# László Bénes

László Bénes (born 9 September 1997) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Union Berlin and the Slovakia national team.

## Early life

Bénes was born in Dunajská Streda (a predominantly ethnic Hungarian town) in Slovakia to an ethnic Hungarian family. He has a younger brother named Krisztián, who plays football on an amateur level in Slovak lower divisions.

## Club career

Bénes first began with GBS Šamorín in 2007, before moving to DAC Dunajská Streda. He left DAC Dunajská Streda in 2011 to play for Hungarian team ETO Győr. He made one senior appearance for the club, a 2-0 win over Budapest Honvéd on 6 December 2014. He was offered a new contract by ETO Győr in 2015, but rejected it as his release clause was too high, so on 6 February 2015, Bénes signed a three-year deal with Fortuna Liga side MŠK Žilina.
On 1 July 2016, he joined Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach.
On 28 January 2019, Bénes moved to 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel for the second half of the season. He debuted in an away match against 1. FC Heidenheim, coming on as a substitute for Jonas Meffert in the 68th minute of the match.
On 1 February 2021, Bénes moved to Bundesliga club FC Augsburg, on a loan deal until the end of the season.
On 21 June 2022, Bénes signed a four-year contract with Hamburger SV.
Whilst representing Slovakia at UEFA Euro 2024, it was announced that Bénes had signed with Union Berlin. The transfer took place after a series of equivalent rumours, with the media-estimated transfer fee at about €5 million.

## International career

Bénes made his international debut as a substitute to Ondrej Duda in the 89th minute of the 2–1 victory against Lithuania. Due to number of prolonged injuries and low playing time in Mönchengladbach, Bénes made no further appearances in the national team under Kozák, who resigned in October 2018.
On 28 May 2019, coach Pavel Hapal called him up for a double fixture in June - a home friendly match against Jordan. Subsequently, the core of the U21 squad became known as Hapal's children, including Bénes.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 2 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Europe | Europe | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Győr | 2014–15 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Žilina | 2014–15 | Slovak First League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 8 | 0 |
| Žilina | 2015–16 | Slovak First League | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| Žilina | Total | Total | 31 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 2 |
| Žilina II | 2014–15 | Slovak 2. Liga | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | Total | Total | 53 | 1 | 6 | 1 | – | – | 6 | 0 | 65 | 2 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach II | 2016–17 | Regionalliga West | 13 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 1 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach II | 2017–18 | Regionalliga West | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach II | 2018–19 | Regionalliga West | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach II | Total | Total | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Holstein Kiel (loan) | 2018–19 | 2. Bundesliga | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 16 | 2 |
| FC Augsburg (loan) | 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 12 | 1 |
| Hamburger SV | 2022–23 | 2. Bundesliga | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 34 | 6 |
| Hamburger SV | 2023–24 | 2. Bundesliga | 27 | 13 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 30 | 13 |
| Hamburger SV | Total | Total | 60 | 19 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 64 | 19 |
| Union Berlin | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 18 | 1 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 210 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 244 | 28 |

### International

    As of match played 8 September2024
    Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bénes goal.
List of international goals scored by László Bénes :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 1 June 2021 | Keine Sorgen Arena, Ried im Innkreis, Austria | Bulgaria | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 10 June 2024 | Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia | Wales | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |