Maria Palama: Playing against your former team is always special

Women's football

Published: 08/05/2026, 10:00 AMReading time: 2 min

Our women's team visit MTK Budapest on Saturday in the opening round of the Simple Women's League. Maria Palama played for the blue-and-whites from 2022 to 2025 and will now face her former team for the first time since her injury.

“The summer was really great. We needed the rest, and it felt wonderful to return to the national team because, after my injury, getting back into the squad was important to me. I managed to recharge, so I'm even better prepared for the new season.” – our player began by describing her summer.

Our team began pre-season training on June 29 and played five friendlies over the summer: three wins, one draw and one defeat in preparation for the league season that begins on Saturday. The 25-year-old defender said the team's preparations had been successful and the new signings had brought plenty of positive energy.

“I think pre-season went really well. We improved from match to match and worked incredibly hard. To me, that's the most important thing. Judging by our results against foreign teams, we performed well. As for our new teammates, they've brought lots of positive energy. They're very good footballers, so we can hardly wait for the season to start and to have them alongside us on the pitch.”

Balázs Dörnyei's side open their Simple Women's League campaign against MTK Budapest. Maria Palama played for the blue-and-whites between 2022 and 2025 and will face her former team for the first time since her injury.

“I think playing against your former team is always a special occasion. I spent three years at MTK, so I have a lot of respect for them, and I'm really looking forward to the match. We're very focused, but as a footballer you always have to be ready to play against your former team.”

You can watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.