Sports
Callum Styles' unlikely path to Euro 2024 with Hungary… via Barnsley
Sitting down for a routine pre-match interview with the in-house media team at Barnsley a few years back, Callum Styles decided there was something he was going to drop into conversation.
It was, in the football reporter’s lexicon, a come-and-get-me plea.
But this one, in October 2020, was different. Rather than fluttering his eyelashes at suitors in the transfer market, Styles, a promising young English midfielder, wanted to make it known that he was eligible to play international football for Hungary or Ukraine — “just putting it out there,” he recalls to The Athletic, “and hoping something comes of it”.
For weeks, nothing did. “And then… you know how everything spreads these days with social media?” he says. “That’s basically how it was. It caught fire.”
The story was picked up by a sports website in Budapest. The Hungarian FA got in touch with Barnsley and was put in contact with Styles’ agent, who verified the story and gave more details of the player’s ancestry. Hungary started to monitor him — remotely at first, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions — and then, suitably impressed, started to explore further.
Styles imagined the first step would be a call-up to Hungary’s under-21s. But once the various administrative hurdles were cleared, he was drafted straight into the senior squad, making his international debut against Serbia in Budapest in March 2022. Three months later, he was part of a Hungary team that thrashed England 4-0 in the Nations League — “a unique moment where you kind of have to pinch yourself afterwards and be like, ‘Wow, did that actually happen?’.”
Callum Styles vies with Conor Gallagher during Hungary’s win at Molineux (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Now 24, having spent the past season on loan to Sunderland, he has 22 caps for Hungary. Everything, he said, has worked out very nicely. He is firmly in contention to start their opening game against Switzerland in Cologne on Saturday, having overcome an injury scare in their final warm-up against Israel last Saturday (a 3-0 win).
He loves playing for Hungary. He cannot wait for the Euros. But he is not going to pretend he grew up eating goulash and listening to tales of Ferenc Puskas while Franz Liszt’s rhapsodies played in the background.
On the contrary, he grew up without knowing about any links to the country he is now proud to represent.
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Growing up in Middleton, Greater Manchester, Styles was aware that his mother’s parents, Jan and Magdolna, had originally been from somewhere in Eastern Europe. But he didn’t know where.
“As a kid, I didn’t really look at any of that,” he says. “I was just playing and enjoying life. You’re playing with your toys or you’re out with your friends. None of those conversations really happened until later.
“I always used to go round to my nan’s house because she only lived around the corner from my mum and dad. I would go around twice a week and she would always be cooking a chicken noodle soup. But she passed away when I was just at the end of primary school.”
He was a professional footballer in his late teens, making a strong impression in Barnsley’s first team, by the time he started to find out more about how Jan and Magdolna had moved to the UK from Ukraine and Hungary respectively “in their early twenties”. Details of Jan’s past in Ukraine were sketchy — “we couldn’t find his old passport” — but more was known of Magdolna.
Styles and his girlfriend wanted to visit Hungary during the international break in March 2020. But that plan was scuppered by the pandemic. By the time he finally made it to Budapest two years later, his first time on Hungarian soil, it was to join up with the national team.
It was daunting at first, particularly since he could not speak a word of Hungarian (something he has since begun to rectify on Duolingo). But his new team-mates welcomed him from the start. They didn’t expect him to know the national anthem — he can sing it now — but were impressed when, during an initiation ceremony, he performed Candy Shop by 50 Cent.
He wasn’t the only player in the squad who had qualified via dual nationality; Hertha Berlin winger Palko Dardai was born in Germany, as the son of former Hungary international Pal Dardai, who played for and coached Hertha); RB Leipzig defender Willi Orban was born in Germany but had a Hungarian father; Le Havre full-back Loic Nego played for his native France from under-16 to under-20 level but became a Hungarian citizen after more than five years playing there; and Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez was born in Serbia but, like Styles, had a Hungarian grandmother.
“And our manager (Marco Rossi) is Italian,” Styles says. “He explained to me about the welcome he received even though he wasn’t Hungarian or having Hungarian roots. And a lot of the meetings are in English, which helped me a lot. The lads talk to me and they’re really welcoming.
“But just going to the country for the first time was a beautiful experience. Making my debut made it even better. Settling in was a lot easier than I thought it might be. I felt at home straight away.”
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For much of the recent past, a player discovering he was eligible to play for Hungary would still have had little or no chance of competing in a major tournament.
One of the giants of world football in the ‘Magical Magyars’ period of the 1950s and 1960s, Hungary’s appearance at the 1986 World Cup was their last in a major tournament for three decades.
But this will be their third consecutive European Championship. Qualification has been made easier by the competition’s expansion to 24 teams, but Hungary’s upturn in performance is undeniable. They won their qualifying group without losing a game. In total, they had gone 14 matches without defeat until they were beaten 2-1 by the Republic of Ireland in their penultimate warm-up game.
When UEFA launched its Nations League competition in 2018, Hungary were in the third tier with, among others, Estonia and Lithuania. In the most recent campaign, they finished second in a first-tier group, winning away to Germany (1-0) and beating England home (1-0) and away (4-0). Qualification for the Euros was secured with a stoppage-time equaliser in Bulgaria. They flew back to Budapest, headed into the city centre and partied all night — players and supporters alike. “Crazy,” Styles recalled.
“We’ve been doing so well as a team, improving game by game, year by year,” he says. “When we beat England, it was a bit like, ‘Wow’. The manager (Rossi) has changed a lot. There’s been a lot of progression since he started. I feel like we’re a good team.”
The team’s star is Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. “He’s a world-class player, a leader,” Styles says. “In the camp, he’s quite chilled. But on the pitch, he brings that extra percentage, that X factor that you sometimes need when it’s a bit stale in the game and you need someone to create some magic and force a 1-0 win or whatever.
“But we’re a team. We’re not going to get carried away, but we should be quietly confident because we’ve shown we can go up against the top teams. Obviously, with the pressure of the Euros, those games can swing either way, but we’ve got a really good team. Hopefully we can progress.”
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Styles will be in the shop window in Germany, looking to build on a positive loan spell at Sunderland by securing a permanent transfer from Barnsley — who lost to Bolton Wanderers in the League One play-off semi-finals — this summer.
He enjoyed his time at Sunderland but is unsure of their plans as they are yet to appoint a new manager. If not Sunderland, then he hopes to be back in the Championship with another club.
Callum Styles spent last season at Sunderland but his long-term future is uncertain (George Wood/Getty Images)
But club aspirations are on hold. “International football is what I’m focusing on: the Euros and doing my best for Hungary,” he says. “The rest will take care of itself.”
His parents, his girlfriend and several friends will also be travelling out to Germany. Are they all learning the national anthem? “They already know it,” he says. “We’ve been singing it.”
One of his aunts, who lives in Hungary, has been to some of the home matches but he is unsure whether she will be able to get to Germany. He hopes so. Either way, Styles is looking forward to the experience — on a deeper personal level as well as professionally.
A flag of convenience? Initially perhaps, but he has embraced his second nationality. When he pulls on the Hungary shirt, he thinks of his grandmother and wonders what she would have thought of him wearing her country’s colours.
“It’s special for my mum’s side of the family to see me representing our bloodline,” he says. “It’s an honour to play for Hungary. It’s in my DNA.”
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The Washington Commanders are bringing in reinforcements to their defensive line.
The team reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with star edge rusher Von Miller. He posted an automated image of himself wearing a Commanders jersey to social media
Miller captioned the post, “DC… What’s good?”
Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller against the Chiefs during the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Miller, 36, is the NFL’s active sack leader with 129.5 career sacks. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft had six sacks in 13 games last season with the Buffalo Bills in a rotational role.
Miller was cut by the Bills just three seasons into a six-year deal reportedly worth $120 million. In his first season with the Bills, Miller had eight sacks in 11 games before he tore his ACL on Thanksgiving Day in 2022, which ended his season.
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson scrambles as Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller rushes toward him at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Jan. 19, 2025. (IMAGN)
The three-time All-Pro was activated in October of the following season, but was a non-factor as he did not have a single sack in 12 games played in the 2023 season.
Despite not being the vaunted pass-rusher he once was, Miller will provide a boost to the Commanders’ pass rush. The eight-time Pro Bowler will join Dorance Armstrong, Deatrich Wise Jr., and Jacob Martin as the pass rushers.
Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller rushes towards Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix during the wild-card game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 12, 2025. (IMAGN)
The Commanders have had an active offseason after they won 12 games and made it to the NFC Championship Game with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at the helm.
The team went out and acquired star left tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Houston Texans and star wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers. The two moves come with Daniels in mind, as they provide him with more stability on the offensive line and another weapon at wide receiver.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
It was a summer day in June, but Daiyan Henley was dressed for a prime-time moment. Fitted with long socks, white pants and a sleeve on his elbow, the Chargers linebacker’s practice jersey was complete with game-ready lightning bolts on each shoulder.
Other team’s practice jerseys are plain. They’re looser. They’re more breathable.
“But this is us,” Henley said, running his fingertips over his crisp blue jersey. “This is clean.”
“This,” he added, “is the Harbaugh way.”
Entering his second season at the helm as training camp begins Thursday, Jim Harbaugh is firmly woven into the fabric of the Chargers organization. The coach responsible for the franchise’s best single-season turnaround in 20 years was the mastermind behind the team’s new practice jersey patches. Already outfitted with their elevated practice jerseys, players now wear their biggest accomplishments on their chest with patches that celebrate personal victories while pushing for collective success.
The patches represent eight accomplishments: Playoff wins, Chargers records, NFL records, All-Pro seasons, seasons as a team captain, Walter Payton Man of the Year, the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award, and the block of granite award determined by the Chargers strength and conditioning staff.
Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. talks about the patches on his practice jersey during a news conference in June.
(Michael Gonzalez / Los Angeles Chargers)
The only player who has at least one of each is Derwin James Jr.
The four-time team captain’s right chest is plastered with three playoff appearances, three Chargers records, three NFL records, two nominations for man of the year, four All-Pro honors and one each of the courage and block of granite awards. He wants to collect enough patches to reach down to his ribs.
“At the end of the day, we’re all professionals, this is a professional league, but [the patches] kind of keep us connected and get a little bragging rights in the locker room,” James said. “Guys want to compete for their jersey to look like that too.”
At Michigan, Harbaugh used helmet stickers to symbolize each player’s accomplishments. The jersey patches remind the coach of the stripes on a general’s uniform.
“Some day, they’ll be able to put that jersey up in a frame, put it on a wall, say something really good about themselves,” Harbaugh said. “It’ll be what they accomplished as a pro football player.”
The patches are Harbaugh’s latest culture-setting innovation. He outfitted the locker room with personalized locker name tags that list each player’s hometown, college, high school and recruiting ranking to promote team bonding. The coach handed out metal lunch pails and blue-collar work shirts customized with embroidered name tags to symbolize the team’s hard-working mentality. Hoodies celebrated major victories such as the team’s thriller against the Cincinnati Bengals, a late-season Thursday night victory over the Denver Broncos and the playoff-clinching win over the New England Patriots.
“He wants it to be close-knit, in house,” Henley said. “Everything is love and football and family, and that’s how we go about our business. Now that we have another year under our belt, we’ve had bad games and good games and we’ve gone the distance and also didn’t accomplish what we wanted to, all of that wrapped into one, is what’s motivating us and pushing us forward.”
After going 11-6 in Harbaugh’s first regular season, the Chargers won’t be a sleeper playoff contender again. With momentum from a successful start to the Harbaugh era, the team hopes to make consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2009.
“We’re far ahead of where we were last year, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” quarterback Justin Herbert said during minicamp. “I think guys have done a great job this offseason of showing up mentally prepared and being focused day in and day out.”
Herbert’s jersey patches require multiple rows of lightning bolt tally marks to display his numerous NFL and Chargers records. Yet the quarterback is missing a playoff win mark.
Not only is he 0-2 in the postseason, both losses came in spectacular disasters. The Chargers blew a 27-point lead against Jacksonville in a 2022 wild-card game. He threw four interceptions against the Houston Texans last year.
Despite Herbert’s elite athleticism and arm talent, the 27-year-old will remain an afterthought in the quarterback hierarchy until he finds the playoff success that follows contemporaries Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
The prize they’re all chasing is worth much more than a new jersey patch.
Etc.
The Chargers placed five players on the physically unable to perform list before training camp: S Elijah Molden, WR Mike Williams, WR Jaylen Johnson, LB Del’Shawn Phillips and T Savion Washington. Molden, who signed a three-year extension in February, underwent offseason knee surgery and missed all of the offseason program. He said in April that he expected to be ready for training camp.
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Oakmont Country Club confirmed numerous reports on Wednesday that Wyndham Clark has been banned from the golf course property.
After missing the cut at last month’s U.S. Open, a tournament he won two years ago at Los Angeles Country Club, Clark took his anger out on lockers at the prestigious club.
One alleged photo of the damage made its way around social media, as two bottom portions of lockers were completely caved in.
Wyndham Clark of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during a practice round prior to the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. (Warren Little/Getty Images)
“Several of you have inquired about the situation involving Wyndham Clark and the steps being taken in response to his recent behavior,” Oakmont Country Club President John Lynch wrote in the letter, via ESPN. “Following multiple discussions with the USGA and the OCC Board, a decision has been made that Mr. Clark will no longer be permitted on OCC property.
“This decision will remain in effect unless formally reconsidered and approved by the Board.”
Lynch added that the ban could be lifted if Clark paid for the damages, made a “meaningful contribution” to charity and underwent counseling.
Wyndham Clark lines up a putt on the 11th green during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament. (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)
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“Yeah, I mean, I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year some lows. I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I’m very sorry for what happened,” Clark said the following week. “But I’d also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of the year and things that come up.”
During the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club last month, Clark damaged a T-Mobile sign during his final round with his driver. He ended up apologizing for his actions.
Clark was hardly the only golfer to show frustration with Oakmont – Shane Lowry outwardly proclaimed, “f— this place” after missing a putt.
Wyndham Clark looks on before teeing off on the 14th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 18, 2025. (Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)
During his first round, after failing to get the golf ball out of the rough, the Irish golfer ended up taking out his frustrations on a microphone. The piece of audio equipment fell to the ground after Lowry knocked it down.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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