Dolce Vita lets Ondrej Duda restart after his Cologne farewell

Dolce Vita shaped the fresh start of Ondrej Duda after he left 1. FC Köln in 2023. The 31‑year‑old Slovak returned to his old form after an unsuccessful loan in the Italian Serie A and became a central midfielder in Verona.

Earlier Transfer to Berlin

At the age of 22, Duda moved in 2016 from Legia Warsaw to the Bundesliga to the capital club Hertha BSC. The Berliners paid a little over four million euros to the Poles – a deal that later turned out to be a bargain.

After initial adaptation difficulties, Duda received more playing time in his second season. In the 2017/18 season he appeared 17 times and scored his first goal against FC Bayern Munich.

Breakthrough and Peak at Hertha

The breakthrough came in the 2018/19 season, the best season so far for the attacking player. In 32 matches he collected 17 scorer points, including eleven goals and six assists. After the first four matchdays the now 31‑year‑old already had four season goals.

Bundesliga 2, Matchday 7: Hertha to continue where they left off?

In the following year, 2019/20, the coaching bench changed from Pal Dardai to Ante Covic and later to Jürgen Klinsmann. Both used Duda sparingly, so by the end of the first half of the season he was no longer considered in the squad.

Move to Cologne and Further Stops

After a half‑year loan to Norwich City, Hertha BSC sold Duda in the summer of 2020 for seven million euros to 1. FC Köln. In the cathedral city he recorded 13 scorer points (seven goals, six assists) in the 2020/21 season. In the following one and a half years his strike rate fell to just two goals.

In the winter of 2023 Duda initially moved on loan to Hellas Verona in Serie A. There he remained goalless in the first half‑year, because he was deployed further back than a forward as a number eight. In the following two and a half years he developed into a central midfielder, became the leader of the team and remained a consistent performer.