 Masopust with the1962 Ballon d'Or | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1931-02-09)9 February 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Střimice,Czechoslovakia | ||
| Date of death | 29 June 2015(2015-06-29) (aged 84) | ||
| Place of death | Prague, Czech Republic | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1945–1950 | ZSJ Uhlomost Most | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1950–1952 | ZSJ Technomat Teplice | 54 | (10) |
| 1952–1968 | Dukla Prague | 386 | (79) |
| 1968–1970 | Crossing Molenbeek | 43 | (9) |
| Total | 483 | (98) | |
| International career | |||
| 1954–1966 | Czechoslovakia | 63 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1973–1976 | Dukla Prague | ||
| 1976–1980 | Zbrojovka Brno | ||
| 1980–1984 | Hasselt | ||
| 1984–1987 | Czechoslovakia | ||
| 1988–1991 | Indonesia U19 | ||
| 1992 | Zbrojovka Brno | ||
| 1993–1996 | FK Pelikán Děčín | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Josef Masopust (9 February 1931 – 29 June 2015) was a Czechfootball player and coach. He played asmidfielder and was a key player forCzechoslovakia, helping them reach the1962 FIFA World Cup Final.[1] He was capped 63 times, scoring ten goals for his national team.[2]
He was namedEuropean Footballer of the Year in 1962. In November 2003, to celebrateUEFA's Jubilee, Masopust was selected as his country'sGolden Player by theFootball Association of the Czech Republic as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He was named byPelé as one of thetop 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
Masopust was born on 9 February 1931 in Střimice (today non-existent village in the territory ofMost).
Masopust's first club was lowlyZSJ Uhlomost Most, but ZSJ Technomat Teplice (renamed to ZSJ Vodotechna Teplice in 1951) signed him as a 19-year-old left-half and gave him his top-flight debut. Then, in 1952, he joined a Czechoslovak Armed Forces football club under name of ATK Praha (renamed to ÚDA Praha in 1953 and toDukla Prague in winter 1956). Masopust won eight league championships and three national cups with Dukla.[3] They also reached the semi-finals of the1966–67 European Cup, losing to the eventual winners of the competition (Celtic).[3]
When he eventually went abroad in 1968, he helpedCrossing Molenbeek win promotion to the Belgian first division as player-coach. His coaching career continued at Dukla, however his only Czechoslovak league title as a coach came withZbrojovka Brno in the 1977–78 season.[4] Later, between 1984 and 1987, he led theCzechoslovakia national team, overseeing a total of 27 matches.[5] He subsequently had a spell in Indonesia where he coached their national Olympic football team withMilan Bokša between 1988 and 1991.[5]
Masopust made his international debut in October 1954, in a friendly match againstHungary.[6] He helpedCzechoslovakia qualify for the1958 FIFA World Cup, but the team were knocked out after a play-off match againstNorthern Ireland.[6] He then went on to finish the1955-60 Central European International Cup as winner in 1960. Czechoslovakia then finished in third place in the new tournament1960 UEFA European Football Championship, losing to theSoviet Union in the semi-final and defeatingFrance in the third place match.[6]
In 1962, Masopust led the Czechoslovakia team that reached the1962 FIFA World Cup Final, losing toBrazil. He scored the opening goal in the Final, but Brazil came back to win 3–1.[4] Because of his performance at the World Cup Finals, he was namedEuropean Footballer of the Year in 1962.
Having represented theRest of the World team againstEngland in 1963, Masopust was invited to play for aEuropean International XI in the farewell match forStanley Matthews, when the 50-year-old Matthews retired from football in 1965.[3] Czechoslovakia failed to qualify for the1966 World Cup;[3] Masopust had only played in one qualification match, a 1–0 defeat againstRomania in May 1965.[6] His last international appearance was in May 1966, in a friendly match against the Soviet Union.[3][6] Overall, he was capped 63 times for his national team, scoring ten goals.[3][6]
Early in his career, Masopust played as aleft half.[3] By the time of the1962 World Cup, he had moved to thecentre half position.[3]
Masopust was in a similar mould to that of the HungarianJózsef Bozsik; a workhorse of his team, who also created attacking opportunities. He had excellent ball control, which he utilised for both recovering the ball in defence and dribbling past opponents.[3] Like Bozsik, Masopust was also an excellent passer of the ball. He was not great at tackling opponents, but he compensated for this by anticipating his opponents' actions and intercepting their passes.[3]
Shackled by Czechoslovakia's "no-risk" style philosophy, Masopust's natural inclination for attack was limited, yet he still managed ten goals in 63 caps for his national team. At club level, he scored 79 times in 386 appearances for Dukla Prague. Many of his Dukla teammates also played for the national team, which gave them a greater understanding than some of their opponents.[3]
A statue of Masopust was built outside Dukla'sStadion Juliska and was unveiled in June 2011.[1]
Masopust died on 29 June 2015 at his home in Prague at the age of 84. Although no cause of death was given,Czech Television stated that he had been fighting an unspecified long, serious illness.[7]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| ZSJ Technomat Teplice | 1950 | Czechoslovak First Division | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 1951 | 24 | 3 | — | — | — | 24 | 3 | |||||
| 1952 | 26 | 7 | — | — | — | 26 | 7 | |||||
| Total | 54 | 10 | — | — | — | 54 | 10 | |||||
| Dukla Prague | 1953 | Czechoslovak First Division | 14 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | 3 |
| 1954 | 12 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1955 | 19 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 | 2 | 25 | 3 | ||
| 1956 | 17 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 19 | 2 | ||
| 1957 | 21 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | 24 | 5 | ||
| 1957-58 | 18 | 1 | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | 20 | 1 | ||
| 1958-59 | 20 | 4 | - | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | 24 | 5 | ||
| 1959-60 | 21 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | 9 | ||
| 1960-61 | 26 | 11 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 28 | 11 | ||
| 1961-62 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | - | - | - | 34 | 5 | ||
| 1962-63 | 25 | 8 | 1 | - | 6 | 1 | - | - | 32 | 9 | ||
| 1963-64 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | - | - | 33 | 6 | ||
| 1964-65 | 20 | 1 | 3 | - | 5 | 1 | - | - | 28 | 2 | ||
| 1965-66 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 2 | - | - | 4 | 1 | 27 | 8 | ||
| 1966-67 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | - | - | 28 | 10 | ||
| 1967-68 | 13 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 17 | 1 | ||
| Total | 313 | 63 | 21 | 6 | 37 | 5 | 15 | 5 | 386 | 80 | ||
| Crossing Molenbeek | 1968-69 | Belgian First Division | 27 | 8 | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | 30 | 8 |
| 1969-70 | 14 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 41 | 9 | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | 44 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 508 | 82 | 21 | 6 | 37 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 483 | 99 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czechoslovakia | 1954 | 1 | 0 |
| 1955 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1956 | 10 | 2 | |
| 1957 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1958 | 10 | 2 | |
| 1959 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1960 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1961 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1962 | 11 | 3 | |
| 1963 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1964 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1965 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1966 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 63 | 10 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 May 1956 | Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland |  Switzerland | 6–1 | 6–1 | 1955–60 Central European International Cup |
| 2 | 8 August 1956 | Estádio do Pacaembu, São Paulo, Brazil |  Brazil | 1–3 | 1–4 | Friendly |
| 3 | 30 August 1958 | Strahov Stadium, Prague,Czechoslovakia |  Soviet Union | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 13 December 1958 | Stadio Luigi Ferraris,Genoa, Italy |  Italy | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1955–60 Central European International Cup |
| 5 | 1 May 1960 | Strahov Stadium, Prague, Czechoslovakia |  Austria | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 22 May 1960 | Stadionul 23 August,Bucharest, Romania |  Romania | 1–0 | 2–0 | EURO 1960 |
| 7 | 29 October 1961 | Strahov Stadium, Prague, Czechoslovakia |  Republic of Ireland | 6–1 | 7–1 | 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 17 June 1962 | Estadio Nacional,Santiago, Chile | Brazil | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1962 FIFA World Cup Final |
| 9 | 16 September 1962 | Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria | Austria | 2–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 4–0 |
Dukla Prague[8]
Czechoslovakia[8]
Individual
Czechoslovakia squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
