Péter Gulácsi (born 6 May 1990) is a Hungarian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

club

RB Leipzig RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...

and the Hungary national team.

Club career

Liverpool

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

signed Gulácsi from

MTK Budapest Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre is a multi-sports club from Budapest, founded in 1888. It has sections for football, handball, basketball, volleyball, futsal, ice hockey, water polo, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, fencing, canoeing, boxing, wrestlin ...

on a one-year

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

in 2007, with the player competing in the treble winning reserve team. Liverpool had an option to buy him at the end of this loan deal, which they exercised on the last day of the transfer window, 1 September 2008. Gulácsi was the third person to sign for Liverpool from MTK, with previous signings

András Simon András Simon (; born 30 March 1990) is a Hungarian footballer who currently plays for Gyirmót in the Nemzeti Bajnokság II of Hungary. He is the twin brother of Ádám Simon, also a footballer. Career Born in Salgótarján, Nógrád Count ...

and

Krisztián Németh Krisztián Németh (; born 5 January 1989) is a Hungarian professional footballer who currently plays for Hungarian club MTK Budapest. Club career Born in Győr, Németh started his career at hometown club ETO Győr where he played from 2003 ...

. On 29 July and 5 August 2010, he was the substitute goalkeeper in both of Liverpool's

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

ties against Rabotnički, with Liverpool winning 2–0 on both occasions. He also found himself on the bench on 26 August in Liverpool's Europa League tie against

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...

. He was a frequent presence on the subs bench in January 2011, with Brad Jones away at the AFC Asian Cup. With Jones still away at the Asian Cup, Gulácsi was the substitute keeper for their 1–0 Premier League win over

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

at Stamford Bridge. Gulácsi retained his spot as back-up to Pepe Reina after Brad Jones returned from international duty, with the Aussie 'keeper going to Derby County on a loan transfer in March 2011. In the 2009 January transfer window, he was loaned to

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

, where he made his league debut. He went on to make 18 league appearances for the club. On 16 April 2010, Gulácsi joined

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...

on an emergency seven-day loan deal and made his debut for the club on 17 April against

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

in a 3–1 win for Tranmere. His loan was subsequently extended for an additional seven days and into a third week. He re-joined Rovers on a one-month emergency loan on 17 September 2010 after Tranmere's two experienced goalkeepers Gunnar Nielsen and Simon Miotto were ruled out with injuries His loan period was extended into a second month until 24 November 2010.

Hull City (loan)

On 19 July 2011, he signed a new contract with Liverpool and joined

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

team

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...

in a year-long loan move. He made his full debut for Hull in a start of the season clash against recently relegated Blackpool at the

KC Stadium The MKM Stadium (also known as the Hull City Stadium due to UEFA sponsorship regulations) is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull, England. The stadium was previously called the KC Stadium, but was renamed the KCOM Stadi ...

. He received a knee injury in a 1–0 defeat at

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...

on 31 December 2011 and was substituted for

Adriano Basso Adriano Basso (born 18 April 1975) is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the goalkeeper coach at Sheffield Wednesday. Basso began his playing career in his native Brazil before entering English league ...

on the 42nd minute mark, shortly after conceding a goal, scored by

Martin Paterson Martin Andrew Paterson (born 10 May 1987) is a former professional footballer and assistant head coach of club Barnsley. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he played as a forward he began his career with Stoke City, making his senior debut in April 20 ...

, as a result of a defensive mix-up with

Jack Hobbs Sir John Berry Hobbs (16 December 1882– 21 December 1963), always known as Jack Hobbs, was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930. Known as "The Mast ...

. Following the injury, Gulácsi returned to Liverpool for a scan on his knee. On 11 April 2012, Liverpool contacted Hull with a view to recalling Gulácsi from his loan subject to Premier League, Football League and FA approval. Liverpool were at that time suffering a goalkeeper crisis, with both

Pepe Reina José Manuel "Pepe" Reina Páez (; born 31 August 1982) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Villarreal. The son of famed Barcelona and Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Reina, Pepe Reina began his ...

and Doni serving suspensions, leaving Brad Jones as their only remaining senior goalkeeper. He finished his time with Hull City with 15 appearances.

Return to Liverpool

The loan recall was approved and Gulácsi took his place on the bench for the FA Cup semi-final, which Liverpool won 2–1. He featured in all three of Liverpool's pre-season games in North America.

Red Bull Salzburg

On 7 June 2013, Red Bull Salzburg announced they had signed Gulácsi on a free transfer from Liverpool on a four-year deal. He played his first match in Salzburg's colours in the ÖFB-Cup, against Union St. Florian from the third division, at an eventual 9–0 away win. On 20 July 2013, he made his debut in the Austrian Bundesliga against

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...

at an eventual 5–1 away win.

RB Leipzig

On 1 July 2015, Gulácsi transferred to

, the sister club of Red Bull Salzburg, for a fee of 3 million pounds. He finished the 2015–16 season by making 15 appearances for the first team and two appearances in the

Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...

for the reserve team. On 17 December 2017, Gulácsi signed a new contract with RB Leipzig. His contract with the club would have expired in 2020 but he prolonged it by 2022. He finished the 2016–17 season with 34 appearances. Gulácsi was selected as the best goalkeeper of the autumn part of the 2017–18 Bundesliga season by the German sport magazine

Kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...

. He finished the 2017–18 season with 47 appearances. According to leading German sports magazine ''

kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...

'', Gulácsi performed best in the Bundesliga's 2018–19 season matchday ratings with an average score of 2.61 and 16 clean sheets. In the 2019–20 season, Gulácsi made history by qualifying for the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

semi-finals, the first time ever for RB Leipzig. Following the departure of

Marcel Sabitzer Marcel Sabitzer (born 17 March 1994) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Bayern Munich and the Austria national team. Predominantly a central midfielder, he also plays in a multitude of roles, including a ...

, Gulácsi was appointed as the new club captain. On 7 May 2021, Gulácsi signed a contract extension with Leipzig, keeping him at the club until 2025. On 23 May 2022, Gulácsi helped Leipzig claim their first piece of major silverware in club history in winning the

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...

. In the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

against

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

, Gulácsi forced two misses in the penalty shoot-out. On 5 October 2022, he tore the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

in his right knee, in a 3–1 win against

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

in the Champions League.

International career

In May 2008, Gulácsi received his first call up for

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

and was an unused substitute in their 1–1 draw with Croatia. Gulácsi was Hungary's hero against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the penalty shootouts. In the third place match between Hungary and Costa Rica at 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he saved three penalties during penalty shoot-out leading his team to victory and bronze medals. On 4 June 2012, he was invited by

Sándor Egervári Sándor Egervári (born 15 July 1950) is a Hungarian football manager. He attended the University of Physical Education in Budapest and qualified as a football coach in 1983. He has completed the UEFA A and B course and as well as the pro lic ...

to the Hungary squad for a friendly match against the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

, but did not play. Gulácsi made his debut for the senior team on 22 May 2014 in a 2–2 draw against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. He was selected for Hungary's

Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...

squad. On 1 June 2021, Gulácsi was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Hungary at the rescheduled

UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

tournament.

Outside football

In 2021, a post on Gulácsi's Facebook page caused a turmoil in Hungarian media. He expressed his wish to join the Family Is Family campaign in Hungary, a campaign that promotes acceptance of same-sex marriage and

LGBT rights in Hungary LGBT people in Hungary face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Homosexuality is legal in Hungary for both men and women. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex is banned in the country. However, ...

. Former Hungary international player János Hrutka stood by Gulácsi. Subsequently, Hrutka was fired from the TV channel Spíler TV he was working for as a commentator.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Red Bull Salzburg * Austrian Bundesliga: 2013–14, 2014–15 * Austrian Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15 RB Leipzig *

: 2021–22 Hungary U20 *

FIFA U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 whe ...

third place: 2009 Individual *''

Team of the Season: 2018–19 * Hungarian Footballer of the Year (Golden Ball): 2018, 2019

References

External links

Péter Gulácsi
profile at magyarfutball.hu * *
LFC History profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gulacsi, Peter 1990 births Living people Footballers from Budapest Hungarian footballers Hungary youth international footballers Hungary under-21 international footballers Hungary international footballers Association football goalkeepers MTK Budapest FC players Liverpool F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players FC Red Bull Salzburg players RB Leipzig II players RB Leipzig players English Football League players Austrian Football Bundesliga players Regionalliga players 2. Bundesliga players Bundesliga players UEFA Euro 2016 players UEFA Euro 2020 players Hungarian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Austria Expatriate footballers in Germany Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in England Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Austria Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Germany