Bence Dárdai (born 24 January 2006) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for club

VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg (), is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. I ...

. Born in Germany, he plays for the Hungary national team.

Career

Hertha

Dárdai is a youth product of

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...

, and started training with their senior side in 2023 on a support contract until 2024. He made his senior and professional debut with Hertha BSC as a late substitute in a 1–0 2. Bundesliga loss to

Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a Football in Germany, German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, that competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fo ...

on 29 July 2023. He made his debut alongside his 2 brothers, and was coached by his father.

Wolfsburg

On 4 June 2024, Dárdai signed a long-term contract with

. On 31 August 2024, he played his first Bundesliga match in a 2-1 victory over

Holstein Kiel Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein von 1900 e.V., commonly known as Holstein Kiel () or KSV Holstein, is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From the 1900s through the 1960s, the club was o ...

on the second game week of the

2024–25 Bundesliga The 2024–25 Bundesliga was the 62nd season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier men's Association football, football competition. The season began on 23 August 2024 and concluded on 17 May 2025. Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayer Leverkusen were the def ...

season. Dárdai entered the pitch as a substitute for Tiago Tomás in the 80th minute. On 2 November 2024, he was included in the starting lineup and was not substituted in a 1-1 draw against

FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. T ...

in the

season.

International career

At the

2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship The 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-17 Euro 2023) was the 20th UEFA European Under-17 Championship (39th edition if the Under-16 era is also included), the annual international youth football championship organise ...

held in his father's country Hungary, he scored the second penalty as Germany beat

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

5–4 in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

victory in the final. On 21 February 2025, Dárdai's request to switch allegiance to Hungary was approved by

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

. On 10 March 2025, he was called up for Hungary against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in a 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs match. In an interview with

Nemzeti Sport ''Nemzeti Sport'' (, ) is a Hungarian sports daily. History and profile ''Nemzeti Sport'' was founded in 1903. It is frequently cited by quality English-language media The paper is published in broadsheet format. Between the World War I and Worl ...

, he said that it does not matter in which position, he wants to play for Hungary. On 19 March 2025, it was revealed that he got injured along with

Roland Sallai Roland Sallai (born 22 May 1997) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Hungary national team. Club career Puskás Akadémia Sallai started his professional career at Pusk� ...

; therefore, he did not join the team that travelled to Turkey. He made his debut in the second leg as a starter.

Personal life

Dárdai is the son of Hungarian manager and former footballer Pál Dárdai, and the younger brother of the footballers Palkó and

Márton Dárdai Márton Dárdai (born 12 February 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for 2. Bundesliga club Hertha BSC. Born in Germany, he plays for the Hungary national team. He's also son of the former Hungarian international P� ...

. Bence's grandfather was also a footballer and manager, and also named Pál Dárdai. It was revealed by Nemzeti Sport, that Dárdai brothers (Márton and Bence) could be the first brothers who play for the national team at the same time after the Vince brothers ( Ottó and Gábor).

Career statistics

Club

;Notes

International

Honours

Germany U17 *

UEFA European Under-17 Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-17, is an annual Association football, football competition contested by the men's under-17 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain national under-17 football team, ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dardai, Bence 2006 births Living people Footballers from Berlin Hungarian men's footballers Hungary men's international footballers German men's footballers Germany men's youth international footballers German people of Hungarian descent Sportspeople of Hungarian descent Men's association football midfielders 2. Bundesliga players Regionalliga players Hertha BSC players Hertha BSC II players VfL Wolfsburg players 21st-century German sportsmen 21st-century Hungarian sportsmen