A player who ended relegated with Hereford United back in 2009, this week helps RB Leipzig reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time.
It was incredibly 11 years ago since the Bulls lost their place in the League One, and at the time, the Bundesliga outfit hadn’t even formed by this point.
Fast forward to today and Hereford’s former Hungarian keeper has gone from watching his side fall into League Two, to keep his current club in with the chance of winning a major trophy.
2009: Péter Gulácsi plays 18 games on loan from Liverpool at Hereford Town who are relegated after finishing 24th in League One. The same year RB Leipzig is founded.
2020: Péter Gulácsi as RB Leipzig’s No.1 book their place in their first ever Champions League semi-final. pic.twitter.com/x9svMyoV6z
— Football on BT Sport #Club2020 (@btsportfootball) August 14, 2020
The man we’re talking about is indeed 30 year old Peter Gulacsi who also spent time on loan at Hull City and Tranmere Rovers while at Liverpool, before leaving the Premier League club.
Hereford FC are now a phoenix club and occupy the National League North after a winding up-order in 2014. It’s fair to say three parties have gone on different paths.
It was just two weeks before RB Leipzig’s birth, that the ex-Football League keeper was ending a loan spell rock bottom of League One. Now the player who relegated with Hereford in 2009 has done wonders!
HEREFORD SINCE 2009:
– League Two for three consecutive seasons after League One relegation
– Lost place in EFL and went into non league in 2012
– Relegated from Conference National and club dissolved in 2014
– Hereford FC was born in 2015, went into step 6 of non league
– Won each league (Midland League Premier Division, Southern League Division One South & West, and Southern League Premier Division, reached National League North in 2018
GULACSI’S CAREER PATH LEAVING HEREFORD:
– Left Hereford United in 2009 (made 18 apps)
– Signed for Tranmere on loan (two seasons) in 2009-2011 (made 19 apps)
– Signed for Hull on loan (one season) in 2011-12 (made 15 apps)
– Signed for Red Bull Salzburg in 2013, played two seasons, made 100 apps, won Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup
– Signed for RB Leipzig in 2015 for £3million, won 2. Bundesliga in 2016, played in Bundesliga four years running, Bundesliga runner-up in 2017, reached Champions League semi final in 2020, made total of 177 so far
RB LEIPZIG’S LEAGUE HISTORY:
– 2009: RB Leipzig are founded
– 2010: Promoted to fourth division
– 2013: Promoted to third division
– 2014: Promoted to second division
– 2016: Promoted to Bundesliga
– 2017: Bundesliga runner-up
– 2020: UCL semi-finalists
Gulacsi joined Liverpool permanently as an 18-year-old from MTK Budapest after a loan spell the year before, completing a trio of signings from the same Hungarian club that summer with Andras Simon and Krisztian Nemeth.
Was a signing for the future with Rafa Benitez, manager at the time, sending him out to get first team experience with Hereford, and that’s what he certainly got, as he recalls often being a busy man between the sticks, and brought up the ‘training session’ feel after facing ’20 shots a game’.
Made 17 appearances for Merseyside club Tranmere Rovers in a series of short emergency loans in the first half of the following season.
A chance in the Championship would come the next season, but he ended up sustaining a knee injury in December that campaign and a shortage of keepers at Liverpool saw him return to Anfield, but a place on the bench was as close he got to making an appearance for the Reds.
At 23 years of age, Gulacsi decided to make the move into Europe for some game time, this time with Salzburg, helping them achieve a league and cup ‘double-double’ between 2013-15.
His performances got him a £3million move to sister club RB Leipzig, where he went on to guide them to three promotions in six years meant they were now in 2. Bundesliga. The goalkeeper played just 15 games for the first team until then.
But it was their debut season in German football’s top tier that saw him get much more game time, and from there on, Leipzig’s and Gulasci’s force has gone from strength-to-strength and the Hungarian’s name is now regularly in debates in terms of when naming the best goalkeepers in the division.
His personality has shone as well, from one memorable moment that saw him flying through the air on a tightrope to him belting out Eye of the Tiger on stage with a wig on with team-mates.
He was at his very best when denying Atletico Madrid earlier this week in the Champions League, which included a dive into the feet of desperate striker Alvaro Morata, where Gulasci managed to punched the ball away in added time to help his side reach the semi-final in Lisbon.
Fair to say it’s been some journey for the keeper between 2009 and 2020, could he finally get that fairytale ending of knocking out their next opponents PSG to reach a European Final and potentially lift that special trophy?
Fans reacted after seeing that the player who was relegated with Hereford in 2009, now helps Leipzig reach the Champions League semi-finals…
We had Peter Gulacsi on-loan at Hull City nine years ago. He was rubbish. Looked half the ‘keeper of Vito Mannone who we had on-loan either side of him.
— HITC Sevens (@HITCSevens) August 13, 2020
Mannone is now a free agent who last played in Denmark, whilst Gulacsi is in a Champions League semi-final.
Funny old game.
Amazing ….just goes to show all these overpriced and overpaid footballers are jokers. There is talent everywhere..scouts need to work harder
— DAS (@Bluehod10) August 14, 2020
How stressful was his time at Hereford? Looks like it was a tough shift ??♂️???
— Mr Mike (@mrmikeyadams) August 14, 2020
Fact of the Day: RB Leipzig’s goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi, who starred in their Champions League Quarter-Final win over Atlético Madrid last night, is the same Péter Gulácsi that Chris Weale scored against in that famous 2-2 draw vs Hereford in 2009.
Worth another watch… #YTFC pic.twitter.com/qLtYw72tfd
— Three Valleys Radio (@3valleysradio) August 14, 2020
Couldn’t catch a cold
— Rich Lutkin (@richardlutkin) August 14, 2020
Top pro..deserves it
— Chris Morgan ? (@ChrisMorgan10) August 13, 2020
Never give up
— Matt (@ClauseDepay) August 14, 2020
Yep, I always knew Peter Gulacsi was a future Champions League semi-finalist back when he was behind Brad Jones in the pecking order, and being loaned out to Hereford and Tranmere Rovers.
— The Irish Guy (@the_irishguy) August 14, 2020
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