The coaching change at Ferencvárosi Labdarúgó Egyesület happened in the blink of an eye. Although many were surprised that he left ETO FC immediately after winning the league title, Balázs Borbély had actually wanted to join Fradi for a long time, and by now his signing has proven to be a logical move for the team, despite the fact that they had previously avoided hiring Hungarian coaches.
An adventurous journey led to the Ferencváros bench
Balázs Borbély is by no means a stranger to the club; born in Dunaszerdahely, he gradually built his coaching career after retiring as a player. In 2015, he took a job with his hometown team, specifically the FC DAC B team, and then headed to Petrzalka. Following his positive coaching results at the Slovak club, he signed a contract with Ferencváros, where he worked from 2017 to 2022. He started in the youth system, where he managed the U17 and U19 teams, and later proved himself at the helm of the NB III squad.
Meanwhile, at FTC, he also played a role in scouting players for the first team, so his work was highly valued. However, at a club like Fradi, opportunities for advancement are limited, which is why he left the club for DAC. Despite the fact that his former teammate and friend, Tamás Hajnal, helped him join the 36-time Hungarian champions and likely played a significant role in bringing their coach back. There had been hints of this earlier, for example in the interview published on May 20, which he gave to Judit Berkesi on M4 Sport’s “Sportemberek” podcast. “It was very hard to say goodbye to the Ferencváros; when Tomi and I went out for lunch for the last time, we even shed some tears. I saw a little disappointment, a little anger, and some pain in his eyes, but maybe things will turn out so that we’ll work together again in the future,” he said at the time, while still coaching ETO.
The man behind the winning moves
He spent two years as an assistant coach at DAC, then received his first truly significant assignment in Győr. At first, it seemed he might fail, but in the end, he wrote a success story. After ETO’s 2015 relegation, the team fought its way up from the third division at great cost, but under Borbély’s leadership, they managed to secure their place in the top flight from the second division. However, this promotion was not yet certain when he was given the opportunity to coach Győr for the final five matches of the 2023/2024 season. He immediately proved his abilities, as the team won all of its remaining matches.
Later, their run in the top division, however, did not get off to a brilliant start. This was partly due to the fact that ETO was undergoing a transformation on multiple fronts, including the roster. Here again, Borbély deserves credit for sticking with it and getting the team back on track, and the team began to show more initiative and better play on the field. This paid off, as they finished the 2024/2025 season in fourth place, earning a spot in the Conference League qualifiers. In the end, they just missed out on the main draw, and this foreshadowed future events. ETO FC actually won the Fizz League last season with an outstanding performance, ending Ferencváros’s dominance of the Hungarian league that had lasted since 2019. Balázs Borbély ultimately signed with the runners-up, however.
The move was likely always part of the plan
There are numerous strong indications that the 46-year-old coach actually always envisioned his future at Fradi. Although he was always able to steer the ETO team in a positive direction and ultimately led them to the league title, meanwhile the Fradi head coach unexpectedly resigned at the end of the season. Robbie Keane’s departure opened up new negotiation opportunities for Balázs Borbély. His relationship with Tamás Hajnal almost certainly confirmed this, but several of his earlier statements also suggest that he actually has strong ties to Ferencváros.
“It fills me with joy that there is a restaurant where parents and family members can also come in, so everyone becomes part of the Fradi family. I’ve never felt such a sense of belonging as I do there” – the Ulloi129 portal quoted him in a Facebook post, and this was just one of many things he said while he was still coaching in Győr. “As soon as I stepped into the training centre in Népliget, I felt that I was in the right place, that I had come home. I see some new things, some renovated fields, areas, and locker rooms, but the atmosphere and vibe are the same as before,” he told a FradiMedia reporter on June 1, already as a member of FTC.
It’s not hard to piece the picture together. Ferencváros has a rich history; it currently boasts one of Hungary’s largest and strongest infrastructures, and although they’ve changed coaches frequently, they’ve qualified for the main draw of a European cup competition every year since 2019. No other Hungarian team can say the same, not to mention the financial resources at their disposal.
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Hungarian coaches and FTC: A rare combination
We have to go back a very long way in time to find a Hungarian coach who not only led the team on an interim basis but also had a permanent contract. The last such coach was Lajos Détári during the 2011–2012 season, with whom the team was not exactly successful. Although the team won a bronze medal in 2011 under László Prunkner, a year later, under Détári, who replaced him, they finished in 11th place. At the start of the following season, a loss to Újpest sealed his fate in the position, and from then on, only foreign coaches were brought in.
Of course, this was partly due to the fact that under Gábor Kubatov’s presidency, the club wanted to sign a coach who was of a higher calibre than the team itself—a point the club president emphasised repeatedly over the years. Moreover, the team’s continuous development was accompanied by international successes. This put the team in a different light and, of course, made it even more attractive to professionals. Since then, we’ve only seen Hungarian head coaches on the bench for short stints. In 2023, Csaba Máté was given a chance as interim coach, and under his leadership, Ferencváros qualified for the Conference League group stage. However, he was replaced relatively quickly by Dejan Stankovic, who ultimately decided to leave after just one season despite the successes, so until Pascal Jansen’s arrival, Leandro—who is a Hungarian citizen—briefly filled the interim coaching role.
There have been previous instances of FTC winning the league with a Hungarian coach; most recently, Attila Pintér achieved this in the spring of 2004. In many ways, an era has come to a close at the club, but according to official statements, there was never any question as to whom they wanted to sign as Robbie Keane’s successor. “When it came to who could be Robbie’s successor, who we wanted to envision the future with, it was clear within the club and among the leadership that Balázs Borbély would be the right person for the job” – said Tamás Hajnal on the day of the announcement. And Borbély isn’t sitting idle: it has since come to light that he already has a vision for the style he wants his team to play, and according to reports, the planned summer training camp has been moved up. Instead of June 11, he will hold his first training session on June 8.
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Author: Tamás Szikora
