Football: Hungarian coach to save top German club

Source: Twitter/@HerthaBSC

Former Hungarian ex-football player turned coach Pál Dárdai is to return to the bench of Berlin-based Hertha BSC. This was confirmed on the official website of the sports club on Sunday afternoon.

This will be the third time Dárdai is appointed as head of the team in the last 8 years. He first led the German top club between 2015 and 2019 and was then appointed later again in 2021. Now, his job is clear, but the task is rather hard to tackle. He is to save Hertha from relegation from the German Bundesliga, according to Nemzeti Sport.

Club and national football legend

Dárdai’s history with Hertha Berlin goes back all the way to 1997. He transferred to the club at the age of 21 and spent the rest of his professional career here. With a grand total of 373 matches, he holds the title in the team’s history for most appearances. In addition, Dárdai also debuted countless times on the international stage, playing 61 matches in the colours of the Hungarian national football team.

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After retiring in 2011, he worked as part of the staff for the junior teams at Hertha, before being promoted to head coach of the adult team in 2015. Originally meant as a temporary position, he fulfilled the role until 2019. In these 4 years, the club regularly finished in the first half of the table, even reaching Europa League qualification in 2017.

In 2019, he returned to working with the youth team. However, this did not last long, as in early 2021 they called him back to save the team from relegation to the second league. He managed to achieve this but was sacked regardless after less than a year for unsatisfying performance and his feud with the sports director of the club, Fredi Bobic.

Potential saviour

It looks like the leadership in Berlin expects Dárdai to perform yet another miracle. The outlook is bleak, to say the least. Hertha BSC currently occupies the last place (18^th) on the Bundesliga Table, with only 22 points after 28 matches. With just 6 matches left, the club must reach at least the 15^th spot if they want to avoid relegation.

“Everyone knows what I feel towards Hertha. I didn’t hesitate a second when they called me. We have 6 matches left in the season, possibly 8. I will do everything in my capacity to keep the club in the Bundesliga. It won’t be an easy task, but I am looking forward to the challenge”

– Dárdai proclaimed.

According to him, the management of the club convinced him for hours to take the role. He finally agreed and promised to coach the team until the summer. After that, the future is yet uncertain.