Zoltán Gera

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Personal information
Zoltán Gera

Date of birth	April 22, 1979
Place of birth	Pécs, Hungary
Height	181 cm (6'1)
Nickname	Gerzson, The Magic Magyar
Position	Right midfielder, Forward
Club information
Current club	West Bromwich Albion F.C.
Number	11
Youth clubs
???-1996	Pécsi Bõrgyár serdülõcsapat Zsolnay Kinizsi
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
	Ferencvaros Pécsi MFC Harkány West Bromwich Albion	202 (50) ?? ?? 71 (11)
National team**
Febr.2002 - present	Hungary	38 (12)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:44, 6 December 2006 (UTC). ** National team caps and goals correct as of 23:25, 16 April 2006 (UTC).

This article is about the Hungarian football player. For the Hungarian actor see Zoltán Gera (actor)

Zoltán Gera, (born April 22, 1979 in Pécs) is a Hungarian footballer who currently plays for English Club West Bromwich Albion F.C. as an attacking midfielder.

1 Club Career
2 International career
3 Quotes
4 Honours
5 International goals
6 External links

[edit] Club Career

Gera joined West Brom in July, 2004 from former Hungarian club Ferencvárosi TC (FTC) for £1.5 million. He had captured the Hungarian domestic league and cup double for FTC before joining the club. He signed a three-year deal with The Baggies, with a further one year option at the club's option.

Gera received his first Premiership debut on August 14, 2004, replacing Andy Johnson in the 87th minute. That match ended in a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers. His first time in the starting eleven came on August 25, 2004, against Tottenham Hotspur. He also scored his first league goal early in the third minute. That match ended, also, in a 1-1 draw.

He managed to score 6 league goals in his first season and was the only player of his team to appear in all 38 league matches. He helped West Brom stay in the Premiership.

Following the success of West Brom remaining in the Premiership, Gera was noticed by many clubs. Aston Villa claimed interest in him but he remains at West Bromwich.

He was named Hungarian Player of the Year in 2002, 2004 and again in 2005.

Since the start of the 2005-06 season he used to struggle constantly with niggling injuries and finally underwent hernia operation in November, 2005. Without Gera West Brom were relegated, but he committed himself to the club in a bid for them to get back into the top flight.

In 2006, he was also featured in a television advertisement for Pepsi, representing the 2006 FIFA World Cup alongside Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and Raúl.

[edit] International career

Gera earned his first international cap on February 13, 2002 in a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland. His first international goal was the first of a hat trick on October 16 2002 in a match against San Marino. Gera was named captain of the Hungarian national team in 2004 and his first match as skipper ended in a 3-1 victory over Latvia.

[edit] Quotes

"He's taken a lot of stuff on board but it doesn't surprise me because of the character he is. He's a great lad to have about the place. He always has a smile on his face and he'll do anything you ask of him in training. Those are the sort of players you want around you. Nearly every manager or coach I talk to at games speaks about Zoltan." (Bryan Robson (WBA))
"The Hungarian was probably West Brom's best player last season with a string of energetic and effective performances down the right. He has an eye for goal too." (Manchester Online)
"I especially like Zoltan Gera on the right, who is a skilful and productive player. If the Baggies do go down, he's the type of player you'd look to pinch." (Mark Lawrenson)
"The 26-year-old has already achieve cult hero status at the Hawthorns after a season where his contribution has played no small part in the Baggies miraculously avoiding the drop." (soccernet.com)

[edit] Honours

Hungarian Championship - 2001, 2004
Hungarian Cup - 2003, 2004
Named in the 2004/2005 Premiership all-star team (soccernet.com)

[edit] International goals

**Zoltán Gera: International Goals**
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 October 2002	Budapest	San Marino	3-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
2	16 October 2002	Budapest	San Marino	3-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
3	16 October 2002	Budapest	San Marino	3-0	Win	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
4	30 April 2003	Budapest	Luxembourg	5-1	Win	Friendly
5	7 June 2003	Budapest	Latvia	3-1	Win	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
6	8 September 2004	Budapest	Iceland	3-2	Win	FIFA World Cup 2006 Qual.
7	17 November 2004	Ta' Qali	Malta	2-0	Win	FIFA World Cup 2006 Qual.
8	4 June 2005	Reykjavík	Iceland	3-2	Win	FIFA World Cup 2006 Qual.
9	4 June 2005	Reykjavík	Iceland	3-2	Win	FIFA World Cup 2006 Qual.
10	16 August 2006	Graz	Austria	2-1	Win	Friendly
11	2 September 2006	Budapest	Norway	1-4	Loss	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
12	6 September 2006	Zenica	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3-1	Win	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.

[edit] External links

West Bromwich Albion F.C. - Current Squad
1 Zuberbühler \| 2 Watson \| 3 Robinson \| 4 Perry \| 5 Clement \| 6 Davies \| 7 Quashie \| 8 Greening \| 9 Ellington \| 10 Hartson \| 11 Gera \| 12 Chaplow \| 13 Steele \| 14 Albrechtsen \| 15 Kamara \| 17 Carter \| 18 Gaardsøe \| 19 Koumas \| 20 McShane \| 21 Phillips \| 23 Forsyth \| 25 Hoult \| 27 Elvins \| 28 Hodgkiss \| 30 Daniels \| 33 Nardiello \| Manager: Mowbray