MŠK Žilina

MŠK Žilina () is a Slovak football club based in the town of Žilina, that is playing in the Slovak First Football League. Since the league inception in 1993, the club has won 7 titles and comes second in All-time table that makes them one of the most successful teams in the competition.
The club and their supporters alike are nicknamed ''Šošoni'' (after the ''Shoshone'' Native American tribe) and play their home games in the Štadión pod Dubňom. Žilina won their most recent title in 2016–17 season.

History

Early years

The club was founded towards the end of 1908 under the Hungarian name ''Zsolnai Testgyakorlók Köre'', and was officially registered on 20 June 1909. The club won its first Slovak championship (Zväzové majstrovstvá Slovenska) in 1928 followed by another in 1929.

Czechoslovak League

In total, Žilina played 30 out of 47 seasons in the Czechoslovak First League spanning from 1945 to 1993 and come 13th in all-time table. Their most successful was 1946–47 season, when they clinched 4th place.

Many consider 1961 a milestone in club's history. Firstly, the team reached the final of the National Cup, where they lost to Dukla Prague, the eventual Czechoslovak champion. Despite the defeat, for the first time in its history the club, then known as ''Dynamo Žilina'', broke into Europe to contest in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Notable 3–2 and 1–0 victories over Olympiacos moved them in quarter-finals, however the ambitious Slovak team was ultimately knocked out by the previous year's winner Fiorentina. Although Žilina grabbed a promising 3–2 victory at home, Fiorentina went through by winning the second leg 2–0.

Quarter-Finals

First leg

Second leg

''Fiorentina won 4–3 on aggregate.''

In the late 1960s the club was renamed ''TJ ZVL Žilina'' and participated in the Intertoto Cup for several years, winning the group in 1969 and coming 2nd a year later. In 1973–74 they reached the final of the Mitropa Cup but they were defeated by Tatabányai Bányász 5–2 on aggregate. Between 1972 and 1974, they finished 5th in the First Division of the Czechoslovak League for three years running, followed by relegation to the Second Division in the 1978–79 season. The club bounced back four years later and finished second in the Mitropa Cup.

New era – Slovak League

Following dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, MŠK Žilina has been playing in the Slovak First Football League for the total of 23 seasons with the exception of 1995–96 season after relegation to the Second Division.

In the autumn of 2000, former Czechoslovakian defender Ladislav Jurkemik joined the club as a new manager. After his departure halfway through the 2001–02 season the club appointed Czech coach Leoš Kalvoda. During his short reign at the club he led them to win their first title. In the 2002–03 season, now under the management of Milan Lešický, the club succeeded in retaining the title.

Ladislav Jurkemik was reappointed as a manager during the 2003–04 season. He led the defending champions to 10 priceless consecutive victories to clinch the third successive title though narrowly on a goal difference.
After Slovan Bratislava, MŠK Žilina became only the second club to win three Slovakian titles.
The team's performances in next two seasons faded while they lacked the quality they had been famous for during their winning campaigns. In pursuit of silverware numerous players were signed over next two years. In the span of only fourteen months, three managers; the reputable Karol Pecze, his successor Milan Nemec and eventually Marijan Vlak were in charge over the team. Since the results and performances never met the expectations, Vlak ended his reign immediately at the end of 2005–06 season after they failed to reach UEFA Cup spot only to finish fourth.

They played in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, reaching the group stages where they beat Aston Villa 2–1 at Villa Park.

Former Czechoslovakia and later Czech international Pavel Hapal was appointed new manager before 2009–10 campaign. In his first season, he led the team to win a league title, their fifth in nine years. Arguably the greatest success in their history came by making a debut in 2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage after eliminating Sparta Prague in play-off round. In the following season they completed their first ever double, while the 2012–13 season saw the team finishing 7th – their worst league position since 2000. However, as a defeated finalists of the Slovak Cup the club secured a place to contest in the 1st qualifying round of 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.

League finishing positions

ImageSize = width:850 height:100
PlotArea = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/2024
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1994
Colors =
id:bl1 value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5)
id:bl2 value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.3)
id:rs value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.6)
id:rn value:rgb(0.9,0.1,0.1)

PlotData=
bar:Position width:20 color:white align:center

from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994 shift:(0,-4) text:5
from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995 shift:(0,-4) text:12
from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 shift:(0,-4) text:2
from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 shift:(0,-4) text:9
from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998 shift:(0,-4) text:7
from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999 shift:(0,-4) text:6
from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000 shift:(0,-4) text:8
from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001 shift:(0,-4) text:5
from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 shift:(0,-4) text:2
from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006 shift:(0,-4) text:4
from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008 shift:(0,-4) text:2
from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009 shift:(0,-4) text:2
from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 shift:(0,-4) text:3
from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013 shift:(0,-4) text:7
from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014 shift:(0,-4) text:9
from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015 shift:(0,-4) text:2
from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 shift:(0,-4) text:5
from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017 shift:(0,-4) text:1
from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018 shift:(0,-4) text:4
from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019 shift:(0,-4) text:4
from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020 shift:(0,-4) text:2
from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021 shift:(0,-4) text:3
from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022 shift:(0,-4) text:6
from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023 shift:(0,-4) text:6
from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024 shift:(0,-4) text:4

from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1995 color:bl1 shift:(0,13) text: " Slovak Superliga"
from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 color:bl2 shift:(0,36) text: " Slovak Second Division"
from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/2024 color:bl1 shift:(0,13) text: " Slovak Superliga"

Events timeline

* 1909 – Founded as ''Zsolnai Testgyakorlók Köre''
* 1910 – Renamed ''ZsTS Zsolna''
* 1919 – Renamed ''SK Žilina''
* 1948 – Renamed ''Sokol Slovena Žilina''
* 1953 – Renamed ''Jiskra Slovena Žilina''
* 1956 – Renamed ''DSO Dynamo Žilina''
* 1961 – First European qualification, 1961–62
* 1963 – Renamed ''Jednota Žilina''
* 1967 – Renamed ''TJ ZVL Žilina''
* 1990 – Renamed ''ŠK Žilina''
* 1995 – Renamed ''MŠK Žilina''

Affiliated clubs

The following clubs are currently affiliated with MŠK Žilina:
* Tatran Liptovský Mikuláš (2012–present)
* MŠK Námestovo (TBA–present)
* Baník Prievidza (2013–present)
* JUPIE Futbalová škola Mareka Hamšíka (2016–present)
* MŠK Žilina Africa FC (2018–present)

Supporters

MŠK Žilina supporters are called ''Žilinskí Šošoni'' (Žilina Shoshones), ''North Brigade'' and ''Žilinskí Fanatici'' (Žilina Fanatics). Žilina supporters maintain friendly relations with fans of Polish Góral Żywiec.

Stadium

Štadión Pod Dubňom is their home stadium. It has a capacity of 10,785. It underwent a major renovation between 2006 and September 2009. Between 2014 and 2015 it was used as the home stadium of Slovakia.

Sponsorship

source

Honours

Domestic

Czechoslovakia
* Zväzové Majstrovstvá Slovenska ''(Slovak League) (1925–33)''
** Winners (2): 1927–28, 1928–29
* Czechoslovak Cup ''(1961–93)''
** Runners-up (1): 1961''–62''
* 1.SNL (1st Slovak National football league)
** Winners (1): 1981–82
Slovakia
* Slovak First Football League ''(1993–present)''
** Winners (7): 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2016–17
** Runners-up (6): 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2024–25
** ''3rd place (1):'' 2010–11

* Slovak Cup
** Winners (1): 2011–12
** Runners-up (4): 2010–11, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2020–21
* Pribina Cup ''(Slovak Super Cup)''
** Winners (4): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2010–11

European

* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
** ''Quarter-final (1):'' 1961–62
* Mitropa Cup
** ''Runners-up (2):'' 1974, 1983
* UEFA Champions League
** ''Group stage (1)'': 2010-11
* UEFA Europa League
** ''Group stage (1)'': 2008–09

Transfers

MŠK have produced numerous players who have gone on to represent the Slovak national football team. Over the last period there has been a steady increase of young players leaving Žilina after a few years of first team football and moving on to play football in leagues of a higher standard, with the German Bundesliga (Double best scorer Marek Mintál to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2003, another forwards Stanislav Šesták to VfL Bochum in 2009 and Mário Breška to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2008, also right back Peter Pekarík to VfL Wolfsburg in 2009), Italian Serie A ( Milan Škriniar to Sampdoria in 2016, Dávid Hancko to ACF Fiorentina in 2018), Spanish La Liga ( Róbert Mazáň to Celta de Vigo in 2018), Turkish Süper Lig (William to Kayserispor in 2016), Dutch Eredivisie (Róbert Boženík to Feyenoord in 2020), Danish Superliga ( Denis Vavro to F.C. Copenhagen in 2017, Dawid Kurminowski to AGK in 2021), Austrian Football Bundesliga ( Admir Vladavić to Salzburg in 2009 and 2013–14 best goalscorer Matej Jelić to Rapid Wien in 2015), Polish Ekstraklasa (Ján Mucha to Legia Warsaw in 2005, Róbert Jež to Górnik Zabrze in 2010 and Vahan Bichakhchyan to Pogoń Szczecin in 2022). Russian Premier League ( Tomáš Hubočan to Zenit in 2008).
The top transfer was agreed in 2016 when 18 years old talented midfielder László Bénes joined German Mönchengladbach for a fee more than €5.0 million, which was the highest ever paid to a Slovak club.

Record transfers

''*-unofficial fee''

Players

Current squad

''For recent transfers, see List of Slovak football transfers summer 2025''.

Out on loan

Reserve team

Staff

Results

League and Cup history

''Slovak League only (1993–present)''
:

European record

''Updated 20 July 2023''

Player records

Most goals

Players whose name is listed in bold are still active.

Top Goalscorer

Slovak League Top scorer since 1993–94

:¹Shared award

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for MŠK.

:''Past (and present) players who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles can be found here.''

List of MŠK Žilina managers

* István Priboj (1935 - 1936)
* Antal Mally (1946 - 1949)
* Anton Bulla (1961 - 1962)
* Štefan Jačiansky
* Oldřich Šubrt (1967)
* Vojtech Schottert (1967 - 1968)
* Arnošt Hložek (1968 – 1969)
* Teodor Reiman (1970 – 1973)
* Jozef Marušin (1973)
* Michal Baránek (1974 – 1975)
* Jozef Marko (1975 – 1977)
* Eduard Hančin (1977 – 1978)
* Michal Pucher (1978)
* Karol Pecze (1979 – 1981)
* Viliam Meissner (1981 – 1982)
* Kamil Majerník (1982 – 1984)
* Emil Bezdeda (1984 – 1985)
* Jozef Jankech (1985 – 1987)
* Albert Rusnák (1987 – 1988)
* Vladimír Židek (1988)
* Karel Brückner (1988 – 1989)
* Oldřich Sedláček (1989 – 1991)
* Jozef Zigo (1991 – 1993)
* Miroslav Kráľ (1994)
* Štefan Slezák (1994 – 1995)
* Jozef Zigo (1995)
* Stanislav Griga (1995 – 1996)
* Dušan Radolský (1996 – 1997)
* Anton Jánoš (1998 – 1999)
* Jozef Barmoš (1999 – 2000)
* Miroslav Turianik (2000)
* Ladislav Jurkemik (2000 – 2001)
* Leoš Kalvoda (2002)
* František Komňacký (2002)
* Jaroslav Rybár (2003)
* Milan Lešický (2003)
* Juraj Šimurka (2003)
* Ladislav Jurkemik (2004 – 2005)
* Karol Pecze (2005)
* Milan Nemec (2005 – 2005)
* Marijan Vlak (2006)
* Pavel Vrba (2006 – 2008)
* Dušan Radolský (2008 – 2009)
* Vladimir Kutka (2009)
* Pavel Hapal (2009 – 2011)
* Ľubomír Nosický (2011 – 2012)
* Frans Adelaar (2012 – 2013)
* Štefan Tarkovič (2013)
* Adrián Guľa (2013 – 2018)
* Jaroslav Kentoš (2018 – 2019)
* Pavol Staňo (2020 – 2021)
* Peter Černák (10/2021 – 03/2022)
* Ivan Belák (03/2022 – 05/2022) (Carateker)
* Jaroslav Hynek (06/2022 – 04/2024)
* Michal Ščasný (04/2024 – 05/2025)
* Petr Ruman (06/2025 – present)

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zilina

MSK Zilina
Football clubs in Slovakia
Czechoslovak First League clubs
Association football clubs established in 1908
MSK Zilina
Sport in Žilina Region