Mihaly Kata is a 22-year-old Hungarian midfielder who plays for MTK Budapest in the NB1, the highest division in Hungary. He mostly plays as a defensive midfielder, but he could play as a normal central midfielder without any problem. Kata is around 175 centimeters tall. The midfielder already has quite some experience in professional football, with over 150 games played for the first team of MTK Budapest. Kata has also played 3 times for the Hungarian national team and was included in the selection for the Euro last summer.
Kata has a mesomorphic body build, and you could see it in the way he plays. He isn’t scared to go into a ground duel, and he visibly fights for the ball. Most of his strength is in his chest and arms, which he often uses to put an opponent out of balance. Kata has also good fitness, because he is often running around into space or behind an opponent who has the ball. But when in possession, he could be slightly seen around walking. The Hungarian isn’t the tallest one, but he still preforms decently in jumping duels. His jumping reach is good enough to fight in the air against longer opponents. The pace of Kata is alright, nothing special. His acceleration is better though, he also often sprints in short distances and there you could see his acceleration and slowing down if he runs for longer. Mental wise on the pitch, Kata looks strong. He is the captain of the team; he remains calm when pressed or fouled. Kata is also talkative on the pitch. He shows around with his arms, asking for a pass or suggesting a move from a teammate.
Mihaly Kata is a really good playmaker. He isn’t particularly someone that will give you the assist, but he rather starts the attacks. His long passes are really good and accurate. He likes to switch the side of possession with a long pass, to where the attack isn’t going on and there is more space. He is often progressive with his passing, but he can be seen passing back to the centerbacks behind him. The Hungarian likes to give passes with his first touch, even if pressed by opponents. And for the amount of touches and passes he doesn’t lose the ball all to often, definitely if you compare it to other midfielders. His first touch is decent, and he can control the ball really well. Dribbles well past his opponents, and he isn’t really agile. Just with good ball control and vision he gets past them if needed. Kata often wins fouls, but he fouls quite often too. He doesn’t go for long runs with the ball. Carries it for a bit forward and then looks for a good passing opportunity. Kata also often looks around before getting the ball, that’s what helps him with the first touch passes. He mostly stays in between the box and the center line if in attack. He shoots occasionally, but it’s not really good. It’s mostly from distance as well. The most important traits for his position are there and they’re on a quite good level.
Defensively, Kata has some work to go but it’s still looking good. He often positions himself on or near the passing lanes to intercept passes. When there is a counter happening he immediately returns back, and if the opponent is near him he keeps putting pressure on him to force a mistake or to intercept the ball. Like I said, he is really fighting for the ball. But sometimes he steps in too early, and he can get dribbled past easily. In my opinion Kata could have a difficult time against quick, shifty attackers that can dribble quickly and easily. His turning speed is not the highest as well. Same can be said for his tackles, he sometimes just gets in too early. Doesn’t happen all too often though. His standing and sliding tackles still look really well, mostly clean as well. Covering his zone could be improved, but he often stays alone as a central defensive midfielder, so it’s not always that easy. But he doesn’t let attackers run behind him all too often. When defening deep, Kata can position himself between the centerbacks to help. So, there is quality, but there is also some work to do.
Overall, I think that Mihaly Kata is ready for the next step. Last season Minnesota United and Almere City were showing interest in him, but he definitely outgrown them. Especially the second one. But he could be an interesting option for higher rated teams in Belgium, Netherlands or even in Austria or Switzerland. I think after this season the product of MTK Budapest will leave Hungary. He is ready for it.
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