Samuel Joseph Szmodics (/ˈsmɒdɪks/,[4] born 24 September 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Premier League club Ipswich Town.

After a brief spell at Bristol City, he spent two years at Peterborough United before joining Blackburn Rovers in 2022, where he became a key player, finishing as the top scorer in the 2023–24 EFL Championship.

[6] He was a regular starter and scorer for the under-18 side, which included a goal in Colchester's 3–2 FA Youth Cup defeat by Chelsea on 1 December 2012, sweeping in Macauley Bonne's cross.

He was included in manager Joe Dunne's squad for a game at AFC Sudbury on 12 July 2013, and scored twice in two first-half minutes to hand Colchester a 2–0 lead in their eventual 5–0 win.

[15] Szmodics made his first appearance of the season as a second-half substitute for Freddie Sears in Colchester's 4–0 away defeat to Charlton Athletic in the League Cup on 12 August 2014.

After coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Alex Gilbey in the U's FA Cup first round tie against Gosport Borough, Szmodics scored Colchester's sixth goal in a 6–3 win.

[24] After making six appearances in the first team in the early stages of the 2015–16 season, Szmodics was allowed to leave the club on loan in order to gain more first-team experience.

[27] A foot injury kept Szmodics out of action for several months, wearing a protective boot and requiring injections in order to avoid an operation across Christmas and the New Year.

[36] After scoring five goals in five games throughout December, including a brace in a 3–1 win against Exeter City, Szmodics was nominated for the EFL League Two Player of the Month award.

[37] His performances during the first half of the season led to speculation that he was to sign for Premier League side AFC Bournemouth for a £1 million fee during the January transfer window.

[40] On 28 June 2019, Szmodics ended his 16-year association with Colchester United, signing for Championship club Bristol City for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract.

[41] After making just four appearances in five months at Bristol City, Szmodics signed for League One club Peterborough United on a six-month loan deal on 16 January 2020.

[59] As well as his country of birth, England, Szmodics was also eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland and Hungary through his Irish County Longford-born grandmother and Hungarian-born grandfather.

[60][61] On 28 May 2021, Szmodics received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland team for the summer friendlies against Andorra and Hungary, following the withdrawal of Callum Robinson and Aaron Connolly from the initial squad through injury.