Fulham
Zoltán Gera played for which team from 2008 to 2011?
Zoltán Gera Zoltán Gera ( ; born 22 April 1979 ) is a Hungarian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder . He played for Fulham , Pécsi Mecsek and Harkány SE , as well as enjoying two spells at Ferencváros and West Bromwich Albion . Gera is known for his overhead-kick goals and his cartwheel to back-flip celebration , which he demonstrated in Fulhams Europa League quarter-final win against Juventus in 2010 . He was named Hungarian Player of the Year in 2002 , 2004 and 2005 . For his efforts in the 2009–10 season and his goals in the Europa League , Gera was named Fulhams Player of the Season . Gera made his international debut for Hungary in 2002 against Switzerland , with his nation losing 2–1 . In 2009 , Gera briefly retired from the national team following a dispute with then-manager Erwin Koeman . When Koeman was replaced by Sándor Egervári in 2010 , Gera returned to Hungarys international squad which he later represented at the 2016 UEFA European Championship . He announced his final retirement from football on 28 June 2018 . Club career . Harkány SE . Gera started his professional career for Harkány SE in 1996 , remaining there for one year before signing for Pécsi Mecsek FC . Pécsi Mecsek . Gera was signed by Pécsi Mecsek in 1997 . During his three-year spell with the club , he made 87 appearances and scored 16 times . On 1 July 2000 , Gera moved to major Hungarian side Ferencváros on a free transfer . Ferencváros . During his four-year spell at Ferencváros , Gera played 115 league games and scored 32 goals . He won the Hungarian league title in 2001 and 2004 , the Magyar Kupa in 2003 and 2004 , and the Szuperkupa in 2004 . He also received his first international call up while with the club . West Bromwich Albion . On 30 July 2004 , Gera moved to English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion for a fee of . He signed a three-year contract with Albion , with a further one-year option in the clubs favour . He made his Premier League debut on 14 August 2004 , replacing Andy Johnson in the 87th minute against Blackburn Rovers . The match ended in a 1–1 draw . Geras first appearance in the starting lineup came on 25 August 2004 against Tottenham Hotspur . He scored his first league goal early in the third minute ; that match also ended in a 1–1 draw . The club struggled against relegation for most of the season , and Gera was portrayed by the media as an integral part of this struggle . Towards the end of the season , however , Geras influence grew . He produced stirring performances , including a match-winning header against Everton on 3 April 2005 . The clubs form quickly improved , securing its continued Premier League status on the last day of the season . Gera scored six league goals in this his first season and was the only player at the club to appear in all 38 league matches . He was nominated in the end-of-season dream team by soccernet.com . During the 2005–06 season , Gera struggled with injuries and underwent a hernia operation in November 2005 . At the end of the season , West Brom were relegated and Gera committed himself to the club . His performance in the clubs 4–2 win against Charlton Athletic on 15 December 2007 , scoring twice and setting up a third goal , earned him a place in the Championship Team of the Week . Gera helped Albion gain promotion in the 2007–08 season ; on 9 June 2008 , he decided to turn down a new contract offer from West Brom , choosing instead to join Fulham in the Premier League on a free transfer . The three-year contract was completed on 11 June 2008 . Fulham . Gera made his Fulham debut in a 2–1 defeat to Hull City on the opening day of the 2008–09 Premier League . Minutes after coming off the bench , he scored Fulhams second goal in a 2–0 win against league leaders Manchester United . During the 2009–10 Premier League season , Gera scored his first goal of the season against West Ham United in a 2–2 draw . On 28 December 2009 , Gera scored his second goal of the season at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea , when he hooked the ball over Petr Čech from 12 yards after four minutes . Despite this early goal , Fulham lost the game 2–1 . Gera went on to score two goals in a man of the match performance against Juventus , Fulham winning 4–1 . He scored the goal which sent Fulham to its first ever European final in a 2–1 victory against Hamburger SV ; while Fulham lost the final 2–1 , Gera did provide the sole goals assist . Having scored ten goals in all competitions , Gera was voted the fans player of the season for Fulhams 2009–10 season . Gera started the 2010–11 season by scoring a hat-trick after coming off the bench in the 66th minute against Werder Bremen in a 5–1 friendly win , and a brace against Port Vale in the second round of the League Cup . His first league goal of the new campaign , a 30-yard volley which deflected off the post and then off the goalkeeper , came at The Hawthorns against former club West Brom . Despite this , Fulham manager Mark Hughes did not regularly start Gera , despite him being a fan favourite , instead using him sparingly as a substitute . Gera was sent off in Fulhams final match of the 2010–11 Premier League season on 22 May 2011 , a 2–2 draw against Arsenal . This was the first red card Fulham had received all season and it nearly cost them a place in the Europa League through UEFAs Fair Play League , but Fulham finished ahead of closest challengers Blackpool by 0.01 points to win the qualifying berth . On 16 June 2011 , Fulham announced that Gera was available on a free transfer as one of three players that were being released by the club Subsequently , Gera looked to rejoin his former club West Brom . Return to West Bromwich Albion . On 2 August 2011 , West Brom boss Roy Hodgson announced that the club had signed Gera on a two-year deal . On 5 November 2011 , he made his second debut for West Brom as a starter in a 3–0 loss to Arsenal . After three first team appearances , Gera was injured in a 3–1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on 26 November 2011 ; he was unavailable for the remainder of the season . After nine months out due to his injury , Gera returned to the starting lineup against Liverpool on the first day of the 2012–13 Premier League season , opening the scoring with a volley from 25 yards , leading to a 3–0 win . On 8 January 2013 , it was confirmed Gera would be out injured for the rest of the season after he injured a knee in a game against Queens Park Rangers . On 1 July 2013 , Geras contract with West Brom expired , making him a free agent for a short period until he signed a new contract for another year with the club . Gera left West Brom in 2014 after his contract expired . Ferencváros . On 2 April 2016 , Gera became Hungarian League champion with Ferencváros after losing to Debreceni VSC 2–1 at the Nagyerdei Stadion in the 2015–16 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season . He scored the only and winning goal in the 2016 Magyar Kupa Final on 7 May 2016 against archrival Újpest FC at the Groupama Arena . International career . Gera earned his first international cap for the Hungary national team on 13 February 2002 in a 2–1 defeat to Switzerland . Up to 2009 , he had played 63 games for Hungary , scoring 18 goals . Before the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 14 October 2009 against Denmark , Gera was excluded from the match squad by coach Erwin Koeman after he arrived late at a team meeting . Following the incident , Gera announced his retirement from the national team . On 23 July 2010 , the newly appointed board of the Hungarian Football Federation terminated the contract of Koeman and appointed Sándor Egervári as the new national team coach . After a personal discussion with Egervári , Gera returned to the national team on 11 August 2010 against England . On 29 March 2011 , Gera scored twice against the Netherlands in the Amsterdam Arena in front of 51,700 spectators in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match . He scored the first goal in the 50th minute and his second goal in the 75th minute . Geras goals , however , were not enough as Hungary lost 5–3 . On 7 September 2012 , Hungary started their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 5–0 win in Andorra ; Gera scored the second goal . On 16 October 2012 , Hungary beat Turkey at home 3–1 . Gera scored the third Hungarian goal . On 31 May 2016 , Gera was selected as vice-captain for the Hungarian squad for Euro 2016 in France . On 14 June , Gera played in the first group match in a 2–0 victory over Austria at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux in Hungarys first match of the tournament . Four days later , on 18 June , he played in a 1–1 draw against Iceland at the Stade Vélodrome , Marseille . On 22 June , he played in the last group match in a 3–3 draw against Portugal at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais , Lyon , and scored the first goal with a terrific half-volley from 25 yards out with his weaker foot . In so doing , he became the second-oldest goalscorer and the oldest goalscorer from open play at a European Championship , aged 37 years and 62 days ; Austrias Ivica Vastić is the oldest scorer , at 38 years and 257 days , when he converted a penalty at Euro 2008 . Geras goal was later voted the Goal of the Tournament in a UEFA online fan poll . Personal life . Gera married on 19 June 2004 ; his wife gave birth to a boy named Szabolcs on 15 March 2008 . Following the birth , he was given leave by his national team manager Péter Várhidi to miss Hungarys friendly against Slovenia to spend time with his family . In 2005 , Gera featured in a television advertisement for Pepsi representing the 2006 World Cup , alongside Thierry Henry , David Beckham , Roberto Carlos , Ronaldinho , Nicklas Bendtner , Neil Ruddock and Raúl . Gera is a member of the Faith Church and was featured in billboard advertisements promoting the organization . He has often defended the Church from its critics and promoted it several times in the media . He credits the Church with saving his life , helping him change his destructive lifestyle which included crime and drug abuse . Honours . Club . Ferencváros - Nemzeti Bajnokság I : 2000–01 , 2003–04 , 2015–16 - Magyar Kupa : 2002–03 , 2003–04 , 2014–15 , 2015–16 , 2016–17 - Szuperkupa : 2004 , 2015 , 2016 West Bromwich Albion - Football League Championship : 2007–08 Fulham - UEFA Europa League runner-up : 2009–10 Individual . - Tibor Simon Award : 2003 - Hungarian Footballer of the Year : 2004 & 2005 - Fulham Player of the Year : 2009–10 - UEFA Euro 2016 Fans Goal of the Tournament External links . - Zoltán Gera official website