AC Milan’s opponents Ferencvaros are one of a few teams to have a perfect record in the Europa League, and their story is a fascinating one.

Ferencváros arrive at San Siro having won all three of their league phase games thus far. In addition to that, they are 20 unbeaten across all competitions and they will go top of their domestic league if they win their game in hand. La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) share some insight on the Hungarians.

Salaries

Gonçalo Ramos’s gross salary €12.8m (€7m net including bonuses) is equivalent to the entire wage bill of Ferencváros. The combined salaries of the Hungarian club’s players total €11m.

Their highest earner is Naby Keïta, who accepted a contract worth just over €1.2m gross per season, seeking a career resurgence at the club with the largest payroll in the Hungarian league.

The Serbian midfielder Birmančević – formerly of Sparta Prague and Getafe, who arrived last summer – earns a slightly lower salary. Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Zachariassen earns around €700k and has scored three goals so far, as has Alphadjo Cissé.

In terms of wages, therefore, there is simply no comparison between the Rossoneri and Ferencváros. Yet, the Hungarians have won every match, while Milan have only three points. All the more reason not to take them lightly.

Ultra turned board member

Gabor Kubatov has been on the board of Ferencváros since 2010, becoming president a year later. Under his leadership, the club has won eight Hungarian league titles. His personal history is quite unique: as a young man, he was a regular in ‘Sector 2’ – the section occupied by the ultras.

He later changed paths, and in 2006, he became a member of parliament, representing Fidesz, the party of Viktor Orbán. Despite his own background in the stands, his relationship with the Ferencváros ultras has not always been smooth.

In 2014, in an effort to combat violence and incidents of racism, Kubatov introduced a biometric identification system for stadium entry. A segment of the most ardent supporters responded by boycotting home matches, a protest that lasted for over three years.

An agreement was finally reached and the fans returned to the stands. With their support, Ferencváros went on to win seven consecutive league titles.

A past in Italy

On 10 December 2017, a young Adam Nagy faced Milan while playing for Bologna. It didn’t go well: a 2-1 victory for the Rossoneri. Today, Nagy returns as a far more mature leader of his ‘miracle’ Ferencváros side.

Indeed, a significant portion of the Hungarian midfielder’s career has unfolded in Italy. He spent three years with the Rossoblù from 2016 to 2019 – following his initial breakthrough at Ferencváros – before returning to Italy in 2021 to join Pisa, having previously left to try his hand at Bristol City in England.

His most recent stint was with Spezia, which he departed this summer to return to his homeland. Yesterday, in a press conference, Rúben Amorim spoke very highly of him: “He is very skilled in the initial phase of build-up play.”

His ability to circulate the ball deep in his own half is his greatest strength. Conversely, he rarely ventures into the final third. The proof? Throughout all his years in Italy, he scored only one goal: against Verona in Serie A.

Another familiar face

From the European champions Liverpool to Ferencvaros. Naby Keita – who will start on the bench tonight, hasn’t had the career he hoped for. Liverpool paid €65m to sign him from RB Leipzig in 2018, he won six more trophies in addition to the Champions League with Klopp’s English side.

In 2023, the Guinean midfielder moved to Werder Bremen, where he was left out of the squad after refusing to travel for the trip to Leverkusen because he wouldn’t have been a starter. Since January 2025, he has been at Ferencváros, who acquired him a year later.

Wearing a Liverpool shirt, Keïta has already beaten Milan at San Siro on 7 December 2021, a defeat that contributed to the Diavolo being eliminated in the group stage.

A less pleasant memory for Keïta involves his encounter with Luka Modrić when he came on in the final minutes of the 2022 Champions League final, which Liverpool lost to Real Madrid.