| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stanislav Varga[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1972-10-08)8 October 1972 (age 53)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Lipany,Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1985 | Lipany | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1998 | Tatran Prešov | 104 | (10) |
| 1998–2000 | Slovan Bratislava | 56 | (12) |
| 2000–2003 | Sunderland | 21 | (1) |
| 2002 | →West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Celtic | 80 | (10) |
| 2006–2008 | Sunderland | 20 | (1) |
| 2008 | →Burnley (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| Total | 295 | (34) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–2006 | Slovakia | 54 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011–2013 | Odeva Lipany | ||
| 2013–2014 | Tatran Prešov (assistant manager) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Tatran Prešov juniori | ||
| 2014–2016 | Tatran Prešov | ||
| 2018–2022 | Dukla Banská Bystrica | ||
| 2022–2023 | Sandecja Nowy Sącz | ||
| 2023–2024 | Tatran Liptovský Mikuláš | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stanislav Varga (born 8 October 1972) is a Slovak professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who was most recently the manager ofTatran Liptovský Mikuláš.
Varga was playing in his native Slovakia when he was recruited by Sunderland in 2000. He won the man of the match award in his first game against Arsenal. In 2001–02, he was loaned toWest Bromwich Albion and helped the club get promoted to thePremier League. After a long-term injury, Varga never found his way back into the team, and was released in January 2003. He was pikced up by Celtic on a short-term deal that turned into a two-year contract. Ever-present in the side during the 2003–04 campaign, Varga helped his new team to win the domestic double ofScottish Premier League andScottish Cup. In 2006, Varga returned to Sunderland under new management where he was a fan favourite. However, he was released at the end of the 2007–08 season.[2] He was later hired as the manager of Tatran Liptovský Mikuláš.
Varga played for theSlovakia national football team with over fifty caps and also captained his country on a number of occasions.
Varga, a tall and commanding centre-back, was recruited byPeter Reid for £875,000[3] fromSlovan Bratislava during the summer of 2000. Varga began his career at theStadium of Light with an impressive opening day display in Sunderland's 1–0 victory overArsenal, picking up the man of the match award. He scored his first Sunderland goal in a 2–0 win over West Ham in January 2001.[4][5]
He spent the end of 2001–02 on loan withWest Bromwich Albion, helping the club get promoted to thePremier League. The towering centre back returned from a long-term injury to find himself out of the first team picture and his last game before going on loan ended when he was taken off at half-time atOld Trafford, whereSunderland lost 4–1. WithJoachim Björklund andJody Craddock ahead of him, Varga never really found his way back into the team, and was released in January 2003.
Less than a month later,Martin O'Neill snapped up the defender on a short-term deal. Despite only making one appearance forCeltic in that time, Varga was rewarded with a two-year contract in July 2003. An ever-present in the side during the 2003–04 campaign, he helped his new teammates to domestic glory, winning the domestic double ofScottish Premier League andScottish Cup. In the league, Varga helped Celtic concede only 25 goals, which allowed the club to set a new league record of 25 straight wins (32 games unbeaten from the start of the season) and 77 home league games without defeat.[6] He also contributed 7 goals in all competitions.
Successive titles evaded Celtic in the2004–05 season as they threw away the SPL title on the final day of the season, but they did manage to take consolation in theScottish Cup final, beatingDundee United 1–0, withAlan Thompson scoring the only goal of the game after 8 minutes from a free-kick.[7] Throughout this season Varga proved to be a rock in the Celtic defence. He even got up-field to score six times, including one in Celtic's 3–1 defeat toA.C. Milan in theUEFA Champions League group stage.[8] During this time he, likeStilian Petrov before him, had his name abbreviated by the Celtic following, Stanislav would now simply be known as "Stan" Varga to the Hoops supporters and Scottish media.
After the2005–06 season, Varga agreed a new one-year contract at Parkhead. "Stan has signed his new deal at Celtic," his agent Tony McGill toldSky Sports. "Stan is pleased to stay as he did not want to go anywhere else and he has signed a one-year deal."[9]
On 31 August 2006, he returned to Sunderland under new managerRoy Keane, a former colleague from Celtic, alongside Celtic'sRoss Wallace, for a combined fee of up to £1,100,000.[10] He scored his first goal in his second spell at Sunderland in a 4–1 loss at Preston North End in October 2006.[11]
His strong and powerful presence, ability in the air and no nonsense defending has made him a rising fan favourite at the Stadium of Light. Having to act as a substitute behind first choice centre halfNyron Nosworthy, the Slovak chose a one-month loan deal toBurnley on 4 January 2008 to regain match-fitness.[12] He was named in theChampionship Team of the Week for his performance in Burnley's 1–0 win overPlymouth Argyle, his first league game for the club.[13]
Sunderland released Varga at the end of the 2007–08 season.[2]
A regular in theSlovakia national side with over fifty caps to his name, Varga also captained his country on a number of occasions. It was during a friendly game againstNorway beforeEuro 2000 that he was first spotted by then-Sunderland manager Peter Reid, impressing the Black Cats' boss with the way he keptTore André Flo andOle Gunnar Solskjær out of the game.
Celtic
Sunderland
Tatran Prešov
Dukla B.Bystrica
