Former Bundesliga star Lisztes looks for MLS move

Krisztian Lisztes

The 11 has learned that former Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart linchpin Krisztian Lisztes is looking to take his game to North America.

The agents representing Lisztes — who are based in Canada — have confirmed that the former Hungarian national-teamer, who turns 36 in July, would like to play out the remainder of his career in North America.

Lisztes played last season for Hungary’s most popular side, Ferencvaros — and made 23 appearances, which quieted some concerns about his age and injuries that cut his time in the Bundesliga short.

He was named Hungary’s footballer of the year in 2002 and has 49 caps for his country, scoring nine times.

In the mid-‘90s, Lisztes was hailed as the next great Hungarian footballer, rekindling a former soccer giant that had fallen on hard times. As a teenager, he became the first Hungarian to score in the Champions League group stages, in his first spell with Ferencvaros. While Lisztes alone couldn’t resurrect the Hungarian national program, he did become one of the best central midfielders in European club football. In total, from 1996 to 2005, he made over 200 Bundesliga appearances with VFB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen.

And, Lisztes is an ex-Bremen teammate of Toronto FC Designated Player Torsten Frings. He also played at Bremen with Canadian defender Paul Stalteri. It was in the 2001-2002 season that Frings and Lisztes teamed in the Bremen midfield that the Hungarian won his domestic footballer of the year award.

In 2004, Lisztes’s star had risen to the point where Bremen had accepted it could no longer keep him, and that the playmaking midfielder would make a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs. But, that season, Lisztes injured his ACL. Slowly, Lisztes faded from the Bundesliga. But, now, in his mid 30s, he has been racking up games played and still feels he can bring some veteran leadership to a North American squad that needs savvy in the middle of the park.