Willi Orbán
Vilmos "Willi" Thomas Orbán is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club RB Leipzig. Born in Germany, he plays for the Hungary national team.
Personal life
Orbán was born and grew up in Kaiserslautern, Germany to a Hungarian father and a mother of Polish descent. His parents split up when he was two, leaving his mother to raise him and his sister, Sandra. Speaking of his childhood in 2017, Orbán said: "when I was a kid at home, I shot everything with my football. A few flower vases and bottles, nothing wild, but it was enough that Mama said: The boy has too much energy, we prefer to put it in a football club. Since she has done everything right." He revealed that his father was a karate master in his youth. Because of his Hungarian father, Orbán has a Hungarian passport. Orbán attended Heinrich Heine High School in Kaiserslautern. Outside of football, Orbán is a fan of classical music and plays the violin.Club career
1. FC Kaiserslautern
Orbán started his career in the 1. FC Kaiserslautern youth academy as a 4 year old and progressed through the ranks of the club's academy by playing for the club's U17 and U19 sides.At the start of the 2011–12 season, Orbán was then promoted to 1. FC Kaiserslautern II squad. Shortly after, he was called up to the first team by Manager Marco Kurz. He made first-team debut in a match against Bayern Munich on 27 August 2011. But his return was short–lived when he suffered an injury that kept him out for a month. Despite this, he signed his first professional contract with the club, keeping him until 2014. Orbán received his first start against 1. FC Nürnberg on 26 November, deputising for suspended right back Florian Dick. Orbán made the team 6 times in the Bundesliga, but spent most of his time with the reserve team, 1. FC Kaiserslautern II, in the fourth tier, scoring three goals in 23 matches.
Orbán split the following season with the first team and the reserve team, but managed to break into the first team down the stretch, starting 4 of Kaiserslautern's final 5 matches in the 2012–13 2. Bundesliga. He scored his first goal with the first team in a 3–1 victory over Jahn Regensburg FC on 12 May 2013. Orbán also started both legs of Kaiserslautern's promotion playoff against 1899 Hoffenheim as the club sought an immediate return to the Bundesliga. Kaiserslautern lost 5–2 on aggregate, remaining in the second division. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he made nine appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
The 2013–14 season saw Orbán's breakthrough by getting more playing time, establishing himself in the centre–back position. On 26 July 2013, he signed a new contract with the club, keeping him until 2016. Orbán then captained the side for the first time on 12 August 2013, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 loss against Greuther Fürth. In a follow–up match against Erzgebirge Aue, Orbán suffered a broken nose, but continued to play throughout the match, which he wore a mask. In mid–September, Orbán began playing in the defensive midfield position, though he played in the centre–back position as well. It wasn't until on 20 October 2013 when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–2 draw against Karlsruher SC. Two months later on 3 December 2013 in the round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal, Orbán scored and set up the second goal of the goal, in a 3–1 win over Union Berlin. His third goal for the side came on 26 March 2014, in a 1–1 draw against Arminia Bielefeld. In a match against FC St. Pauli on 11 April 2014, Orbán was sent–off for a second bookable offence, as 1. FC Kaiserslautern won 3–2. At the end of the 2013–14 season, he went on to make thirty–two appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
In the 2014–15 season, Orbán continued to regain his first team place for the side, initially starting out in the centre–back position. He then scored his first goal of the season on 12 August 2014, in a 1–0 win over FSV Frankfurt. Three months later on 14 December 2014, Orbán scored a brace, as 1. FC Kaiserslautern won 3–0 against Erzgebirge Aue. Following the departure of Srđan Lakić, it was announced that Orbán was named as a captain, succeeding Lakić. He captained the side in a number of matches for the rest of the season. During a 2–1 win over 1. FC Nürnberg on 14 March 2015, which he set up one of the goals, Orbán suffered an injury and had to be substituted in the 55th minute. But he quickly recovered from the injury he sustained against 1. FC Nürnberg. Orbán then scored his fourth goal of the season on 4 April 2015, in a 4–1 win over 1. FC Heidenheim. At the end of the 2014–15 season, he went on to make thirty–one appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. For his performance, Orbán was named the club's player of the year.
By the time of his departure, Orbán made seventy–seven appearances and scoring times in all competitions for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. During his time at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, he was the club's fan favourite and was subjected of a chant by supporters, calling him: "Williiiiie". However, upon moving to RB Leipzig, the move caused much anger from the fans of 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
RB Leipzig
2015–16 season
In May 2015, Orbán joined league rivals RB Leipzig. The move reported to have cost 2.5 million euros transfer fee. He later said: "I switched mainly because of Ralf Rangnick. He can make any player better."Orbán made his RB Leipzig debut in the opening game of the season, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win over FSV Frankfurt. He quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side, playing in the centre–back position. In mid–September, Orbán was a subject of fault for making two mistakes in the last three matches, leading him to be on probation. Despite this, Orbán continued to remain in the starting eleven for the side. After picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against SV Sandhausen, Orbán missed the contest against his former club, Kaiserslautern, through suspension. He scored his first goal for Leipzig in a 3–0 victory over Union Berlin on 19 February 2016, and was handed the captain's armband for two matches in March in the absence of regular captain Dominik Kaiser. Orbán was sent off on his first return to the Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern, after picking up his second yellow card in the 63rd minute. During the match, he received mixed reception from 1. FC Kaiserslautern supporters. Orbán played nearly every minute of Leipzig's successful campaign in the 2. Bundesliga, and as a centre-back, was instrumental in Leipzig's league-leading defense. In his first season at RB Leipzig, Orbán went on to make thirty–three appearances and scoring once in all competitions.