Péter Kovács (footballer)
Péter Kovács (born 7 February 1978) is a Hungarian former professional footballer played as a forward for Újpest and Érd in Hungary, for La Neuveville-Lamboing in Switzerland,[1] for Lahti and Haka in Finland, for Tromsø, Viking, Strømsgodset, Odd Grenland, Sarpsborg 08, Sandefjord and Arendal in Norway, and for Lierse in Belgium.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 February 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Salgótarján, Hungary | ||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1995 | Salgótarjáni | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | Újpest | 4 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | → La Neuveville-Lamboing (loan) | ? | (?) |
| 1998 | → Érd (loan) | ? | (?) |
| 1999 | Lahti | 28 | (10) |
| 1999–2002 | Haka | 64 | (21) |
| 2002–2004 | Tromsø | 46 | (24) |
| 2004–2006 | Viking | 29 | (8) |
| 2006–2008 | Strømsgodset | 41 | (17) |
| 2008–2010 | Odd | 80 | (45) |
| 2010–2011 | Lierse | 36 | (5) |
| 2012–2015 | Strømsgodset | 87 | (32) |
| 2015 | Sarpsborg 08 | 10 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | Sandefjord | 28 | (8) |
| 2017 | Arendal | 9 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Stoppen | 8 | (5) |
| 2019 | Re | 9 | (5) |
| Total | 496 | (185) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Hungary | 10 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Kovács was born in Salgótarján, Hungary. When playing for FC Haka he scored a goal against Liverpool in the 2001–02 Champions League qualifyings. Kovács gained notoriety in August 2009, when in the quarter-finals of the Norwegian Cup, he scored a goal against SK Brann after Brann's keeper fell to the ground with an injured knee while trying to clear the ball upfield following a home pass.[2] He also came one goal short of being joint top scorer in the 2009 Norwegian premier league, finishing behind Rade Prica.
He became the top scorer in the 2012 Norwegian premier league, and won the league with Strømsgodset in 2013, during his second spell at the club. On 21 July 2015, he signed a five-month deal with for Sarpsborg 08 on a free transfer.[3] On 10 November 2015, he signed a one-year deal with newly relegated Sandefjord in the Norwegian First Division.[4]
Personal life
Kovács has a relationship with Norwegian female footballer, Melissa Wiik.[5]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 26 November 2017[6]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Újpest FC | 1995–96 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1996–97 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| FC Lahti | 1999 | Veikkausliiga | 28 | 10 | 28 | 10 | ||
| FC Haka | 2000 | Veikkausliiga | 26 | 8 | 26 | 8 | ||
| 2001 | 29 | 7 | 29 | 7 | ||||
| 2002 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 21 | 64 | 21 | ||||
| Tromsø | 2002 | Adeccoligaen | 14 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 14 |
| 2003 | Tippeligaen | 24 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 28 | 13 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 5 | ||
| Total | 46 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 56 | 32 | ||
| Viking | 2004 | Tippeligaen | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| 2005 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 2006 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | ||
| Total | 29 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 8 | ||
| Strømsgodset | 2006 | Adeccoligaen | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 12 |
| 2007 | Tippeligaen | 23 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 10 | |
| Total | 41 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 45 | 22 | ||
| Odd Grenland | 2008 | Adeccoligaen | 29 | 23 | 3 | 6 | 32 | 29 |
| 2009 | Tippeligaen | 29 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 21 | |
| 2010 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 26 | 12 | ||
| Total | 80 | 45 | 12 | 17 | 92 | 62 | ||
| Lierse | 2010–11 | Belgian Pro League | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 |
| 2011–12 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 5 | ||
| Strømsgodset | 2012 | Tippeligaen | 28 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 33 | 22 |
| 2013 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 8 | ||
| 2014 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 27 | 15 | ||
| 2015 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 4 | ||
| Total | 87 | 32 | 13 | 17 | 100 | 49 | ||
| Sarpsborg 08 | 2015 | Tippeligaen | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Sandefjord | 2016 | OBOS-ligaen | 26 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 31 | 10 |
| 2017 | Eliteserien | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 10 | ||
| Arendal | 2017 | OBOS-ligaen | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Career Total | 478 | 174 | 48 | 49 | 526 | 223 | ||
International goal
- Score and result list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Kovács goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 November 2004 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta |  Malta | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
FC Haka
- Finnish Championship: 2000
- Finnish Cup: 2002
Strømsgodset
- Norwegian Championship: 2013
Individual
- Norwegian Cup Top goalscorer: 2012
- Norwegian Premier League top goalscorer: 2012
- Norwegian First Division top goalscorer: 2008
References
- "Finnországban már bizonyított". nol.hu (in Hungarian). 12 February 2002. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- Scoring on an Injured Keeper: Péter Kovács Won’t Make the FIFA Fair Play Award Shortlist Archived 12 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- "Kovacs forlater Godset" (in Norwegian). Strømsgodset Toppfotball. 21 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- "Kovacs klar for SF!" (in Norwegian). Sandefjord Fotball. 10 November 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- Dale, Richard Sveaas (23 April 2008). "Mål-Wiik har fått måltips". Budstikka (in Norwegian).
- "Soccerway profile". int.soccerway.com/. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
External links
- Péter Kovács at Soccerway
- Péter Kovács at National-Football-Teams.com
- Péter Kovács at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
- Magyarfutball.hu Profile