Zoltán Balog (footballer)

Zoltán Balog
Personal information
Full name Zoltán Balog
Date of birth (1978-02-22) 22 February 1978
Place of birth Békés, Hungary
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1998 Békéscsaba 68 (0)
1998 Royal Antwerp 3 (0)
1999 BVSC 12 (0)
1999–2000 Cegléd 29 (4)
2000–2007 Ferencváros 124 (2)
2007–2008 Viborg 15 (0)
2008–2012 Ferencváros 84 (1)
2012–2015 Gyirmót 65 (2)
International career
1996–1997 Hungary U19 7 (0)
2004–2006 Hungary 6 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 August 2015

Zoltán Balog (born 22 February 1978) is a Hungarian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Career

In Békéscsaba

He started playing football at Békéscsabai Előre FC, the purple-white club from Viharsarki was his parent club. He also played his first NB I match there in 1994, when the team from Csaba was in very good places (1-3rd) in the table. He was a key player for the Purples until 1998, when Előre was relegated from the top division due to financial difficulties, and Balog was relegated.

Intervening years

He joined Royal Antwerp FC in Belgium, but played few games there, so he left after a year, returning to Hungary to join BVSC. He left after a short time, and went to Cegléd the following season. Here, of course, he played in many games and scored 4 goals as a defender.

In Ferencváros

He was signed by FTC in 2000, and became a stable regular here as time went on. He stayed with the green-whites for a long time, despite financial problems, he only signed in 2007. He played most of his matches for Fradi, scoring two goals and wearing the captain's armband for a few matches. Leaving FTC, he signed for Viborg for one season. He then returned to the green-whites and helped the club return to NB I in the 2008-2009 championship season. He was also a key player for his team in the 2009-10 NB I season. In the summer of 2012, the Ferencváros management did not extend his contract.

National team

Balog made his debut on 31 May 2005, in Metz against France.