Gabor Kiraly set to become the oldest ever Euros player when he dons the gloves for Hungary
'Magyars' goalkeeper set to pinch record from Germany legend Lothar Matthaus when he gets down to action at Euro 2016
GABOR KIRALY is set to become the European Championships’ oldest ever player as Hungary’s tracksuited veteran shows no sign of hanging up his gloves — at 40!
That is likely to stun fans of Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Burnley and Fulham who became accustomed to watching him make goalkeeping gaffes in a pair of jogging bottoms.
Discussing his choice of kit in a recent interview, Kiraly said: “I’m not a top model, my job is defending.
“It’s essentially a question of comfort. I’ve played on clay or grass that’s been frozen in winter.
“It makes your legs hurt when you fall so jogging bottoms seemed obvious. I always take a size above to facilitate movement.
“I tried shorts during my spells in Germany and England but it didn’t suit me. The end result is more important than your look.”
Kiraly entered his fifth decade in April and will be the oldest man to appear at the Euros if he plays in any of his country’s Group F matches against Portugal, Iceland and Austria.
Lothar Matthaus appeared in Germany colours at Euro 2000 at the ripe old age of 39, pinching the record set by former Denmark coach Morten Olsen when he played at 38 in 1988.
Kiraly has amassed 102 caps over an international career spanning 18 years for the Magyars.
And he was named Uefa’s player of the play-offs after a string of fine saves in their triumph over Norway.
But Kiraly has still never featured in a World Cup or European Championships for his country and is now back playing in his home country with top-flight outfit Haladas.
The “Magical Magyars” were one of the best sides in the world in the 1950s, with legendary striker Real Madrid striker Ferenc Puskas banging in an incredible 85 goals in 84 internationals.
However, Hungary last graced a major international tournament when they qualified for the Mexico’s World Cup in 1986, where they went out in the group stages after winning one and drawing two of their matches.
Hungary’s German coach Bernd Storck’s 23-man Euro 2016 squad for France is anchored around captain Balazs Dzsudzsak, who plies his trade in Turkey at Bursaspor.
Now, with terrier-like redhead Laszlo Kleinheisler — nicknamed the Hungarian Paul Scholes — in midfield and a solid enough defence, they could prove a handful.
For goals, though, the side might turn out to be over-reliant on the free-kicks of Dzsudzsak and bulky Hannover centre-forward Adam Szalai.
One household name to Premier League fanatics is winger Zoltan Gera, who racked up ten years of service for West Brom and Fulham.
Another player familiar to English viewers is striker Tamas Priskin, who had one decent season out of his three at Watford, before a failed move to Ipswich which saw him farmed out on loan to QPR, Swansea and Derby.
Lesser known is midfielder Zoltan Stieber, who played for Yeovil and was on Aston Villa’s books as a youngster.
GOALKEEPERS: Denes Dibusz (Ferencvaros), Peter Gulacsi (Leipzig), Gabor Kiraly (Haladas).
DEFENDERS: Barnabas Bese (MTK), Attila Fiola (Puskas Akademia), Richard Guzmics (Wisla Krakow), Roland Juhasz (Videoton), Adam Lang (Videoton), Tamas Kadar (Lech Poznan), Mihaly Korhut (Debrecen).
MIDFIELDERS: Akos Elek (Diosgyori), Zoltan Gera (Ferencvaros), Laszlo Kleinheisler (Werder Bremen), Gergo Lovrencsics (Lech Poznan), Adam Nagy (Ferencvaros), Adam Pinter (Ferencvaros), Zoltan Stieber (Nurnberg).
STRIKERS: Daniel Bode (Ferencvaros), Balazs Dzsudzsak (Bursaspor), Krisztian Nemeth (al-Gharafa), Nemanja Nikolic (Legia Warsaw), Tamas Priskin (Slovan Bratislava), Adam Szalai (Hannover).