Norbert Gyömbér (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈnɔrberd ˈɟembeːr], Hungarian: [ˈɟømbeːr ˈnorbɛrd] Gyömbér Norbert; born 3 July 1992) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Saudi club Al-Kholood and the Slovakia national team.

Norbert Gyömbér
Gyömbér with Slovakia in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-07-03) 3 July 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Revúca, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre back, Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Al-Kholood
Number 23
Youth career
1997–2006 MFK Revúca
2006–2011 Dukla Banská Bystrica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Dukla Banská Bystrica 44 (0)
2013–2015 Catania 26 (1)
2015–2018 Roma 6 (0)
2016–2017Pescara (loan) 10 (0)
2017Terek Grozny (loan) 7 (0)
2017–2018Bari (loan) 28 (1)
2018–2020 Perugia 54 (1)
2020–2024 Salernitana 115 (0)
2024– Al-Kholood 2 (0)
International career
2011 Slovakia U19 4 (0)
2012–2013 Slovakia U21 9 (0)
2014– Slovakia 41 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:24, 9 September 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:24, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Dukla Banská Bystrica

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Gyömbér with Banská Bystrica in 2012

Born in Revúca,[1] Gyömbér started playing football with club MFK Revúca, before moving to the youth team of Corgoň Liga club FK Dukla Banská Bystrica in 2006.[2] Norbert made his professional debut with Dukla Banská Bystrica on 1 October 2011 in a league match against MFK Ružomberok.[3] On 25 May 2012, Gyömbér was voted by Dukla Banská Bystrica's fans as player of the season, despite starting in just 18 league matches.[4] He was also named Revelation of the 2011–12 Corgoň Liga's season in July 2012, after his successful first season with FK Dukla Banská Bystrica.[5]

Catania

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Calcio Catania officially agreed to the permanent transfer of midfielder Norbert Gyömbér from Dukla Banská Bystrica during the 2013 January transfer window, but the transfer was not officially be completed until 1 July 2013. The 20-year-old footballer signed a 4.5-year contract at the Stadio Angelo Massimino, but finished the 2012–13 season with the top-flight Slovakian side.[citation needed]

Roma

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On 18 August 2015, Gyömbér joined Roma on a one-year loan,[6] in which the signing was made permanent on 21 June 2016 for €1.5 million.[7]

Pescara

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On 15 August 2016, Gyömbér joined Pescara on a season-long loan.[8] He first appeared in a Cup match against Frosinone in August, however, after only 5 games, he fractured his tibula in a 49th minute of a match against Lazio in September.[citation needed]

Although between December 2016 and February 2017 he appeared in 6 of Pescara's 10 matches (out of 2 due to a minor injury), rumours have surfaced about disagreements with some of his teammates and consequently, he was removed from the squad by club's disciplinary action in mid-February.[9] However, according to Gyömbér, this rumour was "not true at all" and the real cause were disagreements with the coach of Pescara at the time, Massimo Oddo, who shortly after replaced by Zdeněk Zeman after a series of unsuccessful results, which Gyömbér claims to be one of the reasons for tensions. He revealed these claims in an interview on 21 March 2017, in a national team camp in Senec, Slovakia, prior to the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Malta.[10]

Terek Grozny

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On 16 February 2017, he joined the Russian Premier League club FC Terek Grozny on loan until the end of 2016–17 season.[11][better source needed]

Perugia

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On 14 August 2018, he signed a three-year contract with Serie B club Perugia.[12]

Salernitana

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On 12 September 2020, he joined Salernitana on a three-year contract.[13] He left Salernitana on 1 July 2024 by mutual consent.[14]

International career

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On 5 March 2014, Gyömbér debuted for the Slovak senior squad of the in a friendly match against Israel.[15] He was selected in Slovakia's squad for UEFA Euro 2016 and made his first appearance at the tournament as a substitute for Viktor Pečovský in the team's final Group B match – a 0–0 draw with England.[16] In Slovakia's round of 16 loss against Germany, he started at left-back and played 84 minutes before being substituted for Kornel Saláta.[17]

After the arrival of the Czech native Pavel Hapal, Gyömbér lost his spot in the national team as early as November 2018, failing to regain it in March 2019.[18] He managed to make a national team comeback in October 2019 for a qualifier against Wales, when it was required to fill the role of a second centre back, as Denis Vavro had suffered a yellow card suspension.[19] He played for the national team after over a year and his gameplay was seen generally positively, mainly for his uncompromising play, as he was tackled angrily on numerous occasions. However, his gameplay caused him to be sanctioned with two yellow cards.[20]

In 2021 and 2022, Gyömbér only appeared in the national team on two occasions in the unsuccessful UEFA Nations League campaign. After the arrival of Francesco Calzona, Gyömbér was first nominated in March 2023 to kick-off UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying short after a three-month injury-caused absence from club football.[21]

Gyömbér was a member of Slovakia's squad for UEFA Euro 2024, making substitute appearances against Romania in the group stage and England in the round of 16.[22]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 25 May 2024[23]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dukla Banská 2011–12 Slovak Super Liga 18 0 3 0 21 0
2012–13 Slovak Super Liga 26 0 3 0 29 0
Total 44 0 6 0 50 0
Catania 2013–14 Serie A 18 1 1 0 19 1
2014–15 Serie B 8 0 1 0 9 0
2015–16 Lega Pro 0 0 1 0 1 0
Total 26 1 3 0 29 1
Roma 2015–16 Serie A 6 0 0 0 6 0
Pescara (loan) 2016–17 Serie A 10 0 2 0 12 0
Terek Grozny (loan) 2016–17 Russian Premier League 7 0 0 0 7 0
Bari (loan) 2017–18 Serie B 29 1 0 0 29 1
Perugia 2018–19 Serie B 31 1 0 0 31 1
2019–20 Serie B 26 0 4 0 30 0
Total 57 1 4 0 61 1
Salernitana 2020–21 Serie B 35 0 2 0 37 0
2021–22 Serie A 31 0 2 0 33 0
2022–23 Serie A 27 0 1 0 28 0
2023–24 Serie A 22 0 3 0 25 0
Total 115 0 8 0 123 0
Career total 293 3 23 0 316 3

Personal life

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Gyömbér belongs to the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.[24]

Honours

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Slovakia

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Norbert Gyömbér". Ifotbal (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Norbert Gyömbér". Talenty Info (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Ružomberok vs. Dukla 2 - 0". Soccerway. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Výsledky: Takto vyzerá ideálna jedenástka sezóny podľa vás". Dukla Banska Bystrica (in Slovak). 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Karhan najlepším hráčom Corgoň ligy 2011/2012". Profutbal (in Slovak). 6 July 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Gyömbér bude hrat Za AS Rím: Je to moja vel'ká šanca - Profutbal.sk | Serie B". Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Roma complete signing of Norbert Gyomber". AS Roma. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Norbert Gyomber (Roma) prêté à Pescara". L'Equipe (in French). 15 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Slovenský futbalista Norbert Gyömbér mení dres". Markíza (in Slovak). 13 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Video: Norbert Gyömbér vyšiel s pravdou von: Mal konflikt s trénerom".
  11. ^ "Norbert Gyömbér joins Terek on loan". FC Terek Grozny. 16 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Gyömbér è del Perugia!" (in Italian). Perugia. 14 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Norbert Gyomber è un giocatore della Salernitana" (Press release) (in Italian). Salernitana. 12 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Risoluzione contrattuale per Norbert Gyomber" [Contract termination for Norbert Gyomber] (in Italian). Salernitana. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Kozákov reprezentačný objav sa volá Gyömbér". Sme (in Slovak). 5 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Slovakia vs England: Euro 2016 live". The Guardian. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Germany vs Slovakia: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Nominácia Hapala na Ukrajinu a Česko aj so Stochom, Zreľákom i Vavrom". Košice Online (in Slovak). Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Slovákov čaká kľúčový zápas o postup proti Walesu, Hapal zverejnil nomináciu!". Profutbal (in Slovak). Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Dohrávali v oslabení. Slovenskí futbalisti získali dôležitý bod, remizovali s Walesom". Sme (in Slovak). Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  21. ^ Šurin, Peter. "Muži A – Premiérové nominácie od Calzonu pre Maka, Polievku a Vavra". Slovak Football Association (in Slovak). Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  22. ^ "Norbert Gyömbér - Matches". UEFA. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  23. ^ Norbert Gyömbér at Soccerway
  24. ^ Ondik, Gabór (7 June 2022). "Nemzetek Ligája: Kínos vereség, hazai pályán kaptak ki a szlovákok Kazahsztántól" [Nations League: embarrassing defeat for Slovakia at home to Kazakhstan]. MA7. Retrieved 12 September 2022. a válogatott másik felvidéki magyar játékosa, Gyömbér Norbert is a kezdőben találta magát [another Hungarian player from the Upland, Norbert Gyömbér, also found himself in the starting line-up]
  25. ^ "Thailand vs. Slovakia - Football Match Line-Ups - March 25, 2018 - ESPN".
  26. ^ "Slovakia beat Thailand 3-2, win King's Cup". Bangkok Post. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
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