“They always prove they have even more in them than I think” – a new challenge awaits our U14 team

Richárd Takács's team began their campaign in the U14 top-flight league in the 2026–2027 season, where they remain undefeated after five rounds with three wins and two draws. This comes as no surprise, as our youngsters closed the summer pre-season in fantastic form and tuned up for the campaign with promising results. In August, our academy players travelled to the Netherlands, specifically to 's-Gravenzande, where they proved they could hold their own against the elite at the Greenport youth tournament featuring the cream of international competition. Our U14s claimed the champion's trophy after edging out Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Nottingham Forest, and AZ Alkmaar. Alongside the team success, there was also individual recognition, as Ábel Tóbiás was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

“We didn't expect this result beforehand either, because we knew we would be facing teams that, in many respects, are perhaps ahead of us. Based on the experience of previous years, we also knew we would encounter physical challenges and an intensity we are not accustomed to. Nevertheless, the boys naturally had that continuous drive to win. I think a big factor was that over the past six months we were able to take part in many tournaments where we had the chance to play against genuinely high-level teams on multiple occasions,” summarized our head coach. 

And indeed… Our academy players stepped onto the pitch with tremendous motivation and determination to show what they are capable of at a tournament where they could measure their skills against the best teams in their age group.

“We wanted to play good matches, as we were up against big teams. We wanted to give it our all and show foreign top academies and their scouts that, as Hungarians, we are capable of achieving our goals and that we play with heart,” recalled our U14 captain, Csanád Babos. 

Our age group finished the group stage with five wins and two draws to advance to the final four. In the semi-finals, they secured a convincing 3–0 victory over Club Brugge, and in the final, after a goalless draw in regular time, they defeated Anderlecht in a penalty shootout. Our head coach also shared the parting words he gave to his team before the final.

“When I look at them, I always tell them that I feel at ease whenever the stakes get higher, because I know what they are capable of. I told them that I already hold them in very high regard, but every time they prove they have even more in them than what I think. So I simply asked them to show once more during the tournament what they are truly made of. They went out onto the pitch and did exactly that.”

You can watch the full interview on our official YouTube channel: