| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Szilárd Németh | ||
| Date of birth | August 8, 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Komárno, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| KFC Komárno | |||
| 1992–1994 | Slovan Bratislava | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1997 | Slovan Bratislava | 61 | (25) |
| 1997 | Sparta Prague | 8 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | 1. FC Košice | 37 | (20) |
| 1999–2001 | Inter Bratislava | 58 | (40) |
| 2001–2005 | Middlesbrough | 117 | (28) |
| 2006 | → RC Strasbourg (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2006–2010 | Alemannia Aachen | 77 | (17) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1996–2006 | Slovakia[1] | 59 | (22) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 28, 2010. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Szilárd Németh (born 8 August 1977 in Komárno) is a former Slovakian footballer who was last playing for German club Alemannia Aachen. He usually plays as a striker or right midfielder.
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Németh started his career with Slovan Bratislava before moving to eastern Slovakia to join 1. FC Košice. At both clubs he achieved impressive goalscoring feat, earning a loan move to giants of the region, Czech team Sparta Prague.
From here he moved back to Slovakia with one of the top teams in the country, Inter Bratislava. It was there European club scouts noticed his talents. Amid rumours interest from Inter Milan, he eventually signed for English side Middlesbrough in 2001 for £2.1 million.
His four years at the club saw him score 28 goals in nearly 150 appearances for the club. He became known as the Lizard King of Teesside and Slovakian Express for scoring regularly off the bench. His celebrations were not forgotten at the Riverside Stadium. The striker was part of Middlesbrough's 2004 League Cup wining team and played a major role in Middlesbrough's two UEFA Cup campaigns. During his time on Teeside, he scored in wins over Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
The 2005-06 season saw Németh turn down numerous transfer offers, including UEFA Cup winners CSKA Moscow. Németh suffered an injury against Liverpool after scoring in a 2-1 win, which ruled him out for seven months. Following his return from injury in January 2006 he was loaned to French club RC Strasbourg.
After Strasbourg's relegation from Ligue 1 the club could not afford to sign Németh permanently, so he returned to Middlesbrough. After his contract expired in late August 2006, Németh agreed to join German Bundesliga club Alemannia Aachen.
In 2006, Németh suffered a pulmonary embolism after a thrombosis from a calf injury. The condition was found early, saving his life. He immediately returned to the Aachen squad.
On 19 May 2008, he signed a contract extension with Aachen until the end of the 2009-10 season. In August 2010, he opted to retire from football. He has, however, been linked with clubs in Cyprus, and spoke of how he would like to help Middlesbrough regain promotion to the Premier League after their relegation in 2009.
Németh played a big part in Aachen's 4-1 win against German giants Bayern Munich.
Németh has impressed at international level, scoring twenty-two times in fifty-nine appearances for Slovakia, and is the countries second highest goalscorer of all time, second only to Róbert Vittek.
Németh belongs to the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.[2]
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