Lukas Hradecky

Lukas Hradecky (Slovak: Lukáš Hradecký; born 24 November 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the Finland national team. Born in Bratislava, present-day Slovakia, Hradecky was raised in the Finnish city of Turku from the age of one. He began his senior club career playing for TPS, before signing with Esbjerg fB at age 19 in 2009. After winning his first trophy, the Danish 1st Division, during his third season in Denmark, he helped Esbjerg win the Danish Cup in 2013. Hradecky was named Finnish Footballer of the Year by the Football Association of Finland in three consecutive seasons (2016 to 2018). In the 2023–24 season, under the management of Xabi Alonso, Hradecky captained Bayer Leverkusen to their first ever Bundesliga championship title. Formerly an international at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, Hradecky made his debut for Finland in May 2010 at the age of 20. He appeared in nine out of ten of Finland's UEFA Euro 2020 qualification matches and helped the national team secure its first ever appearance at the UEFA European Championship.