Zoltán Gera
Zoltán Gera ( 2009)
Zoltán Gera ( born April 22, 1979 in Pécs ) is a Hungarian football player. The midfielder is at West Bromwich Albion under contract.
Association
Gera started his career in his native Hungary, where he played for Pécsi Mecsek FC Ferencvaros Budapest. On 30 July 2004, he spent around £ 1.5 million to the English first division side West Bromwich Albion and leaned the same time an offer of the Turkish club Galatasaray, since he preferred to play in the Premier League. The midfielder made his debut on 14 August 2004 at the away game at Blackburn Rovers in the English top flight when he came in the 87th minute as a substitute for the Welsh Andy Johnson on the playing field. In his third appearance for Albion eleven days later he scored his first goal in the Premier League. Gera met in the home game against Tottenham Hotspur in the third minute for the opening goal for West Bromwich, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. In the course of the season, he secured a regular place and was not this again. With a victory on the final day of the 2004/05 season with the team he managed to avoid relegation.
The following season, he completed due to injuries sustained only about half of all duty games and scored three goals for Albion. At season's end, he went with the club second last in the Football League Championship from. Gera played with the team to direct the re-emergence and placed after the 2006/07 season with the club in fourth place, the person entitled to participate in the playoffs for promotion to the top flight. After the Wolverhampton Wanderers were defeated in the semi-finals with two wins, the team lost the final match at Wembley Stadium against Derby County and thus missed the moment the rise. The midfielder also scored in the following game time to the service providers of the team and secured with Albion as the First Place promotion back to the Premier League.
After he had rejected a contract extension at West Bromwich Albion in June 2008, he moved free transfer to Fulham. At the London club, he signed a three-year contract. Also at Fulham he quickly made the jump into the starting eleven, he graduated in the 2008 / 09 season, a total of 32 league appearances for Fulham and scored two goals. By the seventh place in the championship, he qualified with the team for the newly-created UEFA Europa League.
His first goal at European club level achieved Gera on December 3, 2009 at the home game against CSKA Sofia. In the group stage succeeded in second place behind the Roma of the way into the next round. In the following two rounds Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus were defeated, Gera contributed in the four encounters with three Torerfolgen in the advancement of Fulham FC. The team remained undefeated in duels with German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg and Hamburger SV and managed for the first time in club history a place in a European Cup final. There, the team against Atlético Madrid was defeated.
The team was unable to match the achievements of the previous year and placed on the twelfth grade during the 2009/10 season in the Premier League. Gera counted it again to the root cadres of the association.
After the 2010/11 season his contract at FC Fulham was not renewed. On August 2, 2011, he moved to West Bromwich Albion, and signed a two -year contract with the club for which he had already been active between 2004 and 2008.
National
Gera played from 2002 to 2009 in the Hungarian national football team and played a total of 63 games in which he scored 18 goals. His first game he completed on 13 February 2002 against Switzerland when he as a substitute for Ákos Füzi ran onto the field in the 47th minute. On 16 October 2002 he scored after coming off the bench for the second half, as a substitute for the attacker Krisztián Kenesei, in the game against San Marino all three goals for his country. On June 6, 2004, he succeeded with Hungary in a friendly against Germany, a surprising away win, both goals scored Sándor Torghelle. He was able to qualify for a major international tournament with the selection of never. His most last match he played on 10 October 2009, the 0-3 defeat in Portugal. A few days later, he announced his retirement from international football. His status as a former national player, however, had existed only for a short time. After the coach Erwin Koeman was replaced by Sándor Egervári, Gera returned to the team and played on 11 August 2010 against England, a game again in the national dress.
Honors
- Footballer of the Year (Hungary ): 2002, 2004, 2005
- Golden Ball (Hungary): 2004, 2005