Pavol Šafranko is back! The 31-year-old striker, who wore the yellow-and-blue jersey in 2017, returns to Dunajská Streda after nine years. The ten-time Slovak international has signed a contract until the end of the current season, with an option for a further year.

Born in Stropkov on 16 November 1994, Šafranko spent the second half of the 2016/17 season at DAC, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 16 league appearances. He subsequently moved to Danish side Aalborg and later spent a season on loan at Scottish club Dundee United. He spent another significant part of his career with Romanian side Sepsi OSK, with whom he won the Romanian Cup and Super Cup. In the 2021/22 season, he played for South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns, helping them win both the league title and the cup. From 2024 onwards, he was a player for Azerbaijani club Sabah, winning the national cup in his first season and contributing to their historic league title triumph last season.

During his first spell at DAC, he became a fan favourite not only for his character, but also for his strong performances and important goals. Perhaps the most memorable came against Slovan Bratislava in April 2017, when he headed home the winning goal in stoppage time.

Šafranko also has 10 caps for the Slovak senior national team. He represented his country between 2017 and 2020, having previously played for the Slovakia U21s, scoring four goals in 15 appearances and featuring at the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

“I’m very happy to be back at DAC and to see some familiar faces here again. A lot has changed since my first spell, though, and now I’m mainly looking ahead. I’m coming back to Dunajská Streda with great desire and motivation to play football at full intensity again. After a long break caused by injury, I’m really looking forward to returning to competitive action. I want to enjoy this period, help the team and share as many good moments as possible with the boys. I’m really looking forward to the dressing room, the fans and my first match in the yellow-and-blue jersey,” said Pavol Šafranko, who will once again wear the yellow-and-blue jersey after nine years. This time as an experienced striker and ten-time Slovak international. He will wear number 16. “I would also like to thank third-tier side Stropkov for allowing me to train with the team over the past few weeks. I really appreciate it, because instead of training individually, I was able to work with a team and prepare for my return. Now I can’t wait to step onto the pitch again in a competitive match in a DAC jersey.”

“Pavol is well known in Slovakia but also I had already a few conversations with him. We know what he can bring to the team. A lot has happened in his career since his first spell at DAC, and he has gained plenty of experience both at home and abroad, while also becoming a Slovak international. He is the type of striker we wanted to have in our squad, and we also know his character and work ethic. We were able to sign Pavol as a free agent even after the transfer window has closed. We are happy that we have reached an agreement and that Pavol is returning to DAC,” said DAC sporting director Jan-Pieter Martens, adding: “Pavol is coming back from a knee surgery, so we want to give him all the time he needs to come back to his best shape, but we also believe he can have his contribution to the squad already quick and that we will soon see him back in the MOL Arena.”