Milos Kerkez (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Керкез, romanized: Miloš Kerkez; born 7 November 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back or left wing-back for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth. Born in Serbia, he plays for the Hungary national team.
.png) Kerkez with Bournemouth in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Milos Kerkez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 7 November 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Vrbas, Serbia and Montenegro[2] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back, left wing-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AFC Bournemouth | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2014 | OFK Vrbas | ||
| 2014–2019 | Rapid Wien | ||
| 2019 | Hódmezővásárhely | ||
| 2019–2020 | Győr | ||
| 2021–2022 | AC Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Győr | 16 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Jong AZ | 9 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | AZ | 33 | (3) |
| 2023– | AFC Bournemouth | 44 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Hungary U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021– | Hungary U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2022– | Hungary | 21 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 December 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 2024 | |||
Club career
editKerkez joined Austrian side Rapid Wien in 2014, and played there until 2019.[3]
Győr
editIn 2020, he was signed by Nemzeti Bajnokság II club Győri ETO FC. In an interview with scoutedftbl.com, Kerkez said that during his period at Győr he decided to become a Hungarian international because he got a lot of help and support from his coaches and teammates in Győr.[4]
AC Milan
editOn 2 February 2021, he was signed by Serie A giant Milan.[5] Paolo Maldini phoned him a couple of days before the end of the transfer season in order to persuade him to join Milan. Kerkez said in an interview with Nemzeti Sport that "You cannot say no when Maldini calls you." As a result, he decided to leave Győr and join Milan. On 17 July 2021, Kerkez played his first match with the senior team in a training match against Pro Sesto 1913.[6] However, he was not given enough opportunity; therefore, he decided to leave AC Milan in 2022.[7]
AZ
editOn 29 January 2022, he was signed by Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar.[8] On 19 May 2022, he played his first match for AZ against SC Heerenveen at the Abe Lenstra Stadion, Heerenveen, the Netherlands. The match ended with a 3-2 win for Heerenveen and Kerkez was substituted in the 77th minute.[9][10] On 14 August 2022, he scored his first goal in the Eredivisie against Sparta Rotterdam at the Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel, Rotterdam in the 2022–23 Eredivisie season. The match was won by AZ 3–2 and Kerkez scored the winning goal in the 77th minute.[11][12] According to Nemzeti Sport, S.L. Benfica showed interest in purchasing him, however, the Portuguese club did not want to pay €20 million for him.[13]
AFC Bournemouth
edit2023–24 season
editOn 20 July 2023, Kerkez was signed by Premier League club AFC Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee.[14][15][16] He impressed the manager against friendlies with Southampton F.C., Atalanta BC, and Lorient; therefore, he was soon included in the starting line-up.[17] On 12 August, he made his debut against West Ham United in a 1–1 home draw on the first matchday of the 2023–24 Premier League.[18][19] He was sent off against Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. and he had to miss three matches. Although the club appealed against his red card, the FA rejected it.[20][21]
2024–25 season
editHe was voted for the best player of August at Bournemouth.[22] On 3 November 2024, he gave two assists, one to Antione Semenyo and another one to Evanilson, in a 2-1 victory over Manchester City F.C.[23][24] On 30 November 2024, he scored his first goal for Bournemouth in a 4-2 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[25][26] His goal was voted for the best goal in November at Bournemouth.[27]
International career
editKerkez was eligible to play for both the Hungary and Serbia national teams. He represented Hungary at both under-17 and under-21 level, before being called up to the Hungary senior team in June 2022, when he was named on the substitutes bench for a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League match against England.[28] On 23 September 2022, Kerkez made his first appearance for Hungary, playing the full match at left wing-back as the team beat Germany 1–0 in Leipzig.[29]
On 16 November 2023, he received a red card in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Bulgaria.[30] However, his expulsion did not affect negatively the outcome of the match since Hungary qualified for the UEFA Euro 2024. In an interview, Szoboszlai said that Kerkez "was told in three distinct languages not to do anything stupid" during the match against Bulgaria.[31]
On 14 May 2024, Kerkez was named in Hungary's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[32] In Hungary's opening match of the tournament against Switzerland, he played 79 minutes before being substituted for Martin Ádám as the team were beaten 3–1 in Cologne.[33] In doing so, he became the youngest player to make an appearance for Hungary at a UEFA European Championship since Zoltán Varga and Ferenc Bene played in the 1964 third-place play-off.[34] He went on to start against both Germany and Scotland as Hungary finished third in Group A.[35][36]
Personal life
editHe said in an interview, published by Nemzeti Sport, that both his father and his Hungarian grandmother wanted him to choose to represent Hungary.[37]
Kerkez was born in the same town, Vrbas (Verbász in Hungarian) in Serbia, as Hungarian singer Magdi Rúzsa and psychiatrist Imre Csernus.[38] He speaks Serbian, Hungarian, English and German.[39]
Career statistics
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Győr | 2020–21 | NB II | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Milan | 2021–22 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Jong AZ | 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| AZ | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 17[d] | 2 | — | 52 | 5 | |||
| Total | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 57 | 5 | |||
| AFC Bournemouth | 2023–24 | Premier League | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | |||
| Total | 44 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 49 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 102 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 133 | 6 | ||
- ^ Includes Magyar Kupa, KNVB Cup, FA Cup
- ^ Includes EFL Cup
- ^ Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
International
edit- As of match played 10 September 2024[42]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 0 | |
References
edit- ^ "Kerkez Milos" [Milos Kerkez]. MLSZ adatbank (in Hungarian). Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ Milos Kerkez at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Milos Kerkez". oefb.at (in German). Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "An exclusive interview with AZ's Milos Kerkez". Scouted Football. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ I, K. T. (2 February 2021). "Legionnaires: Milan signed on with ETO FC Győr's defender – Photos". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ M, CS (17 July 2021). "Légiósok: Kerkez Milos bemutatkozott, majd duplázott a Milanban – v". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ nemzetisport.hu (22 September 2022). "Válogatott: Már az elején eldöntöttem, hogy a magyar válogatottban". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ D, M. (29 January 2022). "Légiósok: Kerkez Milos a holland élvonalba igazolt – hivatalos – NS". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Heerenveen vs. AZ – 19 May 2022 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ Á, B. (19 May 2022). "Légiósok: Kerkez Milos bemutatkozott a holland élvonalban – NSO". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Sparta Rotterdam vs. AZ – 14 August 2022 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ J, K. Zs , V. (14 August 2022). "Hollandia: Kerkez első gólja győzelmet ért az AZ-nek – NSO". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 26 September 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "Légiósok: Kerkez lájkolta a Benficát, de a klub nem lájkolja a 20 m". nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ nemzetisport.hu (2023). "Légiósok: újabb magyar a PL-ben! Kerkez Milos aláírt a Bournemouthh". nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Bournemouth sign Hungary left-back Kerkez". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Cherries swoop for left-back Kerkez". AFCB. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Kerkez can't wait to achieve Premier League dream". www.afcb.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "AFC Bournemouth vs. West Ham United – 12 August 2023 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Solanke earns Bournemouth point against West Ham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Team news: Kerkez appeal rejected". www.afcb.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Bournemouth will appeal against Kerkez red card - Iraola". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ Media Team. "Kerkez wins August Player of the Month". www.afcb.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "'We couldn't handle Bournemouth' - how Man City's 32-game unbeaten run ended". BBC Sport. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Bournemouth 2-1 Man City: Antoine Semenyo, Evanilson strike as Premier League champions shocked on the south coast". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-4 AFC Bournemouth: Justin Kluivert's hat-trick of penalties helps Bournemouth beat Wolves". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Kerkez óriási gólt lőtt, a Bournemouth két vesztes meccs után újra nyert a Premier League-ben". M4 Sport (in Hungarian). 30 November 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Kerkez Milos gólja olyan szép lett, hogy egy trófeát is kapott mellé! + videó". Kerkez Milos gólja olyan szép lett, hogy egy trófeát is kapott mellé! + videó (in Hungarian). 15 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "England 0-4 Hungary". BBC. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "UEFA EURO 2024: Meet the 24 teams". UEFA. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Bulgaria-Hungary | European Qualifiers 2024". UEFA.com. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Szoboszlai: Milosnak három nyelven is elmondtuk, ne csináljon hülyeséget, erre kiállították". telex (in Hungarian). 18 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Szoboszlai gets shot at Euro glory with Hungary as Rossi names squad". Reuters. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Hungary 1-3 Switzerland LIVE: UEFA Euro 2024 - score, updates & reaction". BBC Sport. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Hungary: All their EURO records and stats". UEFA. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Germany vs Hungary: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Scotland vs Hungary: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ BENCE, BORBOLA (4 October 2022). "Válogatott: Mindig Magyarország volt az első! – Kerkez Milos". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Féktelen kamaszból tizenéves profi – Kerkez Milos villámkarrierje". Féktelen kamaszból tizenéves profi – Kerkez Milos villámkarrierje (in Hungarian). 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ ""Olyan most a magyar válogatott, mint egy nagy család" – interjú Szabó Gergővel, a nemzeti csapat sajtófőnökével". bunteto.com. 1 December 2023.
- ^ Milos Kerkez at Soccerway
- ^ "Statistics". adatbank.mlsz.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "Milos Kerkez". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
External links
edit
- Profile at the AFC Bournemouth website
- Milos Kerkez at Premier League
- Milos Kerkez – UEFA competition record (archive)
