Zoltán Gera facts for kids

This page is about the Hungarian footballer. For the Hungarian actor, see Zoltán Gera (actor).

The native form of this personal name is Gera Zoltán. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Quick facts for kids
Zoltán Gera
Personal information
Gera playing for Hungary at Euro 2016
Full name	Zoltán Gera
Date of birth	(1979-04-22) 22 April 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Pécs, Hungary
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Vasas SC (manager)
Youth career
1993–1996	Pécsi Bőrgyár
	Pécsi Zsolnay
	Pécsi Kinizsi
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1996–1997	Harkány SE
1997–2000	Pécs	71	(14)
2000–2004	Ferencváros	115	(32)
2004–2008	West Bromwich Albion	135	(21)
2008–2011	Fulham	86	(5)
2011–2014	West Bromwich Albion	30	(4)
2014–2018	Ferencváros	89	(15)
Total		526	(91)
International career
1999–2000	Hungary U21	3	(0)
2002–2017	Hungary	97	(26)
Managerial career
2018–2019	Ferencváros (assistant manager)
2018–2021	Hungary (assistant manager)
2019–2024	Hungary U21
2024	Vasas SC
2024–	Kecskeméti TE
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Zoltán Gera (born on 22 April 1979) is a Hungarian former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder for several teams. These included Fulham, Pécsi Mecsek, and Harkány SE. He also had two periods playing for Ferencváros and West Bromwich Albion.

Gera was famous for his amazing overhead-kick goals. He also had a cool cartwheel to back-flip celebration. He showed this off in 2010 during Fulham's Europa League win against Juventus. He was named Hungarian Player of the Year three times. For his great playing in the 2009–10 season, Fulham fans voted him their Player of the Season.

Gera first played for the Hungarian national team in 2002. He played against Switzerland. He briefly left the team in 2009 but returned in 2010. He played for Hungary in the 2016 UEFA European Championship. Gera officially stopped playing football on 28 June 2018.

Gera's Club Football Journey
Gera's International Career
Gera's Managerial Career
Gera's Personal Life
Images for kids
Gera's Football Achievements
See also

Gera's Club Football Journey

Starting at Harkány SE

Gera began his professional football career in 1996. He played for Harkány SE for one year. After that, he joined Pécsi Mecsek FC.

Time with Pécsi Mecsek

Gera joined Pécsi Mecsek in 1997. He played 87 games and scored 16 goals over three years. On 1 July 2000, Gera moved to a bigger Hungarian team, Ferencváros.

Playing for Ferencváros

Gera played 115 league games for Ferencváros. He scored 32 goals during his four years there. He helped the team win the Hungarian league title in 2001 and 2004. They also won the Magyar Kupa in 2003 and 2004. While at Ferencváros, he was first called up to play for his country.

Moving to West Bromwich Albion

On 30 July 2004, Gera joined the English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. The club paid about £1.5 million for him. He signed a three-year contract. He played his first Premier League game on 14 August 2004. He scored his first goal on 25 August 2004 against Tottenham Hotspur.

West Bromwich Albion had a tough season. Gera became a very important player for the team. He scored a winning goal against Everton in April 2005. The team improved and stayed in the Premier League. Gera scored six goals that season. He was the only player to play in all 38 league matches.

In the 2005–06 season, Gera had some injuries. West Bromwich Albion was moved down to a lower league. Gera stayed with the club. He helped them get promoted back to the Premier League in the 2007–08 season. He scored a key goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in April. On 9 June 2008, he decided to join Fulham.

Exciting Years at Fulham

Gera playing for Fulham

Gera in action for Fulham in August 2009

Gera played in the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final.

Gera played his first game for Fulham in August 2008. He scored his first goal for Fulham against Manchester United. In the 2009–10 Premier League season, he scored against West Ham United. He also scored a great goal against Chelsea.

Gera scored two goals in a fantastic game against Juventus. Fulham won that game 4–1. He scored the goal that sent Fulham to their first ever European final. This was a 2–1 win against Hamburger SV. Fulham lost the final, but Gera helped set up their only goal. Fans voted him Fulham's player of the season for his efforts.

Gera started the 2010–11 season with a hat-trick in a friendly game. He also scored two goals in a League Cup match. His first league goal of the season was a long shot against his old club, West Brom. Gera was sent off in Fulham's last game of the season. This was the only red card Fulham received all season.

On 16 June 2011, Fulham announced that Gera was leaving the club. He was free to join any team. Gera then decided to go back to West Brom.

Coming Back to West Bromwich Albion

On 2 August 2011, West Brom signed Gera again. He signed a two-year deal. He played his second first game for West Brom on 5 November 2011. Sadly, he got injured in November 2011. He missed the rest of that season.

After nine months, Gera returned to play. He started against Liverpool and scored a goal from far away. West Brom won 3–0. On 8 January 2013, Gera injured his knee again. This meant he missed the rest of that season too. His contract with West Brom ended in July 2013. He signed a new one-year deal. Gera left West Brom for good in 2014.

Final Period at Ferencváros

On 2 April 2016, Gera became a Hungarian League champion with Ferencváros. They won the 2015–16 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season.

He scored the only goal in the 2016 Magyar Kupa Final. This was on 7 May 2016 against their rivals Újpest FC.

Gera's International Career

Zoltán Gera playing for Hungary in November 2011

Gera first played for the Hungarian national team on 13 February 2002. He played 63 games and scored 18 goals by 2009. He briefly retired from the national team in 2009. This was after a disagreement with the coach. He returned to the team in August 2010.

On 29 March 2011, Gera scored two goals against the Netherlands. Hungary lost that game 5–3. On 7 September 2012, Hungary started their World Cup qualifying games. Gera scored a goal in a 5–0 win against Andorra. On 16 October 2012, Hungary beat Turkey 3–1, with Gera scoring the third goal.

On 31 May 2016, Gera was chosen as vice-captain for the Hungarian team at Euro 2016. He played in the first group match, a 2–0 win over Austria. He also played in a 1–1 draw against Iceland. On 22 June, he played in a 3–3 draw against Portugal. He scored the first goal with a fantastic shot from far away. At 37 years and 62 days old, he became one of the oldest goalscorers in a European Championship. Fans later voted his goal the "Goal of the Tournament."

Gera's Managerial Career

Coaching Hungary U-21 Team

In 2019, Zoltán Gera became the head coach of the Hungary national under-21 football team. His first game as coach was a 0–0 draw against Denmark on 6 September 2019. He left this role on 26 February 2024.

Managing Vasas

Gera was appointed manager of the Nemzeti Bajnokság II club Vasas SC on 26 February 2024. Vasas did not get promoted to the top division. This was after a loss to Győr. He was removed from his position at Vasas on 21 August 2024.

Coaching Kecskemét

On 16 October 2024, Gera became the manager of Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Kecskeméti TE. He knew it would be a challenging job. His first game with Kecskemét was a 3–0 loss to Puskás Akadémia FC.

Gera's Personal Life

Gera got married on 19 June 2004. His wife gave birth to their son, Szabolcs, on 15 March 2008. Gera was given time off from his national team duties to be with his family. In 2005, Gera appeared in a TV advertisement for Pepsi. It was for the 2006 World Cup. He was in it with other famous footballers like Thierry Henry and David Beckham.

Gera is a member of the Faith Church. He has spoken positively about the Church in the media. He says the Church helped him change his life for the better.