Nation, captain, bus… 10 things to know about Lukáš Hradecký | OneFootball

Discover the key facts and anecdotes about a goalkeeper with over 650 career matches, who has just been recruited by AS Monaco from Bayer Leverkusen, and who signed this Friday until June 2027.

A new goalkeeper in the Principality. After seven years of good and loyal service in the colors of Bayer Leverkusen, Lukáš Hradecký thus begins a new chapter of his career at the foot of the Rock, where he has signed a two year contract with AS Monaco. While he played his first minutes in Rouge et Blanc against Inter, here are 10 things to know about him. Portrait ✍️

A new country represented 🇫🇮

First and foremost, he has become the first Finnish player in history to play for Monaco! This is a milestone for the Principality’s club, as it is the 63rd nation represented by a player since the club’s creation in 1924. In Ligue 1 McDonald’s, he will succeed Glen Kamara, a midfielder who played for Stade Rennais last season, and help his nation reach the milestone of 10 players having played in the top flight of  French football.

He’s crossed paths with the Rouge et Blanc before 🔙

Although he is preparing to discover a third country after experiences in Denmark and Germany, the pitch at the Stade Louis-II is not completely unknown to him. He had indeed put his boots there during the 2022-2023 season on the occasion of facing the Principality side in the Europa League, lost at the last minute by the Monegasques despite a relentless fight against Bayer Leverkusen (5-5 on aggregate, 3-5 penalties).

He holds dual nationality ✌️

Choosing to play for the “eagle owls,” a nickname that became emblematic of the Scandinavian country after one of these animals appeared on the pitch during a victory against Belgium in 2007, Lukáš was born in Bratislava, the Slovak capital, in November 1989. At the age of one, he and his family moved to Finland, where he remained until he was 20, before joining Danish club Esbjerg fB.

Sports, from father to son 👪

He grew up in the land of a thousand lakes, more precisely in the city of Turku, where his father had landed a semi-professional contract as a volleyball player for the local team. Thus the sporting genes were passed down from father to son, as the future goalkeeper began his career with TPS Turku, the football club in the city where he grew up, at the age of seven.

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Two other favorite sports 🏒

While young Hradecký then turned to football, it wasn’t the sport in which he saw himself fulfilling himself. He considered himself more gifted in tennis or ice hockey, the sport of choice in Finland. Soccer ultimately held his interest more, as he played it daily on a gravel pitch located below the family’s apartment.

100 caps for the national team 💯

Playing his first matches on the pitches of the Scandinavian country, the goalkeeper chose to defend the colors of Finland. Wearing the captain’s armband, he played a central role and notably contributed to Finland’s historic first qualification for the European Championship finals in 2021, before reaching the symbolic milestone of 100 caps last June (101 appearances) in a match against the Netherlands.

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More than 300 matches in the Bundesliga 😲

A true legend and beloved by all fans, Lukáš Hradecký enjoyed a spell at Brøndby IF between 2013 and 2015, before moving to Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt. After three seasons on the banks of the Rhine, he left the club in style, honored as the Bundesliga’s best goalkeeper and named in the 2017-2018 team of the season.

An unbeaten season 🏆

He then arrived a little further north, at Bayer Leverkusen, in the summer of 2018. While the club had five consecutive Champions League qualifications between 2018 and 2023, it was under the command of Xabi Alonso that the North Rhine-Westphalian team achieved the feat of being crowned German champions in 2024-2025, having remained undefeated throughout the entire league seaosn. The Finnish stopper was key to this epic run, reording 17 clean sheets in all competitions (including 15 in the Bundesliga).

A unique passion 🚌

When it comes to passions, aside from football, the Finnish goalkeeper has one that’s… quite unusual, to say the least! When he was still a child, he used to paint buses. With his skills in visual arts more limited than in goal, he became fascinated by these cubic-shaped vehicles, to the point of imagining becoming a bus or taxi driver if he failed at football.

Photo: Bayer Leverkusen

A big fan of cinema 🎬

Fate has finally guided him towards football, and there is reason to be happy about it! While he describes himself as someone who is comfortable talking to others and building social relationships, he has a particular interest in cinema and has listed his top 3 as follows: The Shawshank Redemption, The Intouchables and Just Go with It. Also drawn to literature and music, Sweet Caroline remains his favorite song. The traditional hazing will perhaps be the opportunity to see him in action!

The Shawshank Redemption, starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, is one of the most popular films, and I recently rewatched it. The French film The Intouchables is definitely in the top three and is very moving. There's also an Adam Sandler comedy called Just Go with It. It's a very funny film.