Yes, Hungary’s goalkeeper really does wear sweatpants every game
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Would you believe it if I told you the oldest player to ever appear in a European Championship game was a bald goalkeeper in sweatpants? Actually, wait, that’s exactly what you’d expect from an old guy.
At any rate, Hungarian goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly’s sweats are the talk of the Austria-Hungary game. To answer your question, yes, he really does wear them every time he plays, and it's because of two tremendous reasons: comfort and superstition.
Kiraly started wearing sweats during a cold snap one winter in Hungary 20 years ago and hasn’t looked back.
“I’m not a top model, my job is defending, it’s both a physical and psychological thing, I don’t feel comfortable without them,” Kiraly told World Soccer Talk.
In another interview with FIFA's official website, he explained how it's become a superstition.
"I’ve played in them since I was with Szombathely in 1996," he said. "On one occasion, the black ones hadn’t made it into the wash, so I had to wear grey. We then went unbeaten for our next eight or nine games and saved ourselves from relegation, so wherever I’ve gone since then, they’ve been my lucky charm. That's not going to change now!"
Fortunately, he doesn’t wear sweats all the time off the field.
Boris Streubel/UEFA/Getty Images
Oh, and he can still make acrobatic saves.
