall, where he helped set up the first goal. Even though he didn't play much for the main team, he did great for the Aston Villa Reserves. He scored goals and made many assists, earning him the first-ever BBC Radio West Midlands Young Player of the Month award in September 2007.
Before the 2008–09 season, Zoltán again joined the first team for a tour in Switzerland. He played in a few pre-season games, sometimes even as a left-back. However, he never played a competitive game for the main team at Villa Park. So, the club allowed him to try out for other teams.
Loan to Yeovil Town
On 22 November 2007, Zoltán joined League One team Yeovil Town on a loan until January 2008. The manager, Russell Slade, said Zoltán was good at "dead-ball situations and a great crosser of the ball."
Zoltán played his first game for Yeovil Town on 24 November 2007. He scored his first goal for them just before his loan ended, in a 2–1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. He made a quick impact, and his loan was extended. However, he got a thigh injury in training. After recovering, he played his last game for Yeovil Town on 29 March 2008. He played 15 games for them in total.
Playing in Germany
Zoltán tried out for Blackpool and Norwich City. But he decided to join TuS Koblenz in Germany on 29 January 2009, signing a contract until 2011.
He made his debut in the 2. Bundesliga on 30 January 2009. A week later, he scored his first goal and made his first assist in the 2. Bundesliga. He scored four more goals in 17 games that season. The 2009–10 season started well for him, as he made two assists in a cup game and scored a goal in another. However, injuries limited him to 21 games that season.
Alemannia Aachen
On 26 May 2010, Zoltán left TuS Koblenz and signed a two-year contract with Alemannia Aachen. He played his first game for Alemannia Aachen on 20 August 2010, helping to set up a goal. He scored his first goal for the club on 17 September 2010. By the end of 2010, he had scored another goal.
In 2011, Zoltán scored his first goal of the year and made two assists in a 4–2 win. He continued to score five more goals, including two in one game, and made an assist in a 4–0 win. Zoltán played all 34 league games in the 2010–11 season and scored ten goals, making him the club's top scorer. He was also considered one of the best players in the league that season.
Mainz 05
On 22 March 2011, it was announced that Zoltán would join Bundesliga team Mainz 05 on a four-year contract after the 2010–11 season ended.
He made his Mainz 05 debut in the first game of the season, playing 71 minutes in a 2–0 win. Two weeks later, he made an assist in a game they lost. However, Zoltán found it hard to get a regular spot in the first team at Mainz 05. He spent most of his time on the bench and also dealt with injuries. He wanted to leave the club on loan, but they didn't let him. After a tough season, Zoltán was looking to leave Mainz 05 despite having three years left on his contract.
Greuther Fürth
On 21 June 2012, Zoltán signed a four-year contract with Bundesliga team Greuther Fürth.
He made his Greuther Fürth debut in the first game of the season. After being out for a few weeks with stomach problems, Zoltán scored his first Bundesliga goal against 1899 Hoffenheim. He then scored two more goals against Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund. However, he got a shoulder injury and was out for three months. He returned for the last game of the season. Greuther Fürth was relegated from the top German league that season. Zoltán played 17 games and scored three goals.
At the start of the next season, Zoltán played very well. He scored 3 goals and made 6 assists in just 9 games, including two goals in one match and a hat-trick of assists in another. He continued to score more goals later in the season. In his last season for Fürth, he scored 9 goals and made 11 assists in 36 games.
Hamburger SV
On 26 May 2014, Zoltán signed with Bundesliga club Hamburg. He said it was the best contract of his career. Hamburg managers noticed him during the relegation play-offs, where he made an assist that helped Hamburg stay in the top league.
Zoltán made his Hamburger SV debut on 30 August 2014. In January 2015, he played as a central midfielder for the first time in a friendly game. On 4 February, he scored his first goal in the 2014–15 Bundesliga season in a 3–0 win. On 7 February 2015, he set a record for running the longest distance in a game, covering 13.9 kilometers.
Later in the 2014–15 Bundesliga season, Zoltán scored another goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach. He then scored in two games in a row, which was a first for him. He finished the 2014–15 season playing 38 games and scoring three goals.
In the 2015–16 season, Zoltán didn't get to play as much for the first team. He made his first appearance of the season in October 2015. In January 2016, he was expected to leave the club.
Loan to 1. FC Nürnberg
On 18 January 2016, Zoltán moved on loan to 1. FC Nürnberg. He said he wanted to play more to have a chance to be in the Hungary squad for the UEFA Euro 2016.
He played his first game for 1. FC Nürnberg on 6 February 2016. On 4 March 2016, he scored his first goal for them but was sent off in the last minute. Despite this, Zoltán played six games and scored once for 1. FC Nürnberg that season.
Kaiserslautern
After returning from the national team, Zoltán wanted to leave Hamburger SV to play more regularly. On 12 August 2016, he signed a three-year contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
Two days later, on 14 August 2016, Zoltán made his Kaiserslautern debut. Six days later, he scored his first goal for Kaiserslautern in a cup game, which they lost in extra time.
D.C. United
On 9 August 2017, Zoltán signed with Major League Soccer team D.C. United in the United States. On 27 September 2017, he scored his first goal for D.C. United against the New York Red Bulls. He scored from a rebounded free kick, helping his team tie the game 3–3. Zoltán is known for his great passing, free kicks, and speed.
In 2017, Zoltán finished the season with one goal and one assist. In 2018, after D.C. United got their new stadium, Audi Field, Zoltán scored 5 goals and made 7 assists. However, he slowly started to play less as new players joined the team.
In June 2019, Zoltán told a reporter that he wanted to leave D.C. United to have more chances to play for the Hungarian national team. He said, "The US is too far away. I can't be a National Team player if I play here. I have to come closer to Hungary."
On 26 July 2019, D.C. United announced that they had agreed to part ways with Zoltán. In total, he scored 6 goals and made 8 assists in 44 games for D.C. United.
MTK Budapest
On 25 January 2022, Zoltán signed with MTK Budapest. At the end of the 2021–22 season, MTK was moved down to the second division, NB II. Zoltán then played in that league.
International Career
Zoltán played for the Hungary U19, Hungary U20, and Hungary U21 teams. He was first called up to the senior national team and made his debut on 2 September 2011, in a 2–1 win over Sweden.
On 5 June 2015, Zoltán scored his first goal for Hungary in a 4–0 friendly win against Lithuania. He then scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Finland on 13 June, which helped Hungary qualify for UEFA Euro 2016.
He was chosen for Hungary's Euro 2016 team. On 14 June 2016, Zoltán played in the first group match, a 2–0 win over Austria. He scored the second goal in that game. Three days later, on 18 June 2016, he played in a 1–1 draw against Iceland. He also played in the last group match, a 3–3 draw against Portugal. Zoltán later said that the UEFA Euro 2016 was an experience he would never forget.
Personal Life
Zoltán Stieber has an older brother named András Stieber. András also started his career at Goldball '94 and later played for the Aston Villa Under-21s with Zoltán. András currently plays for Újpest in Hungary.
In May 2011, Zoltán was involved in a car incident. He suffered a shin injury.
Honours
Individual Awards
- Top assists in 2. Bundesliga: 2010–11 (17 assists)
- Best player in 2. Bundesliga: Runner-up in 2010–11
See also
In Spanish: Zoltán Stieber para niños
