No.14 - Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide United)
Profile
One of the few players from the A-League's first season still involved in the competition, Eugene Galekovic has built a well-earned reputation as one of Australia's top goalkeepers.
The Adelaide United gloveman has been in the Socceroos' squad for the past two World Cups and although he didn't get on the pitch in either South Africa or Brazil, it speaks volumes about how highly rated he is. The 33-year-old has barely played abroad throughout his career but with almost 200 competitive appearances to his name with Adelaide, he has become a legend with the Reds.
A genuine shot-stopper, who can appear to fill the entire goal with his muscular frame, Galekovic added another string to his bow last season, managing to adapt to Josep Gombau's possession-based style at Coopers Stadium. Gombau's philosophy also left Galekovic more exposed than he had been used to previously with the Reds, but he still managed to earn eight cleansheets - second only in the A-League to Western Sydney Wanderers goalkeeper Ante Covic (10), who had a much more defensive side in front of him.
Strengths
Galekovic is arguably the best one-on-one goalkeeper in the A-League, while his close-range stopping ability has left many a commentator grasping for superlatives. Importantly, in a rather physical competition like the A-League, Galekovic is also impressive in the air and his burly frame dishes out as much punishment as it cops when he flies into aerial challenges.
The Melbourne-born keeper has the fourth-highest number of cleansheets in the A-League's history with 50. Brisbane Roar's Michael Theo (62) leads that statistic, while Danny Vukovic of Perth Glory (59) and former Sydney FC and Melbourne Heart custodian Clint Bolton (52) are also ahead of Galekovic. But the Adelaide United man has played fewer games than both Theo and Vukovic.
Despite Adelaide's lack of defensive integrity last season, as Gombau attempted to instil a tiki-taka philosophy at the South Australian club, Galekovic still finished in the top five for saves (80) and top six for save percentage (69 per cent).
Defining moment
The irony for goalkeepers is that the better and more successful their team is, the less chance they will have to show their worth. For Galekovic, this means some of his most memorable performances over the past couple of years have come when he has been left exposed - a one-man wall trying to deny wave after wave of opposition attacks.
In July 2013, Galekovic was the hero for the Socceroos when he almost single-handedly kept South Korea at bay, as Australia secured a scoreless draw in their opening match of the EAFF East Asian Cup in Seoul. The veteran goalkeeper also made some impressive stops over the last two rounds of last season's A-League too, despite Adelaide failing to win either of those games.
There was Galekovic's strong right-handed effort to deny David Williams from the spot in the Reds' 2-2 home draw but it was his double save versus Newcastle Jets the week after that really stood out. While the Jets won the game 2-0, Galekovic ensured the margin wasn't any larger. In the 73rd minute, Newcastle cut Adelaide's defence to pieces but their goalkeeper parried Joel Griffiths' shot from the edge of the six-yard box and then scrambled across to deflect the striker's second effort off his shoulder and over the bar.
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