Leipzig star recalls memories of ‘phenomenal’ Liverpool man ahead of Reds reunion
RB Leipzig and former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi has recalled his fond memories of the Anfield club, ahead of his reunion with the Reds on Tuesday.
The Hungarian moved to Liverpool for less than £1million in 2008, but remained Pepe Reina and Doni’s understudy.
Indeed, he did not earn a single minute for the first team. While he played 25 games for the Under-23s, four loan spells to three different clubs dominated his time as a Red.
However, he lived through several memorable moments and worked with several similarly memorable players during his time on Merseyside.
Speaking to The Athletic, the 30-year-old revealed how Steven Gerrard is among those to have left a mark on his career.
“I can count the number of pens I saved from him [Gerrard] on one hand,” the goalkeeper said.
He added that “Luis Suarez‘s free-kicks were phenomenal” and Fernando Torres was “the best in one-vs-one situations”.
“I have the best memories. Just being at a fantastic club with unbelievably good players was a great experience,” he said.
“Every training felt like a game, nobody wanted to lose. As a young goalkeeper, you had to be 100 per cent all the time.”
Gulacsi struggled for game time due to Reina’s dominance as Liverpool’s No. 1 goalkeeper.
However, the Hungary international will be forever grateful for the advice the Spaniard gave him.
Gulacsi thankful for Reina advice
“We are completely different in terms of build and style. Technically, he was a really strong goalkeeper but what I learned from him especially was having a kind of elite mindset,” Gulacsi said.
“In those six years he missed, I think, maybe a few games. Because he was really, really focused on playing every single game.
“He was so consistent, never showing any weakness, he was strong all the time. To see that up close was an experience I could really use later in my career.”
Indeed, Gulacsi has taken such advice on well, notching up over 200 games for Leipzig since his 2015 move. He also played 100 times for RB Salzburg after leaving Liverpool in 2015.
However, he will cast aside his association on Tuesday, when Leipzig face Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Liverpool come into the game off the back of another bruising defeat, this time away to Leicester. Leipzig, meanwhile, beat Augsburg 2-1 in Bundesliga action on Friday.
