Karel Poborský (; born 30 March 1972) is a Czech former professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player. Poborský played as a winger, and was most noted for his technical ability and pace. Poborský began and finished his club career at Dynamo České Budějovice, where his kit number 8 is retired in his honour. He also won the

Czech First League The Czech First League () also known as the Chance Liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Czech Republic and the highest level of the Czech Republic football league system. Seasons typically run from A ...

titles at Slavia and

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

, the two largest clubs in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. Between these domestic triumphs, he won a

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

title at

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

, and also played for Benfica and

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

. After Petr Čech, Poborský ranks second in appearances for the Czech 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 three European Championships and was named in the Team of the Tournament at

UEFA Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in ...

after helping the Czechs to the final.

Club career

Early career

Karel Poborský made his top-flight debut for Dynamo České Budějovice in the 1991–92 Czechoslovak First League. He transferred to the Prague-based club Viktoria Žižkov in mid 1994, before moving to local rivals Slavia Prague in mid 1995. In the 1995–96 season, Poborský led Slavia Prague to the

title and to the semi-finals of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup.

Manchester United

Poborský was one several players from the Czech national squad at

who after the tournament left the Czech Republic to play elsewhere. Poborský received offers from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and

, but in June 1996, he signed for

for a fee of £3.5 million. He made his club debut in the 1996 FA Charity Shield against Newcastle United, appearing as a substitute for Nicky Butt in a 4–0 win. Poborský also won a

title-winner's medal in the 1996–97 season, in which he played in 22 out of 38 league games and scored three goals, and helped United reach the Champions League semi-finals. Due to

David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

'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 against Everton on 26 December.

Benfica and Lazio

in December 1997, Poborský moved to the Portuguese side Benfica for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract to play for the club, which was managed by

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit. A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 19 ...

. Poborský played for Benfica for three years, leaving shortly after manager Toni Oliveira became the manager in December 2000. In February 2001, Poborský joined Italian side

SS Lazio (; ; ''Lazio Sport Club'') is an Italian professional sports club based in Rome, most known for its Football club (association football), football activity. The society, founded in 1900, plays in the Serie A and have spent most of their hist ...

on an 18-month contract for a transfer fee of £700,000. He scored his first goal for Lazio in a 5–3 win against

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

on 25 February 2001. On the final day of the

2001–02 Serie A The 2001–02 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 100th season of top-tier Italian football, the 70th in a round-robin tournament. It was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988–89. T ...

season, Poborský scored twice as Lazio beat title contenders

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

4–2, causing the title to go to

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

. He left Lazio following the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.

Return to Czech Republic

In July 2002, Poborský returned to the Czech Republic after signing as a free agent with

Sparta Prague Athletic Club Sparta Praha (), commonly known as Sparta Prague and Sparta Praha, is a professional football club based in Prague. It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic and one of the most successful in central Europe, winning t ...

, where he became the highest-paid footballer playing in the country. 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.Jeřábek 2007, p. 156. 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 against Sigma Olomouc B in his first match. He retired on 28 May 2007 after playing his final match, a 2–1 home loss against Slavia Prague, another of his former sides. Dynamo České Budějovice, by which time had Poborský as a co-owner, retired his number-8 shirt.

International career

Karel Poborský's first international appearance, which was against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

on 23 February 1994, was also the first match for the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

's national side after the

dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992, was the Self-determination, self-determined Partition (politics), partition of the federal republic of Fifth Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia into the independent ...

Euro 96

Poborský played for his country at Euro 96, where he was one of the most valuable players of the tournament. After losing against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in the opening group match, a Poborský cross resulted in a goal for teammate

Pavel Nedvěd Pavel Nedvěd (; born 30 August 1972) is a Czech former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Czech players of all time and he won numerous trophies with Italian cl ...

in a 2–1 win against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In the knockout stages of the tournament, Poborský scored his first international goal; he lobbed the ball over

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

's advancing goalkeeper

Vítor Baía Vítor Manuel Martins Baía, OIH (; born 15 October 1969) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. One of the most decorated goalkeepers of all time, his career was intimately connected with FC Porto, which h ...

, settling the game, which the Czech Republic won 1–0. The goal became a trademark shot for Poborský and that shooting style was soon attributed to him. 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. In Czechia's semi-final against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Poborský was among players who scored penalties in the shootout after a goaless match, which the Czech Republic won. In the final, the German defender

Matthias Sammer Matthias Sammer (; born 5 September 1967) is a German Association football, football official and former player and coach. He played as a defensive midfielder and later in his career as a Sweeper (association football), sweeper. With Borussia D ...

fouled Poborský, and Patrik Berger converted the resulting penalty. Germany won the match 2–1 with a

golden goal The golden goal is a sports rule used in association football, Australian rules football, bandy, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, and rugby league to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the ...

, settling the game, and the Czech Republic finished the tournament as runners-up. Poborský was given the

Man of the Match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

award.

Euro 2000

Poborský was part of the Czech squad at

Euro 2000 The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe. The finals tournament was ...

. 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. 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.

Euro 2004

Poborský played at Euro 2004, where he provided four assists, the tournament's highest. In his team's opening match against

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, 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 teammate

Milan Baroš Milan Baroš (; born 28 October 1981) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward. In 2005, he was part of the Liverpool team which won the UEFA Champions League. He went on to win Ligue 1 with Lyon in 2007, the FA Cup w ...

, who in the 72nd minute converted one to equalise the match at 1–1. The match finished 2–1 after

Marek Heinz Marek Heinz (born 4 August 1977) is a Czech former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. Career Early career Heinz started his football career in his native Czech Republic, whe ...

scored a late winner for the Czech Republic. In Czechia's second group-stage match against

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, the Dutch side took a 2–0 lead but Poborský assisted the game-winning third Czech goal, which Vladimír Šmicer scored. 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 for Jaroslav Plašil. Czechia won the match 2–1, eliminating Germany from the competition. At the quarter-final stage, Poborský provided two more assists as the Czech side defeated

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

3–0, with all of the goals coming in the second half. In the 49th minute,

Jan Koller Jan Koller (; born 30 March 1973) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was noted for his height, strong physique and heading ability. He began his career at Sparta Prague, then moved to Belgium, where he beca ...

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. In the semi-finals, Czechia played against

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

; the game was Poborský's 99th for his national team. Although Poborský created two chances, the Czech Republic failed to score and lost the match after defender Traianos Dellas scored a silver goal for Greece in extra time.

Other international matches

Poborský was included in the Czech national squad for the

1997 FIFA Confederations Cup The 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup was the first FIFA Confederations Cup, Confederations Cup to be organized by FIFA. The tournament had previously been played in 1992 King Fahd Cup, 1992 and 1995 King Fahd Cup, 1995 as the King Fahd Cup. This editi ...

and 2006 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.

Football administration

After concluding his playing career, Poborský became technical director of the Czech national team. He held the role for almost two years, resigning in April 2009. In 2011, Poborský became chairman of the newly founded , a member of FIFPRO. 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.

Personal life

Karel Poborský was previously married with two children. After the breakdown of his marriage, he had another daughter. In 2013 Poborský moved from Hluboká nad Vltavou to Prague. In 2016, Poborský was put into a medically 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. Poborský's nickname is Steve, after the similarly-named Canadian skier Steve Podborski.

Career statistics

Club

Notes

International

:''Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Poborský goal''.

Honours

Slavia Prague *

: 1995–96 Manchester United *

: 1996–97 * FA Charity Shield:

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

Sparta Prague *Czech First League: 2002–03, 2004–05 * Czech Cup: 2003–04 Czech Republic *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

runner-up:

FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBO ...

third place:

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Individual * Czech Footballer of the Year: 1996 (shared with Patrik Berger)Jeřábek 2007, p. 254. *UEFA Team of the Tournament:

*UEFA European Championship top assist provider: 1996 (3 assists, shared with Youri Djorkaeff),

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

(4 assists) *Czech Footballer of the Year personality of the Czech First League: 2003, 2004, 2005Jeřábek 2007, p. 255.

References

Bibliography

*Jeřábek, Luboš. ''Ceský a ceskoslovenský fotbal - lexikon osobností a klubu'' Praha: Grada Publishing, 2007. 262 p.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poborsky, Karel 1972 births Living people People from Třeboň Footballers from the South Bohemian Region Czech men's footballers Men's association football midfielders FIFA Men's Century Club Czech First League players Premier League players Primeira Liga players Serie A players FK Viktoria Žižkov players SK Slavia Prague players SK Dynamo České Budějovice players AC Sparta Prague players Manchester United F.C. players S.L. Benfica footballers SS Lazio players Czech Republic men's international footballers UEFA Euro 1996 players 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup players UEFA Euro 2000 players UEFA Euro 2004 players 2006 FIFA World Cup players Czech expatriate men's footballers Czech expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Czech expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Czech expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal 21st-century Czech sportsmen