Tomasz Mortimer
The 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt was seen as a turning point for Hungarian football. A third place finish after being defeated by Ghana in the semi-finals was enough to give a large portion of that squad hero status back in their homeland, yet amidst all the promise, two budding stars particularly stood out. Vladimir Koman (then of Sampdoria) and Krisztian Nemeth (then of Liverpool) tore defences apart in North Africa and ended the tournament with five and three goals respectively, with Nemeth notching two in a classic quarter-final against Italy.
Playing as part of a 4-2-3-1, Koman’s job was to be the link between midfield and attack, and the youngster often sat in a classical trequarista role behind lone forward Nemeth. Even though three of Koman’s goals in the Under-20 World Cup came from the penalty spot, his creativity and guile were matched by few, and the Hungarian went on to claim the Silver Ball for his efforts.
By this stage in Koman’s career, he had already made his debut for Sampdoria in Serie A and had just enjoyed a successful loan spell with Avellino in Serie B. Nemeth, in contrast, although impressing in Liverpool’s reserves, had not had a look in for the first team and his only senior experience in England was a disastrous loan stint at Blackpool, where on his debut, the forward collided with a Queens Park Rangers defender and fractured his cheekbone. However Nemeth, like Koman, was seen as having a bright future at Anfield. Indeed the pair, while just 20 years old, caused Hungary to look forward to dining out on the starlets’ brilliance for years to come.
Three years later though, life could not be more different for the two ‘saviours of Hungarian football’.
Last month Nemeth inked a deal with Dutch Eredivisie side RKC Waalwijk after a torrid time in Greece; the striker had left Liverpool in 2009, initially on loan. And Koman now plies his trade with fallen French giants AS Monaco in Ligue 2.
Nemeth struggled to live up to the expectations placed on his shoulders at Anfield and this, combined with injuries and cost-cutting at the Merseyside giants, held back the Hungarian’s progress. Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, a keen admirer of the striker’s talent, was never slow to praise the Magyar. “Nemeth is a great finisher. He has scored a lot of goals in the reserve team and today he showed why”, said the Spaniard after a 5-0 friendly win over Singapore in 2009.
The starlet’s impressive pre-season form alerted teams across Europe to his talent and it was AEK Athens who swooped in for the then 20-year-old and took him to the Greek capital on a season-long loan deal. Again Nemeth suffered from an injury curse, but his spell was largely seen as a success, with 19 games played, three goals scored and a raft of chances created.
A changed picture awaited the youngster at Anfield however. Benitez, the man who had brought Nemeth to England, had exited the club in June, with Englishman Roy Hodgson named as his replacement. Hodgson’s troubled six-month reign at Liverpool may have split opinion, but the former Fulham boss was not blamed for calling time on the talented Magyar’s Reds career. Nemeth’s progress had, while continuing, certainly stuttered due to injuries and, when Greek giants Olympiacos offered the then cash-strapped Premier League outfit €1.3M for the Hungarian’s services, Hodgson had little option but to sell.
Unfortunately for Nemeth, a second stint in Greece did not bring the joys of those first twelve months with the Yellow Blacks. With Olympiacos, the Hungarian managed just three Super League appearances and was soon shipped off to lowly Olympiacos Volos for the remainder of the 2010/11 campaign. Injuries again blighted Nemeth and, coupled with poor form when on the pitch, saw the former Liverpool man limited to only 10 games, mostly from the bench, with just one goal to show for his efforts.
As the current campaign approached, Nemeth terminated his contract with Olympiacos and was left without a club from September to November. Luckily for the forlorn striker, employment was to be found again at his first club, Hungarian second division side MTK Budapest. Nemeth clocked up three appearances, scoring twice, before landing at RKC Waalwijk.
Since joining the Dutch club Nemeth has started every game for which he has been available, hitting back at his critics by putting in a series of impressive displays, even if the net has not been found yet. Even though his form appears to be coming back, fortune has not been on the Hungarian’s side as superb goalkeeping and a stunning goal-line clearance deprived him from opening his Eredivisie account. Nevertheless, the former Liverpool man is playing with a smile on his face, winning fans in Waalwijk with an off-the-pitch charm offensive that included cake tasting with RKC employees.
Vladimir Koman might not have seen his star fall quite to the extent of Nemeth’s, but the Hungarian has still been blasted for failing to live up to the promise on show in 2009. After the Under-20 World Cup, Koman enjoyed a successful season with Bari, playing 16 times and scoring twice for the southern Italian club, and being at the forefront of the side’s Serie A survival campaign.
As the 2010/11 season dawned, the Ukrainian-born midfielder was expected to feature heavily for Sampdoria and aid a top four push. The Genoa-based outfit had hit fourth in Serie A the previous season, but defeat to Werder Bremen in the playoff round scuppered group stage hopes and cast an early cloud over the campaign.
In Serie A, both Sampdoria and Koman made a promising start, with Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini leading the line. By October though, the worm had turned – Cassano was excluded from the squad after a heated row with president Riccardo Garrone and the wheels were coming off the Blucerchiati bandwagon. The side plunged down the table, with a Europa League exit sending Sampdoria – and Koman – into meltdown.
Pazzini and Cassano exited, removing forward options for the creative Koman. The Hungarian was soon surplus to requirements as Sampdoria struggled to keep the ship afloat, with the side ultimately relegated and Koman’s dreams of European football in tatters.
Serie B might have provided the midfielder with a launchpad through regular first team football – but Koman could manage just six appearances in the first half of the season, with most of those forays coming from the bench. The Hungarian was even spat on by a Sampdoria fan in a heated training ground bust-up with the Tito Cucchiaroni Ultras.
Koman made no secret of his unhappiness at life in Italy and looked for the exit door. His stock still high, the talented midfielder had options, but it was Monaco, backed by new found Russian oligarch provided wealth, who lured Koman to the south of France last month. Now in Ligue 2, Koman has started to feel his way into French football.
Back in the first team folds at their respective clubs, both Nemeth and Koman have reason to hope for a brighter future. There may yet be time for the Hungarian duo to make good on the flashes of brilliance so clearly on display in 2009. For now though, the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt seems a distant memory.
