Lukáš Hradecký: "Very proud to be part of this project now" | OneFootball

Two days before the big match against Le Havre (Saturday, 7 p.m.), the first match of the team's Ligue 1 season, the Finnish goalkeeper, who arrived in the Principality last week, was presented to journalists, alongside Thiago Scuro, CEO, and Adi Hütter.

He had an intense weekend last week. Officially signing as a Monégasque Friday and then debuting that night, Lukáš Hradecký got on the pitch quicky against Inter Milan at the Stade Louis-II, a stadium that the Finnish goalkeeper will return to this Saturday against Le Havre (Saturday, 7 p.m.). But before this first day of Ligue 1, he was presented to the press this Thursday, alongside Thiago Scuro, the Club’s CEO, and Adi Hütter.🎙️

Thiago Scuro and Carlos Aviña presented the club's project to me, then Adi Hütter called me. I was convinced and decided to come to AS Monaco. I think there's a good mix of players, just like at Leverkusen two years ago when we had a very successful season. I'm very proud to be part of this project now, and I hope I can help it achieve this success.

The reason for his arrival in Monaco

(In French) Hello, my name is Lukáš. I’m happy to be here; I’m a goalkeeper. (In English) Thiago Scuro and Carlos Aviña presented the club’s project to me, then Adi Hütter called me. I was convinced and decided to come to AS Monaco. I think there’s a good mix of players, just like at Leverkusen two years ago when we had a very successful season. I’m very proud to be part of this project now, and I hope I can help it achieve this success.

Bringing his experience

I know my strengths and I hope I can bring them here to help the team. I’ll do my best with my experience and calm so that my teammates around me are also calm. Of course, I’m not perfect—no one is in football—but I’ll do the best I can.

Comparisons with Bayer Leverkusen

As I said, we had a very successful period with Leverkusen; it was a historic year for the club. I’m happy and proud of it because it seemed impossible to finish an entire season undefeated. It was about being healthy, having the right environment to win matches, and continuing to move forward, regardless of our opponents.

We were very strong in that area; we didn’t look back; we were always focused on the next match. That’s what we need to do to compete at the highest level. I see a very talented team here. You never know what’s going to happen in football, but there’s always the possibility of achieving something similar.

Not playing in the Europa League this season

I wanted to play in it, but it wasn’t my decision (smiles). Whether it’s with Monaco, Leverkusen, or the Finnish national team, everything depends on the team. If the coach decides something, you have to respect it. For a goalkeeper, physical fitness isn’t the most important thing, but mental focus is. Maybe not playing in European matches helped me in the following matches, but I’m always ready when the coach needs me. I feel good; I’ve been lucky with injuries. It’s true that I’m 35, but I feel like I’m only 30.

I don't know if stability is the right term. We talked a lot about the past, now we're looking to the future. I'm glad Lukáš is here today, I welcome him. He chose to be here, it was a long process because we had to find the right solution with his former club. I appreciate his commitment and his efforts to join the Club. We will now work hard to help him succeed here, it's as simple as that. We expect a lot from the team, not just from him, to perform and work hard. It's an internal commitment.

AS Monaco and Finland

Finland is not a big football country, even though we have more supporters for the national team. Another Finnish player plays for Paris FC (Tuomas Ollila), so there are now two of us playing in Ligue 1. I have to learn the characteristics of French football, the style of play of the strikers… I am looking forward to this new challenge and I hope I will not be the last Finnish player to play here. For that, I will need to do a good job.

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His qualities in goal

That’s a good question (laughs). Thanks to my experience, I know that you can’t always make the right decision 100% of the time, but it has to make life easier for my defenders so that they have confidence in me. Of course, stopping shots is an important part of my role. I don’t think I have many weaknesses; I’m good in many areas. I like to distribute the ball so that the play can start from the back, which is the style requested by the coach.

What he knows of the Club

I played with Kevin Volland at Bayer Leverkusen, so I was able to talk to him. I know that Alexander Nübel, whom I had the opportunity to face against when he was with Stuttgart, played here. In the squad, the coach, Denis Zakaria and Breel Embolo have also been through the Bundesliga. I didn’t need any convincing to come here, because as Thiago Scuro said, it was my choice since AS Monaco is a fantastic opportunity. I’ve already been to Monaco several times, it’s a beautiful place but I come to play football.

I've known Lukáš since 2018, when I joined Eintracht Frankfurt. It was probably because of me that he left the club at that time (he jokes). More seriously, after a great season crowned by a Cup victory, Lukáš left with nothing but praise. He was a key player in the team, everyone there really liked him, and during my four years in Germany, he showed what a great goalkeeper he was.

The Europa League tie en 2023

The team has changed quite a bit since then and I’m sorry about that even though it was good for us (laughs). I had already seen that there was a good level in the team, although it’s not the same today. I was able to get to know my teammates better this week and as I said, there is a lot of talent. The newcomers come with experience and I’m sure we’ll do something good, if not great. I’ve known the Stade Louis-II since that match in 2023, I’m looking forward to this season.

The evolution of his game over the past ten years

Twenty or 25 years ago, you could still take the ball in your hands when there was a back pass. I think the most important thing is to adapt and not stick to your beliefs, whether in life or in football. You have to be open to other ideas, other training methods. I worked for seven years with the same goalkeeping coach at Bayer Leverkusen. I’ll have to readjust as I was able to do in Germany after my long stint in Denmark, but I’m always eager to learn something new.

On Ligue 1

I tried to watch PSG’s match against Tottenham yesterday. With Leverkusen, we played against Brest last season and Nice. I need to learn how French clubs play. Today, we had a meeting to discuss this weekend’s match against Le Havre. I don’t know who the league broadcaster is, but I’ll need to get a subscription to be able to watch matches at home.

When you spend 10 years in the Bundesliga and reach the 100-cap mark for your national team, it means something. Especially since he also took part in the historic double with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023-2024, which means he has accumulated a lot of experience over the years. He is a fantastic goalkeeper and we are very happy to have him here at AS Monaco.

As I said, I’m trying to learn French. I don’t know how many months it will take, but I have an app on my phone for that. I already know a few words like “left, right, forward, goalkeeper.” It will come little by little. I speak five languages: English, German, Slovak, Finnish, and Danish. My parents are of Slovak origin. I mainly speak Finnish with my brother. If we need to communicate secretly in Slovakia, we speak Finnish (smiles).

His Passions

It’s true that I’ve already been to the Monaco Automobile Museum. When I’m with my family, I try to play with my daughter. You know how tiring it can be, so when I can sleep, I sleep. My life revolves mainly around football and my family. That’s why I try to be a good father and a good goalkeeper at AS Monaco.

His expectations for the season

As a team, we want to improve every year. That’s the signal that was sent this summer with the transfer window and the arrival of certain players. We want to qualify for the Champions League again. We’ll have to be a team capable of winning match after match and building a strong structure and style of play. I’m lucky to have had all this experience with Leverkusen; I hope I can contribute something to help the team.

His first match against Inter Milan

I participated in preseason with my former club, which allowed me to stay in shape physically. I wanted to play straight away to get to know my teammates better. It had been an intense day; I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to complete the medicals before signing the contract in the afternoon.

We lost the match in a rather silly way, but the most important thing was to get some minutes here. As for communication on the pitch with my teammates, we’ll improve in the next few matches.

There's always pressure; you need to have butterflies in your stomach. But of course, because of my age and experience, I know how to handle it better. No one's perfect; everyone can make mistakes. So you have to be able to bounce back quickly and learn to avoid repeating it. The pressure is always there in my position at our level, but you can't focus on it

The team’s defensive system

It doesn’t matter to me if we play with three, four, or five defenders. My former coach, Xabi Alonso, also changed systems a lot. We can’t play the same way all the time. As a goalkeeper, you have to adapt to every situation. We want to be a team that’s difficult for our opponents to read.

Pressure?

There’s always pressure; you need to have butterflies in your stomach. But of course, because of my age and experience, I know how to handle it better. No one’s perfect; everyone can make mistakes. So you have to be able to bounce back quickly and learn to avoid repeating it. The pressure is always there in my position at our level, but you can’t focus on it. If I know I’ve had a bad day, I go home and forget about it.