Hungarian Gábor Király (44) has a brilliant career behind him, with good periods in both England and Germany. He is best remembered as a legend in Hertha Berlin, where he played 198 games from 1997 to 2004.
But for many Norwegians, he will always be remembered for something else. He was the man who guarded the cage when Hungary shattered Norway’s European Championship dream in 2015.
With his well-known gray sweatpants, he almost became a face on the losses against Hungary. Király and the other Hungarian players could laugh last. Norway lost 1-3 overall.
This meant that Hungary went to the European Championships in France, while Norway had to stay at home – once again.
– I’ll never forget it. Some laughed at us. This was very funny, because I think Norway was quite far from Hungary’s level. We just wanted to work hard in the matches in Norway and Hungary, says Kiraly to Dagbladet.
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– We were not lucky
Hungary was considered an affordable resistance for Norway. Especially considering that the Norwegians beat Croatia and played a pretty good match against Italy ahead of the playoffs.
In addition, Hungary had not been in a final for 23 years. Norway, for its part, had not managed it in 15 years.
Király will not call the feat «luck».
– We won both matches. We were not lucky in winning with an away goal or something like that, but we beat them – both times, Király points out.
Prepared for pig games
Although he is aware that his sweatpants have become well known in Norway, he does not care about the criticism he receives for wearing them.
– I played with gray sweatpants for 23 years. I may not have looked like a model, but it was important to me in the same way that other players are interested in gloves and socks, he says.
– What do you think about the attention your pants got?
– I did not read the newspapers, and I do not care about it. It was my performance that mattered. Some people thought it was funny – junk, maybe – but I did not care, says Király.
– Do you think Norway underestimated you?
– I think so. They may have had better players than us, but in 180 minutes we were the best team. In the course of ten matches against Norway, we may lose eight of them, but we won the two most important, he says.
He believes that the Norwegian players took the task too lightly.
– I remember that I saw some Norwegian players talk together along the way that they should be able to decide the match later. But it did not happen, and they only got weaker, Király believes.
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The tragedy before the start of the match
The goalkeeper icon, who has 108 international caps for Hungary, recalls that charging for the match was a nightmare for the Hungarians.
Király and his teammates lost a goalkeeper colleague. Márton Fülöp turned 32 years old after losing the battle against cancer.
– It was a very difficult day for all of us. We were going to play away against Norway, and we had to prepare mentally and physically, but we had lost a young man the same morning, says Király.
He felt that his goalkeeping job became extra important that night. And he delivered an impeccable match. Hungary kept a clean sheet and beat Norway 1-0 at Ullevaal.
– Insane
– I thought we had to keep zero to show respect to him. That was the kind of energy we wanted to show everyone who was watching. When we won, we were happy, but otherwise not, says Kiraly.
It is also part of the story that Hungary impressed in the European Championships. They won the group, and they played 3-3 against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
Claims Dortmund is shaking
It said stop in the quarterfinals against Belgium.
Today he runs his own football club called Király SZE. They play at level four in Hungary, and the training facility that Király has built has been in operation since 2003. In 2005, he started the aforementioned football club.
He first ran it from England and Germany, but after the end of his career he can show more presence in the club, as he lives in Hungary.
In addition, he gives motivational lectures at workplaces and at schools.
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