 Michalík playing forKairat in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ľubomír Michalík[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-08-13)13 August 1983 (age 42)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Čadca,Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | OFK Matúškovo | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2000 | Čadca | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2003 | Čadca | ? | (?) |
| 2004 | Žiar nad Hronom | ? | (?) |
| 2005–2006 | Senec | 20 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | Bolton Wanderers | 11 | (1) |
| 2007 | →Leeds United (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | Leeds United | 49 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | →Carlisle United (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Carlisle United | 55 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | Portsmouth | 18 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Kairat Almaty | 43 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | DAC Dunajská Streda | 61 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Sereď | 62 | (3) |
| 2019 | Slovan Galanta | 13 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Sereď | 38 | (0) |
| 2022 | Slovan Galanta | 17 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Nové Zámky | 15 | (0) |
| 2024– | OFK Matúškovo | 15 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2006–2015 | Slovakia | 8 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:29, 6 January 2024 (UTC) | |||
Ľubomír Michalík (born 13 August 1983) is a former Slovak professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back for a semi-professional side OFK Matúškovo.
Michalík was born inČadca.[1] He played forČadca's youth teams before making his first team debut aged 17.[2][3] He later had a spell atŽiar nad Hronom before joiningSlovak Superliga clubSenec in 2006.[2][3]
He signed forBolton Wanderers in January 2007 on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee.[4] On 28 April 2007, Michalík scored his first and only goal for Bolton, in a 2–2 away draw againstChelsea atStamford Bridge.[5]
In March 2007, Michalík made a loan switch toLeeds United on a one-month loan deal.[6] The defender's performances earned a great deal of credit from the Leeds faithful, particularly due to his match-winning goal on 7 April in a 2–1 victory overPlymouth Argyle.[7] As a result of his strong performances, then Leeds managerDennis Wise extended the Slovakian's loan deal until the end of the season, although Bolton recalled Michalik back due to a spate of injuries to their first choice centre-backs. Michalik played the rest of the season with Bolton and even managed to score against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. During his spell back at Bolton, Leeds were relegated to League 1.
Wise continued to reiterate his liking for the player, and attempted to re-sign the defender in the January 2008 transfer window. A deal was reported to be closed, believed to be involving a £500,000 fee, when Wise left the manager's post to head forNewcastle United. However, upon the appointment ofGary McAllister as Leeds boss, the Yorkshire side remained insistent on their determination to sign the Slovak. On the final day of the transfer window, a deal was concluded and Michalik signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. Bolton seemed willing to sell having recruitedGary Cahill as a replacement. Michalik made 13 first-team appearances in the 2007–08 season.
Michalík managed to establish himself as one of Leeds' first-choice defenders, often partneringPaul Huntington. On 6 September 2008, Michalik was sent off in a match for Leeds againstCrewe Alexandra for his second bookable offence. Leeds went on and won the match 5–2. During the middle of the 2008–09 season after a number of inconsistent performances Michalik was dropped from the Leeds team by new managerSimon Grayson in favour of new loan signingRichard Naylor. Michalik never regained a starting place and found himself on the bench for the remainder of the season. A role which has continued into the 2009–10 season.
Michalik scored his second goal for Leeds which was his first since signing a permanent deal againstStockport County on 5 September 2009.[8] He started the 2009–10 season mainly as a substitute, but had been required to come off the bench on several occasions and play a vital role for Leeds. It has been said his form has greatly improved under managerSimon Grayson. Michalik had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside in the League Cup tie against Liverpool. Replays showed thatJermaine Beckford andLuciano Becchio were onside. Michalik started the game for Leeds againstBrighton & Hove Albion, and withRichard Naylor still injured Michalik once again partneredPatrick Kisnorbo at centre back againstLeyton Orient and kept consecutive clean sheets. Michalik started the game againstKettering Town and was judged to be at fault for the goal conceded withCasper Ankergren also sharing the blame. Despite the error Michalik started his 4th game in a row in the league game againstOldham Athletic. Michalik kept his place in the Leeds team for the game againstHuddersfield Town and the FA Cup replay against Kettering Town. Michalik is one of the free-kick takers for Leeds United and is known to strike a ball at over 100 MPH, although he is yet to score one of these. With injuries to fellow centre back'sPatrick Kisnorbo andRichard Naylor at various points, Michalik has been able to get a regular run of games for Leeds.
Michalik came on as a late substitute in Leeds 1–0 win againstManchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup 3rd round.[9] Michalik came on as a half time substitute in Leeds' defeat toSwindon Town, he returned to Leeds' starting line-up againstColchester United and withPatrick Kisnorbo still out injured Michalik retained his place in the side for the matches againstTottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup replay, and also the league game against Hartlepool. With Kisnorbo still out injured Michalik retained his place in Leeds' JPT second leg game againstCarlisle United but he was at fault for one of the goals conceded after a horrendous miskick gave the ball straight toKevan Hurst who slotted the ball home, Leeds lost the tie 6–5 on penalties. The following game Michalik dropped to the bench against Leyton Orient. Michalik made scarce appearances from then until the end of the season, after a spell out the squad he returned to the bench againstBristol Rovers a game which Leeds won 2–1 and saw them promoted to the Championship as runners up.[10][11] Following promotion United manager,Simon Grayson, transfer listed Michalik.
On 14 May 2010, after receiving a call up to Slovakia's provisional World Cup squad, Michalik was instructed by Leeds to find a new club and placed on the transfer list. He did not play a single game for Leeds' first team during the 2010–11 pre-season friendlies.
On 31 August 2010, Michalik joinedLeague One club Carlisle United on loan until 3 January 2011.[12] Michalik made his debut in the 0–0 draw against Swindon Town after coming into Carlisle's starting 11 as a replacement for the recently departedIan Harte. Michalik's second game for Carlisle came against League leadersSheffield Wednesday with Carlisle picking up a clean sheet and earning a 1–0 away win.[13] Michalik helped Carlisle keep a 3rd successive clean sheet in his third game for the club against Brighton.[14]
Michalik scored his first goal for Carlisle against Hartlepool with a 40-yard freekick.[15] After picking up a hamstring injury Michalik returned to Leeds to have his injury assessed.[16] However, returned to Carlisle after only spending a few days having treatment at his parent club.[16] After missing games with a hamstring injury, Michalik returned to the starting line-up against Bristol Rovers.[17] Leeds refused permission for Michalik to play for Carlisle in the FA Cup againstTipton Town.[18] Michalik was sent off in Carlisle's fixture against Rochdale for two bookable offences.[19]
Michalik scored his second goal for Carlisle against Sheffield Wednesday in the Football League Trophy to help Carlisle reach the Northern Area final.[20] In December 2010. Michalik revealed he was interested in extending his loan deal until the end of the season.[21]
In January 2011, Michalik had the remaining six-months of his contract terminated by Leeds to allow him to find a new club.[22] On 14 January, Michalik re-signed for Carlisle on a permanent deal.[23] He is believed to be a transfer target ofHibernian[24] and leftCarlisle United in June after rejecting a new contract.[25] Eventually, Michalik rejected a chance to move to Hibernian with the agreement couldn't be reached.[26]
On 14 September 2012, Michalik signed for League One sidePortsmouth on a one-month deal.[27] Michalik scored on his Portsmouth debut in a 2–1 loss at Fratton Park againstSwindon Town.[28] In a televised match on Sky Sports againstSheffield United on 30 October 2012, Michalik made a mistake when he tackledChris Porter in the penalty box, resulting a penalty to an opposition team and was converted byNick Blackman, to make it 1–0 and the score stayed the same until full-time.[29] After the match, ManagerMichael Appleton says Michalik learned his lesson over his action.[30] Despite this, Michalik continued to be in the regular first team and was released alongside four players on 15 January 2013, having decided not to renewed his contract.[31]
Shortly being released by Portsmouth, Michalik joined Kazakhstan sideFC Kairat, where he will be joined by former national managerVladimír Weiss.[32][33] Michalík was released by Kairat following the completion of the2014 season, having won the2014 Kazakhstan Cup with the club.[34][35]
In January 2015, Michalík signed forSlovak First Football League clubDAC Dunajská Streda on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[36] He departed Dunajská Streda in summer 2017 at the end of his contract.[37]
Michalík signed for2. Liga clubSereď on a one-year deal in July 2017.[38] Sereď were promoted to theSlovak First Football League in his first season with the club.[39] In August 2019, it was announced that he had left Sereď.[40]
He had a spell atSlovan Galanta before he re-signed for Sereď in January 2020.[41][42] In December 2020, he extended his contract until the end of the 2020–21 season.[43] He left Sereď and returned to Slovan Galanta in February 2022.[41]
In January 2024, he joined Slovak seventh-tier club OFK Matúškovo.[44]
Michalík's international debut came on 10 December 2006 in the second half of theSlovakia versusUnited Arab Emirates friendly game. His first international goal came in the same game. He played his second match againstRepublic of Ireland on 28 March 2007.[45]
On 1 October 2009, Michalík received an international recall for theWorld Cup qualifiers againstSlovenia andPoland. Michalik was an unused substitute in the World Cup Qualifier against Poland.
On 11 May 2010, Michalík was named in Slovakia's 29-man provisional squad for the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was, however, left out of the final 23-man Slovakia World Cup Squad when it was announced on 3 June.
On 11 October 2011, Michalík became the first Carlisle United player to play in a competitive international match sinceEric Welsh who representedNorthern Ireland team in 1967 (although teammatePeter Murphy did play in a friendly match for theRepublic of Ireland in 2007).[46] Michalík then played the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw withMacedonia in aEuro 2012 qualifier, Michalík was denied an 89th-minute winner by aMartin Bogatinov save.[47]
His first son, Adamko, was born in 2014.[48]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other[a] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Senec | 2006–07 | Slovak Superliga | 20 | 2 | — | — | — | 20 | 2 | |||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2006–07 | Premier League | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Leeds United (loan) | 2006–07 | Championship | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| Leeds United | 2007–08 | League One | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | League One | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | League One | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| Total | 52 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 69 | 1 | ||
| Carlisle United (loan) | 2010–11 | League One | 32 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 2 | 37 | 4 | ||
| Carlisle United | 2011–12 | League One | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||
| Portsmouth | 2012–13 | League One | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| Kairat | 2013 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2014 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Total | 43 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 1 | ||
| DAC Dunajská Streda | 2014–15 | Slovak First Football League | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16 | Slovak First Football League | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Slovak First Football League | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| Total | 61 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 2 | ||
| Sereď | 2017–18 | Slovak 2. Liga | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19 | Slovak First Football League | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Slovak First Football League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 62 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 3 | ||
| Slovan Galanta | 2019–20 | Slovak 3. Liga Západ | 13 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Sereď | 2019–20 | Slovak First Football League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Slovak First Football League | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Slovak First Football League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
| Nové Zámky | 2022–23 | Slovak 3. Liga Západ | 18 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 411 | 15 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 466 | 17 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 2006 | 1 | 1 |
| 2007 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 December 2006 | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE | 1 |  United Arab Emirates | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly match | [51] |
| 2 | 21 November 2007 | Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino | 4 |  San Marino | 1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | [52] |
Leeds United
Carlisle United
FC Kairat
ŠKF Sereď
