Samuel Slovák (born 17 October 1975) is a Slovak former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as an
attacking midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
and currently serves as an assistant coach of
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
.
Best known for his technical and passing abilities, his career was mostly associated with
Slovan Bratislava, which he also
captained for several years.
Club career
Slovák was born in
Nitra
Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...
. After a brief spell at local
FC Nitra
FC Nitra is a Slovak association football club, playing in the town of Nitra. Established in 1909, FC Nitra is one of the oldest football clubs in Slovakia.
History
Czechoslovak era
Nitra were promoted and relegated 4 times from the Czechoslov ...
, the 19-year-old signed with
Å K Slovan Bratislava
Å K Slovan Bratislava (, "Bratislava Slavs") is a professional association football, football club based in Bratislava, Slovakia, that plays in the Slovak First Football League. Founded as I. ÄŒSÅ K Bratislava in 1919, the club changed its name ...
, where he appeared regularly from an early age.
In the summer of 1997, Slovák moved abroad, joining Spain's
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Founded in 1922, the club plays in the Segunda División, holding home matches at the Estadio Heliodoro RodrÃguez L� ...
. During his spell, he was sparingly used while the club was in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
(with a maximum input of 27 matches in
1999–2000's
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
, without promotion), also being loaned to former side Slovan for one year.
Slovák moved in 2002 to neighbouring Czech Republic, signing for
Gambrinus liga
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 ...
title holders FC Slovan Liberec
FC Slovan Liberec (), commonly referred to as Slovan Liberec or simply Slovan, is a Czech professional association football, football club based in the city of Liberec. The club is one of the most successful in the Czech Republic, having won thr ...
. After six games and three goals, his
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
was finished after he suffered a serious knee injury.
In the January 2004 transfer window, when fully recovered, Slovák changed countries again, signing for
1. FC Nürnberg, where he teamed up with compatriots
Marek Mintál
Marek Mintál (; born 2 September 1977) is a Slovak professional football coach and a former player who played as a attacking midfielder or forward.
Playing career
Mintál started to play football in Slovak club MŠK Žilina, with whom he won ...
and
Róbert Vittek
Róbert Vittek (; born 1 April 1982) is a Slovak former professional footballer who played as a forward.
With 23 goals in 82 matches since 2001, Vittek is the second top scorer in the history of the Slovakia national football team. He played fo ...
, being the least successful player of the trio. In mid-October of the following year, the 30-year-old left the Germans and returned to Slovan Bratislava. In the
2006–07 campaign, he helped the team to a third-place finish, scoring twice from 27 appearances.
After appearing in less than half of the matches in
2009–10, with Slovan finishing in second position in the
Slovak Super Liga
The Slovak First Football League (), officially known as Niké liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Slovakia and the highest level of the Football in Slovakia, Slovak football league system. It was formed ...
, Slovák retired from football due to recurring knee problems, aged nearly 35. He returned to his main club in 2011, being appointed manager of
the reserves.
In the
2012–13 season, Slovák led Slovan to
the double.
He left the ''
Štadión Pasienky
Stadion Pasienky is a multi-purpose stadium in Bratislava, Slovakia. The stadium holds 11,591 people. It is used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Slovan Bratislava from 2009 to 2018. At present, it is used by Slovan's reser ...
'', however, being appointed at Liberec.
International career
Slovák won his first
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
for
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
at the age of 20, going on to appear in a further 19 games in the following decade, although he went through a large period of international inactivity, playing no matches from 2002 to 2004.
Honours
Player
Slovan Bratislava
*
Slovak Super Liga
The Slovak First Football League (), officially known as Niké liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Slovakia and the highest level of the Football in Slovakia, Slovak football league system. It was formed ...
:
1994–95,
1995–96,
2008–09
*
Slovak Cup
The Slovak Cup (), currently named Slovnaft Cup due to sponsorship agreement with Slovnaft, is the only nationwide Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in Football in Slovakia, Slovak football. The winner qualifies for the UEFA Euro ...
:
1996–97,
2009–10
Manager
Slovan Bratislava
*
Slovak Super Liga
The Slovak First Football League (), officially known as Niké liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Slovakia and the highest level of the Football in Slovakia, Slovak football league system. It was formed ...
:
2012–13
*
Slovak Cup
The Slovak Cup (), currently named Slovnaft Cup due to sponsorship agreement with Slovnaft, is the only nationwide Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in Football in Slovakia, Slovak football. The winner qualifies for the UEFA Euro ...
:
2012–13
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slovak, Samuel
1975 births
Living people
Footballers from Nitra
Slovak men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Slovak First Football League players
Å K Slovan Bratislava players
FC Slovan Liberec players
La Liga players
Segunda División players
CD Tenerife players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
1. FC Nürnberg players
Slovakia men's international footballers
Slovak expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Expatriate men's footballers in the Czech Republic
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Slovak football managers
FC Slovan Liberec managers
Expatriate football managers in the Czech Republic