 Lokvenc in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vratislav Lokvenc[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1973-09-27)27 September 1973 (age 52) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Náchod,Czechoslovakia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1986 | Náchod | ||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1992 | Hradec Králové | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Hradec Králové | 55 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–2000 | Sparta Prague | 163 | (74) | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 116 | (36) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | VfL Bochum | 32 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Red Bull Salzburg | 45 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | →FC Basel (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | FC Ingolstadt | 23 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 440 | (142) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1996 | Czech Republic U21 | 13 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–2006 | Czech Republic | 74 | (14) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Vratislav Lokvenc (Czech pronunciation:[ˈvracɪslafˈlokvɛnts], born 27 September 1973) is a Czech former professionalfootballer who played as aforward. After playing youth football forNáchod andHradec Králové, he began his senior club career with the latter team. After moving toSparta Prague he won five league titles and one cup, as well as the 1999–2000 league top scorer award. He subsequently played abroad, playing club football in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for1. FC Kaiserslautern,VfL Bochum,Red Bull Salzburg,FC Basel andFC Ingolstadt 04. He retired in 2009.
Lokvenc played international football for theCzech Republic. He played at the1997 FIFA Confederations Cup before going on to take part in three major competitions. He made three substitute appearances atEuro 2000 and played in one game atEuro 2004. His last international tournament was the2006 World Cup, where he played in two group matches before missing the third through suspension. The Czech Republic did not qualify for the next round of the competition and Lokvenc subsequently retired from international football in 2006.
Lokvenc was born into a football family; his father, also named Vratislav Lokvenc, played club football forFK Ústí nad Labem in the second football league of Czechoslovakia and laterNáchod.[3]
Born in 1973, Lokvenc started his professional career during the 1992–93 season withHradec Králové,[4] joiningSparta Prague in October 1994.[5] He featured in the1995–96 UEFA Cup for Sparta, scoring the first goal and providing the pass for the second in a 2–1 win against Danish clubSilkeborg IF, whereby Sparta qualified on theaway goals rule for the second round.[6] He scored a goal shortly after entering the game as a substitute in a first round match of the1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup against Austrian sideSturm Graz; the match finished 2–2.[7]
Lokvenc spent six seasons at Sparta Prague, with whom he won five league titles and the 1995–96Czech Cup.[4] In March 2000, in a match againstČeské Budějovice, Lokvenc scored four times for Sparta as the match finished 4–1.[8] In doing so he became the third player in the Czech era to score four times in the same match, afterJosef Obajdin andRobert Vágner.[8] Lokvenc scored twice in thePrague derby match againstSlavia Prague in May 2000, in a 5–1 win which secured the league title for Sparta.[9] He was top scorer of theCzech First League in the 1999–2000 season with 22 goals,[10] tying the league record, which stood until David Lafata scored 25 goals during the2011–12 season.[11]
Lokvenc joined1. FC Kaiserslautern of the GermanBundesliga in 2000, agreeing to the move before the 2000 European Championship.[12] Around the same time, a daughter was born to Lokvenc in May 2000.[9] He scored six goals in an 11–1 friendly match win against an amateur side before the start of the season.[13] In December 2000 Lokvenc scored in theUEFA Cup againstRangers, helping his team qualify for the last 16 of the competition.[14] In the following round Kaiserslautern were paired with Slavia Prague; after the first match had finished goalless, Lokvenc scored the only goal in the second leg of theirtwo-legged tie to eliminate the Czech team.[15] He scored ahat-trick in the2002–03 DFB-Pokal quarter-final againstBochum, a game which finished 3–3 but was won by Kaiserslautern after apenalty shoot-out.[16] Lokvenc played in the final of the competition at the end of May 2003, but his side were beaten 3–1 by league winnersBayern Munich as the latter claimedthe double.[17]
Kaiserslautern announced that Lokvenc would be sold in April 2004, citing his salary demands as reasons for his sale.[18] He joinedVfL Bochum of the Bundesliga in the summer of 2004, agreeing the transfer before the European Championships.[19] Bochum were relegated from the league after 33 games of the 34-game season, with Lokvenc scoring his tenth goal of the season in a 2–0 win at third placedStuttgart.[20]
Lokvenc signed forRed Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2005, rejecting offers fromPortsmouth andHertha Berlin.[21] He described his move to Salzburg as "the best transfer of my life",[21] arriving around the same time as Germany national team playersThomas Linke andAlexander Zickler.[22] Lokvenc only played four league matches inhis first season with the club before requiring surgery on an injury to his right knee in November.[23] He returned to the team in May 2006, taking part in a match for the first time since July 2005, as he made an appearance as a substitute in a 2–1 home loss againstPasching.[24] The club finished the season as league runners-up, behindAustria Vienna.[25]
Lokvenc scored his first league goal of the2006–07 Austrian Football Bundesliga in a December match againstAltach, levelling the scores as the game finished 1–1.[26] The club went on to win the league in April 2007 with five matches of the season remaining.[27]
In October 2007 Lokvenc scored the only goal in Salzburg's 1–0 UEFA Cup first round win againstAEK Athens This was not enough for his team to advance, having lost 3–0 in the first leg of their two-legged tie.[28] Lokvenc featured less for Salzburg in the 2007–08 season,[29] prompting him to joinSwiss Super League teamBasel on loan in February 2008 for the remainder of the season.[30] He scored in Basel's 1–0 semi-finalSwiss Cup victory againstThun.[2] The club went on to win the2008 league championship title and the2008 Swiss Cup.[31]
Lokvenc returned to Germany in the summer of 2008, joiningIngolstadt of the2. Bundesliga.[32] On 17 August 2008, the Czech played his first competitive match for FC Ingolstadt in a 3–2 victory against SpVgg Greuther Fürth on the first matchday of the second German Bundesliga.[33] Lokvenc scored his first two goals on 5 October 2008 in a 4–2 win on the seventh matchday against Hansa Rostock (a relegated team from the Bundesliga).[34] Vratislav Lokvenc played in 23 games and scored six goals. Nevertheless, FC Ingolstadt relegated from the second German Bundesliga at the end of the season. After the relegation, Lokvenc left the Bavarians and retires.
After finishing his professional playing career, Lokvenc worked as ascout in the Czech Republic and Slovakia for his former team, Basel.[35] He also played football in the amateurCzech Fourth Division forUnion Čelákovice.[35] He continued to be physically active after his football career, taking part in the 2010Prague Half Marathon in the same field as former international teammate Pavel Nedvěd.[36] He was again involved in the Prague Half Marathon in 2015, taking part in a relay alongside Nedvěd, fellow footballerTomáš Hübschman and 2014 Miss Czech Republic,Tereza Skoumalová.[37]
Lokvenc represented his country at under-21 level, scoring seven goals in 13 matches between 1993 and 1995.[4]
He first played for the seniorCzech national team in 1995.[4] Lokvenc was part of the Czech Republic squad at the1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia. He took part as a substitute in the group stage match againstUnited Arab Emirates and started the third place play-off game versusUruguay, which the Czech Republic won to finish third overall in the tournament.[38][39]
AtEuro 2000, Lokvenc made a substitute appearance in the Czech Republic's opening game against theNetherlands, replacingPavel Nedvěd after 89 minutes as the match resulted in a 1–0 win for the Dutch.[40] He replacedRadek Bejbl in the second group match, againstFrance, coming on after 49 minutes in the 2–1 loss.[41] Lokvenc appeared in the third group match againstDenmark, although due to both teams having lost both of their previous matches, neither team could advance to the next round of the competition. He came on after 79 minutes, replacingVladimír Šmicer in a 2–0 win for his nation.[42]
Lokvenc scored twice as a substitute in a June 2003 qualification match againstMoldova, scoring both goals with his head in a 5–0 win for his country.[43]
He played in one match atEuro 2004. He started the group match againstGermany among a group of players which was described by the BBC as "very much a Czech second string", but failed to score and was replaced byMilan Baroš after 59 minutes. The Czech Republic won the match, 2–1.[44]
During the qualification process for the forthcoming World Cup, Lokvenc scored five goals for his country. In a November 2004 match, away atMacedonia, he entered the game in the 76th minute as a substitute forZdeněk Grygera with the game goalless. He scored the first goal of the game with his head, beforeJan Koller made the score 2–0 to win the match.[45] In March 2005, Lokvenc again scored the deciding goal, this time againstFinland inTeplice. In a game in which the Czechs had led 3–1, Finland scored twice to level the scores, however Lokvenc made the score 4–3 with three minutes remaining.[46] Four days later, Lokvenc scored another goal,heading in a cross from Baroš, in a 4–0 away win againstAndorra.[47] In June of the same year, Lokvenc scored the first and last goals for his nation in an 8–1 home win, also against Andorra.[48]
At the2006 World Cup, Lokvenc replaced the injured Jan Koller as a substitute in the first group match, against the USA.[49] He didn't score but received ayellow card as his nation won 3–0.[49] He started the second group match, against Ghana, in the absence of fellow strikers Koller and Baroš due to injury.[50][51] He received another yellow card in the match, which Ghana won 2–0.[51] Due to having received two yellow cards, he was suspended for his country's final group match, against Italy.[52] The Czech Republic lost to Italy and therefore failed to progress to the next stage of the competition.[53] Lokvenc announced his retirement from international football in September 2006, becoming the third player from the World Cup team to retire afterKarel Poborský and Pavel Nedvěd.[54] He finished his international career with figures of 14 goals in 74 matches.[4]
Lokvenc was particularly noted for his height, being referred to as a "towering forward",[55] and having "a similar aerial threat" to international teammateJan Koller.[50] His strength was noted as another of his assets.[56]
| Club | Season | League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fomei Hradec Králové | 1992–93 | Czechoslovak First League | 17 | 0 |
| 1993–94 | Czech First League | 29 | 5 | |
| 1994–95 | 9 | 3 | ||
| Total | 55 | 8 | ||
| Sparta Prague | 1994–95 | Czech First League | 21 | 8 |
| 1995–96 | 29 | 9 | ||
| 1996–97 | 30 | 12 | ||
| 1997–98 | 29 | 12 | ||
| 1998–99 | 29 | 11 | ||
| 1999–00 | 25 | 22 | ||
| Total | 163 | 74 | ||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2000–01 | Bundesliga | 30 | 9 |
| 2001–02 | 31 | 11 | ||
| 2002–03 | 30 | 8 | ||
| 2003–04 | 25 | 8 | ||
| Total | 116 | 36 | ||
| VfL Bochum | 2004–05 | Bundesliga | 32 | 10 |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2005–06 | Austrian Bundesliga | 5 | 0 |
| 2006–07 | 23 | 6 | ||
| 2007–08 | 17 | 3 | ||
| Total | 45 | 9 | ||
| FC Basel | 2007–08 | Super League | 6 | 0 |
| FC Ingolstadt | 2008–09 | 2. Bundesliga | 23 | 6 |
| Career total | 440 | 143 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | 1995 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 10 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2002 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 74 | 14 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 May 1998 |  South Korea | 2–2 | Friendly | ||
| 2 | 28 April 1999 |  Poland | 1–2 | Friendly | ||
| 3 | 15 August 2001 | South Korea | 5–0 | Friendly | ||
| 4 | 5 September 2001 |  Malta | 3–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 5 | 6 October 2001 |  Bulgaria | 6–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 6 | 13 February 2002 |  Cyprus | 4–3 | Friendly | ||
| 7 | 11 June 2003 |  Moldova | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualification | ||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | 17 November 2004 |  North Macedonia | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 10 | 26 March 2005 |  Finland | 4–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 11 | 30 March 2005 |  Andorra | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 12 | 4 June 2005 | Andorra | 8–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 13 | ||||||
| 14 | 30 May 2006 |  Costa Rica | 1–0 | Friendly |
Sparta Prague
1. FC Kaiserslautern
Red Bull Salzburg
FC Basel
Czech Republic
Individual
Czech Republic squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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