Gábor Király
Encyclopedia
Gábor Ferenc Király (ˈɡaːbor ˈkiraːj) (born 1 April 1976 in Szombathely
) is a Hungarian
footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He is currently playing for 1860 Munich
, in the 2. Bundesliga
. He is best known for wearing pyjama-like tracksuit bottoms while playing.
, Király began his career with local club Szombathelyi Haladás
in 1993, moving to German
Bundesliga
club Hertha BSC in 1997.
for Hertha's home match against 1. FC Köln
on 28 September 1997 in which they managed their first Bundesliga victory that season. He subsequently became the first-choice keeper and Fiedler did not appear in the Bundesliga for more than two years, until February 2000, when Király missed seven league matches due to an injury. He also appeared in 10 UEFA Champions League
matches for Hertha in the 1999–00 season of the competition.
However, after Hans Meyer
was named the new Hertha coach in the winter break of the 2003–04 Bundesliga season, Király lost his place in the starting line-up and Fiedler was named the first-choice keeper after spending most of the previous six years on the bench. Király was then told his contract would only be renewed if he took a pay cut. In the spring of 2004, he only played the last 14 minutes of Hertha's final Bundesliga match of the season, against 1. FC Köln; the same club against whom he had made his Bundesliga debut.
made Király their first signing for the 2004–05 season; but also signed Argentine
goalkeeper Julián Speroni
later that pre-season and it was he who was initially installed as the first-choice keeper. Király made his debut for Palace in the Carling Cup
game at home to Hartlepool United
where his performance, along with the poor form of Speroni, resulted in his promotion to the first choice in Palace goal. He stayed in the first team for over 12 months before being rested over the Christmas period in 2005, making 32 Premier League
appearances before Palace were relegated back to the Championship
following the 2004–05 season. After the rest, he went straight back into the Palace side, and kept his place for the remainder of the 2005–06 season in which he made 43 appearances in the Championship.
On 18 May 2006, Király made a transfer request. With the signing of Scott Flinders
, it seemed he would leave Crystal Palace and his chances of securing a move to the Premier League seemed to increase on 30 May, when he impressed for Hungary in their 3–1 defeat to England
, saving a penalty by Frank Lampard
in the process. However, Bob Dowie
, Palace's director of football, revealed that the club had received no offers for the keeper's services, and thus he started a third season at Palace.
New manager Peter Taylor
installed Király as his number-one choice in goal, with Flinders as his backup, but later on in the season Flinders was recalled from a loan spell and replaced Király in the starting line-up. However, Flinders only played two games, conceding seven goals and giving Király a quick return to the first team.
from mid-November to early December 2006 in which he did not make an appearance, spending three matches on the bench as an unused substitute.
for one month, following injuries to Villa's regular keepers Thomas Sørensen
and Stuart Taylor. At Villa, Király eventually managed a return to playing Premier League football after an eighteen month absence following Palace's relegation. He was given his Villa debut on 16 December 2006 in their 1–0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers
at Villa Park. The last match in his loan spell at Villa was their third-round FA Cup
match against Manchester United
at Old Trafford on 7 January 2007. After an otherwise strong performance, Kiraly's late error gifted Manchester United a 2–1 victory. Following Sørensen and Taylor's return to fitness, he was allowed to return to Palace on 12 January 2007.
on 30 January 2007. Király continued in the team until the end of the season, when Speroni stepped in with three games remaining. After the last game, Taylor announced that Gábor had left the club in the week before the match.
on 30 May 2007 after being released by Crystal Palace.
. On 3 June 2009 signed a three-year contract with TSV 1860 München
.
since making his debut in 1998. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup
qualifying, he was the only player in the Hungarian squad to appear in all of their ten qualifying matches. He had not played for the national team since the embarrassing 2–1 defeat by Malta on 11 October 2006, but was called up to the squad for the World Cup Qualifiers against Sweden
and Portugal
in September 2009 and has remained in the squad despite being second choice behind Gábor Babos
.
On 11 August 2010, Kiraly started for Hungary in a friendly international against England
at Wembley
and made some impressive saves in a narrow 2–1 defeat, with both England's goals scored by captain Steven Gerrard
.
at Stamford Bridge
, where he let a shot from Mateja Kežman
embarrassingly slip between his legs as the Blues won 4–1, and against Premier League side Aston Villa, in his first league appearance for Palace. While at Hertha, he wore shorts made of the same material as the tracksuit bottoms he's usually wearing in two or three matches, but the only known match where he wore regular shorts was Hertha's UEFA Cup
fixture at home against Polish
club Dyskobolia in 2003, where the Spanish
referee allegedly told him before the match that he is not allowed to play in training clothes.
He has an interesting pre-kick-off routine where he runs to the goal line, touches the crossbar, and then stands still with his hands behind his back, until the referee starts the match.
Szombathely
Szombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
) is a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He is currently playing for 1860 Munich
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
, in the 2. Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
. He is best known for wearing pyjama-like tracksuit bottoms while playing.
Early career
Born in SzombathelySzombathely
Szombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
, Király began his career with local club Szombathelyi Haladás
Szombathelyi Haladás
Szombathelyi Haladás is a Hungarian football club based in Szombathely. Haladás is the Hungarian word for progress. The club, which was founded in 1919, plays its home games at Rohonci úti Stadion which has a capacity of 12,000 . The club colours are green and white.Haladás reached the Hungarian...
in 1993, moving to German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
club Hertha BSC in 1997.
Hertha BSC
At Hertha, he was initially the second-choice keeper, but after a streak of seven matches without a win, he was chosen over the first-choice goalkeeper Christian FiedlerChristian Fiedler
Christian Fiedler is a former German football goalkeeper, who spent his entire career playing with Hertha BSC.-Football career:...
for Hertha's home match against 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
on 28 September 1997 in which they managed their first Bundesliga victory that season. He subsequently became the first-choice keeper and Fiedler did not appear in the Bundesliga for more than two years, until February 2000, when Király missed seven league matches due to an injury. He also appeared in 10 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
matches for Hertha in the 1999–00 season of the competition.
However, after Hans Meyer
Hans Meyer (football)
Hans Meyer Hans Meyer Hans Meyer (born 3 November 1942 in Briesen (today near Bílina, Czech Republic) is a German former football player and manager.- Coaching career :...
was named the new Hertha coach in the winter break of the 2003–04 Bundesliga season, Király lost his place in the starting line-up and Fiedler was named the first-choice keeper after spending most of the previous six years on the bench. Király was then told his contract would only be renewed if he took a pay cut. In the spring of 2004, he only played the last 14 minutes of Hertha's final Bundesliga match of the season, against 1. FC Köln; the same club against whom he had made his Bundesliga debut.
Crystal Palace
Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
made Király their first signing for the 2004–05 season; but also signed Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
goalkeeper Julián Speroni
Julián Speroni
Julián Maria Speroni is an Argentine footballer who plays for Crystal Palace in the Championship. He wears the number 1 shirt and is a goalkeeper.-Dundee:...
later that pre-season and it was he who was initially installed as the first-choice keeper. Király made his debut for Palace in the Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
game at home to Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
where his performance, along with the poor form of Speroni, resulted in his promotion to the first choice in Palace goal. He stayed in the first team for over 12 months before being rested over the Christmas period in 2005, making 32 Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
appearances before Palace were relegated back to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
following the 2004–05 season. After the rest, he went straight back into the Palace side, and kept his place for the remainder of the 2005–06 season in which he made 43 appearances in the Championship.
On 18 May 2006, Király made a transfer request. With the signing of Scott Flinders
Scott Flinders
Scott Liam Flinders is an English footballer who plays for Hartlepool United as a goalkeeper. He has also played for the England Under-20 team.-Club career:...
, it seemed he would leave Crystal Palace and his chances of securing a move to the Premier League seemed to increase on 30 May, when he impressed for Hungary in their 3–1 defeat to England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, saving a penalty by Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
in the process. However, Bob Dowie
Bob Dowie
Bob Dowie is a British football coach. He is a former Director of Football at Championship club Crystal Palace.An experienced non-league player, he played for Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt where he played 49 times and scored three goals between 1983 and 1985, Enfield, Hertford Town, St Albans City...
, Palace's director of football, revealed that the club had received no offers for the keeper's services, and thus he started a third season at Palace.
New manager Peter Taylor
Peter John Taylor
Peter John Taylor is an English football manager and former player and current head coach of the Bahrain national football team...
installed Király as his number-one choice in goal, with Flinders as his backup, but later on in the season Flinders was recalled from a loan spell and replaced Király in the starting line-up. However, Flinders only played two games, conceding seven goals and giving Király a quick return to the first team.
West Ham United
Király had a two-week loan spell at Premier League side West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
from mid-November to early December 2006 in which he did not make an appearance, spending three matches on the bench as an unused substitute.
Aston Villa
He then returned to Palace, but almost immediately left for another loan spell at Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
for one month, following injuries to Villa's regular keepers Thomas Sørensen
Thomas Sørensen
Thomas Løvendahl Sørensen is a Danish professional football goalkeeper, who plays for Premier League club Stoke City. He has previously represented Premiership teams Sunderland and Aston Villa....
and Stuart Taylor. At Villa, Király eventually managed a return to playing Premier League football after an eighteen month absence following Palace's relegation. He was given his Villa debut on 16 December 2006 in their 1–0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
at Villa Park. The last match in his loan spell at Villa was their third-round FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Old Trafford on 7 January 2007. After an otherwise strong performance, Kiraly's late error gifted Manchester United a 2–1 victory. Following Sørensen and Taylor's return to fitness, he was allowed to return to Palace on 12 January 2007.
Back to Palace
By the end of January 2007, he made a return in the Palace goal, with his first league match being a goalless draw away at SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
on 30 January 2007. Király continued in the team until the end of the season, when Speroni stepped in with three games remaining. After the last game, Taylor announced that Gábor had left the club in the week before the match.
Burnley
Király joined BurnleyBurnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on 30 May 2007 after being released by Crystal Palace.
Bayer Leverkusen
In January 2009 Kiraly left Burnley on loan to Bayer Leverkusen as cover for their injured second choice keeper.1860 Munich
In June 2009 Kiraly was released by Burnley at the end of his contract alongside Steve Jones and Alan MahonAlan Mahon
Alan Joseph Mahon is an Irish footballer who plays a midfielder and has been capped by the Republic of Ireland.-Early career: Tranmere Rovers and Sporting Clube de Portugal:...
. On 3 June 2009 signed a three-year contract with TSV 1860 München
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
.
International career
Király appeared in 70 international matches for the Hungarian national teamHungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
since making his debut in 1998. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
qualifying, he was the only player in the Hungarian squad to appear in all of their ten qualifying matches. He had not played for the national team since the embarrassing 2–1 defeat by Malta on 11 October 2006, but was called up to the squad for the World Cup Qualifiers against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
and Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
in September 2009 and has remained in the squad despite being second choice behind Gábor Babos
Gábor Babos
Gábor Babos is a Hungarian football goalkeeper who plays for, and captains the Dutch Eredivisie club NEC.Babos has previously played for clubs like Feyenoord and MTK Hungária, and he was also a member of the Hungarian national team for twelve years....
.
On 11 August 2010, Kiraly started for Hungary in a friendly international against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
and made some impressive saves in a narrow 2–1 defeat, with both England's goals scored by captain Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
.
Style
Király is recognizable for wearing a pair of tracksuit bottoms instead of shorts in almost every match he plays. Some pundits joke that he appears to playing in pyjama-bottoms. During his time in English leagues, the only two known times when he wore shorts instead of tracksuit bottoms was when Crystal Palace played ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, where he let a shot from Mateja Kežman
Mateja Kežman
Mateja Kežman is a Serbian football striker who plays for FC BATE Borisov of the Belarusian Premier League....
embarrassingly slip between his legs as the Blues won 4–1, and against Premier League side Aston Villa, in his first league appearance for Palace. While at Hertha, he wore shorts made of the same material as the tracksuit bottoms he's usually wearing in two or three matches, but the only known match where he wore regular shorts was Hertha's UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
fixture at home against Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
club Dyskobolia in 2003, where the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
referee allegedly told him before the match that he is not allowed to play in training clothes.
He has an interesting pre-kick-off routine where he runs to the goal line, touches the crossbar, and then stands still with his hands behind his back, until the referee starts the match.
Hertha BSC
- German championsFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
: Third place 1998–99 - League Cup: 2001, 2002
- runners-up: 2000
Individual
- Hungarian Footballer of the Year: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
- Best Bundesliga Keeper: 1997–98
- Best Premier League Keeper: runners-up 2004–05
- Best Hungary Keeper in the last decade: 2010
- Best Hungary Player in the last decade: Third place 2010
- Named in the Hertha BSC's "Squad of the Century"
External links
- Gabor Kiraly profile at Clarets Mad
- Gabor Kiraly profile at burnleyfootballclub.com