.jpg) Poborský in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Karel Poborský[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1972-03-30)30 March 1972 (age 53) | ||
| Place of birth | Jindřichův Hradec, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1984 | TJ Třeboň | ||
| 1984–1987 | České Budějovice | ||
| 1987–1988 | Jiskra Třeboň | ||
| 1988–1990 | České Budějovice | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1994 | České Budějovice | 82 | (15) |
| 1994–1995 | Viktoria Žižkov | 28 | (10) |
| 1995–1996 | Slavia Prague | 26 | (11) |
| 1996–1997 | Manchester United | 32 | (5) |
| 1997–2000 | Benfica | 88 | (17) |
| 2001–2002 | Lazio | 46 | (5) |
| 2002–2005 | Sparta Prague | 86 | (25) |
| 2005–2007 | České Budějovice | 26 | (10) |
| Total | 414 | (98) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–2006 | Czech Republic | 118 | (8) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Karel Poborský (Czech pronunciation:[ˈkarɛlˈpoborskiː]ⓘ; born 30 March 1972) is a Czech former professionalassociation football player. Poborský played as awinger, and was most noted for his technical ability and pace.
Poborský began and finished his club career atDynamo České Budějovice, where his kit number 8 is retired in his honour. He also won theCzech First League titles atSlavia andSparta, the two largest clubs inPrague. Between these domestic triumphs, he won aPremier League title atManchester United, and also played forBenfica andLazio.
AfterPetr Čech, Poborský ranks second inappearances for theCzech national team, having appeared 118 times between 1994 and 2006. Poborský retired from international football after playing at the country's first World Cup. He also played in threeEuropean Championships and was named in the Team of the Tournament atUEFA Euro 1996 after helping the Czechs to the final.
Karel Poborský made his top-flight debut forDynamo České Budějovice in the1991–92 Czechoslovak First League. He transferred to the Prague-based clubViktoria Žižkov in mid 1994, before moving to local rivalsSlavia Prague in mid 1995.[2]
In the 1995–96 season, Poborský ledSlavia Prague to theCzech First League title and to the semi-finals of the1995–96 UEFA Cup.[3]
Poborský was one several players from the Czech national squad atUEFA Euro 1996 who after the tournament left the Czech Republic to play elsewhere.[4] Poborský received offers fromLiverpool andLazio,[4] but in June 1996, he signed forManchester United for a fee of £3.5 million.[5] He made his club debut in the1996 FA Charity Shield againstNewcastle United, appearing as a substitute forNicky Butt in a 4–0 win.[6] Poborský also won aPremier League title-winner's medal in the1996–97 season, in which he played in 22 out of 38 league games and scored three goals, and helped United reach theChampions League semi-finals.[7] Due toDavid Beckham's rising stardom, Poborský remained at Manchester United for one and a half seasons; in December 1997 Poborský left that club, having made only six starts that season. His last match for United was a substitute appearance againstEverton on 26 December.[5]
in December 1997, Poborský moved to the Portuguese sideBenfica for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract to play for the club, which was managed byGraeme Souness.[5] Poborský played for Benfica for three years, leaving shortly after managerToni Oliveira became the manager in December 2000.[3]
In February 2001, Poborský joined Italian sideSS Lazio on an 18-month contract for a transfer fee of £700,000.[8] He scored his first goal for Lazio in a 5–3 win againstVerona on 25 February 2001.[9] On the final day of the2001–02 Serie A season, Poborský scored twice as Lazio beat title contendersInter Milan 4–2, causing the title to go toJuventus.[10] He left Lazio following the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.[3]
In July 2002, Poborský returned to the Czech Republic after signing as a free agent withSparta Prague, where he became the highest-paid footballer playing in the country.[3][11] During his time at Sparta, the club won the league championships in the 2002–03 and 2004–05 seasons, as well as the national cup in 2003–04.[12]
In 2005, he returned to his first club, Dynamo České Budějovice, scoring two goals and setting up a third on the way to a 4–0 victory againstSigma Olomouc B in his first match.[13] He retired on 28 May 2007 after playing his final match, a 2–1 home loss against Slavia Prague, another of his former sides.[14] Dynamo České Budějovice, by which time had Poborský as a co-owner, retired his number-8 shirt.[15]
Karel Poborský's first international appearance, which was againstTurkey on 23 February 1994,[16] was also the first match for theCzech Republic's national side after thedissolution of Czechoslovakia.
Poborský played for his country atEuro 96, where he was one of the most valuable players of the tournament. After losing againstGermany in the opening group match, a Poborský cross resulted in a goal for teammatePavel Nedvěd in a 2–1 win againstItaly. In the knockout stages of the tournament, Poborský scored his first international goal; he lobbed the ball overPortugal's advancing goalkeeperVítor Baía, settling the game, which the Czech Republic won 1–0.[17][18] The goal became a trademark shot for Poborský and that shooting style was soon attributed to him.[19] In 2008, Poborský's 1996 lob was voted the best individual goal in the "Carlsberg goal of the day" poll on UEFA's official website.[20]
In Czechia's semi-final againstFrance, Poborský was among players who scored penalties in the shootout after a goaless match, which the Czech Republic won.[21] In the final, the German defenderMatthias Sammer fouled Poborský, andPatrik Berger converted the resulting penalty. Germany won the match 2–1 with agolden goal, settling the game, and the Czech Republic finished the tournament as runners-up. Poborský was given theMan of the Match award.[22]
Poborský was part of the Czech squad atEuro 2000. He scored his country's first goal of the tournament from the penalty spot, against France in a 2–1 group-stage loss that resulted in Czechia's elimination from the championship.[23] In the nation's final match of the group stage, against Denmark, Poborský provided the pass from which Vladimír Šmicer opened the scoring, with the game finishing 2–0.[24]
Poborský played atEuro 2004, where he provided fourassists, the tournament's highest.[25] In his team's opening match againstLatvia, Poborský kicked the ball over the crossbar in the first half before Latvia unexpectedly scored the first goal. In the second half, he made numerous crosses to teammateMilan Baroš, who in the 72nd minute converted one to equalise the match at 1–1. The match finished 2–1 afterMarek Heinz scored a late winner for the Czech Republic.[26] In Czechia's second group-stage match againstthe Netherlands, the Dutch side took a 2–0 lead but Poborský assisted the game-winning third Czech goal, whichVladimír Šmicer scored.[17] The Czech Republic had already having qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament. Poborský and eight other players were rested for the final group-stage match against Germany, in which he played from the 70th minute as a substitute forJaroslav Plašil. Czechia won the match 2–1, eliminating Germany from the competition.[27]
At the quarter-final stage, Poborský provided two more assists as the Czech side defeatedDenmark 3–0, with all of the goals coming in the second half. In the 49th minute,Jan Koller converted his corner, scoring the first goal. In the 63rd minute, a Poborský through ball found Milan Baroš, who doubled their team's advantage. Baroš later scored his second goal of the match.[28] In the semi-finals, Czechia played againstGreece; the game was Poborský's 99th for his national team.[3] Although Poborský created two chances, the Czech Republic failed to score and lost the match after defenderTraianos Dellas scored asilver goal for Greece in extra time.[29]
Poborský was included in the Czech national squad for the1997 FIFA Confederations Cup and2006 World Cup. Following the 2006 World Cup, he announced his retirement from international football, having scored eight goals and made 118 appearances for his national team, a record at the time.[16]
After concluding his playing career, Poborský became technical director of the Czech national team.[19] He held the role for almost two years, resigning in April 2009.[30] In 2011, Poborský became chairman of the newly foundedCzech Association of Football Players [cs], a member ofFIFPRO.[31] He resigned from the role in June 2013, saying the workload of his role as chairman of the board of Dynamo České Budějovice was the reason for his decision.[32]
Karel Poborský was previously married with two children. After the breakdown of his marriage, he had another daughter.[33] In 2013 Poborský moved fromHluboká nad Vltavou to Prague.[34] In 2016, Poborský was put into amedically induced coma after contracting a brain infection that paralysed the muscles in his face and caused hypersensitivity to light. Poborský spent three weeks in hospital before making a full recovery, and said if he had arrived at the hospital a day later, he might have died.[21] Poborský's nickname is Steve, after the similarly-named Canadian skierSteve Podborski.[35]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other[Note 1] | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| České Budějovice | 1991–92 | Czechoslovak First League | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1992–93 | Czechoslovak First League | 29 | 7 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1993–94[36] | Czech First League | 27 | 8 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| Total | 82 | 15 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Viktoria Žižkov | 1994–95[37] | Czech First League | 27 | 10 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 31 | 11 | ||||
| 1995–96[38] | Czech First League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 28 | 10 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 32 | 11 | ||||||
| Slavia Prague | 1995–96 | Czech First League | 26 | 11 | — | 11 | 2 | — | 37 | 13 | ||||
| Manchester United | 1996–97[39] | Premier League | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 4 |
| 1997–98[40] | Premier League | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | |
| Total | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 6 | ||
| Benfica | 1997–98 | Primeira Divisão | 19 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 5 | ||
| 1998–99 | Primeira Divisão | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 36 | 6 | |||
| 1999–2000 | Primeira Divisão | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| 2000–01 | Primeira Divisão | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| Total | 88 | 17 | 8 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | — | 112 | 17 | ||||
| Lazio | 2000–01 | Serie A | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | |||
| Total | 46 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 5 | |||
| Sparta Prague | 2002–03[41] | Czech First League | 28 | 7 | — | 8 | 2 | — | 36 | 9 | ||||
| 2003–04[42] | Czech First League | 28 | 11 | — | 10 | 5 | — | 38 | 16 | |||||
| 2004–05[43] | Czech First League | 24 | 6 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 32 | 7 | |||||
| 2005–06[44] | Czech First League | 6 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 86 | 25 | — | 27 | 8 | — | 113 | 33 | ||||||
| České Budějovice | 2005–06 | Czech Second League | 14 | 8 | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2006–07 | Czech First League | 12 | 2 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| Total | 26 | 10 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Career total | 414 | 98 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
Notes
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | 1994 | 6 | 0 |
| 1995 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 12 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2001 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 118 | 8 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 June 1996 | Villa Park, Birmingham |  Portugal | 1–0 | 1–0 | Euro 1996 |
| 2 | 8 September 1999 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 3 | 16 June 2000 | Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges |  France | 1–1 | 1–2 | Euro 2000 |
| 4 | 2 September 2000 | Georgi Asparuhov Stadium, Sofia |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 16 October 2002 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |  Belarus | 1–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 6 | 10 September 2003 | Toyota Arena, Prague |  Netherlands | 2–0 | 3–1 | Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 7 | 15 November 2003 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |  Canada | 3–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 1 March 2006 | İzmir Atatürk Stadium, İzmir |  Turkey | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Slavia Prague
Manchester United
Sparta Prague
Czech Republic
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