FC Viktoria Plzeň facts for kids
 |
||||
| Full name | Football Club Viktoria Plzeň a.s. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 11 June 1911 | |||
| Ground | Doosan Arena | |||
| Capacity | 11,700 | |||
| President | Adolf Šádek | |||
| Head coach | Miroslav Koubek | |||
| League | Czech First League | |||
| 2023–24 | 3rd of 16 | |||
|
||||
Football Club Viktoria Plzeň is a professional football team from Plzeň, a city in the Czech Republic. They play in the Czech First League, which is the top football league in their country.
Viktoria Plzeň has had some great achievements. In 2010, they won the 2009–10 Czech Cup, which allowed them to play in the UEFA Europa League. A year later, in 2011, they won the Czech league for the very first time! This big win meant they got to compete in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League group stage, which is a huge deal in European football. They even won their first Champions League match and earned enough points to move on to the next stage of the Europa League.
The club kept winning, securing their second Czech league title in the 2012–13 season. They've also played in the UEFA Champions League group stage again and reached the Round of 16 in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. Recently, in the 2023–24 season, they made it to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, showing they are still a strong team in Europe!
Contents
Club History: From the Start to Today
How Viktoria Plzeň Began
The club started way back in 1911. A railway official named Jaroslav Ausobský helped create the new football team in Plzeň. In August 1911, Viktoria played their first game, but they lost 7–3.
For the first 18 years, Viktoria Plzeň was an amateur club. This means the players didn't get paid to play. But they still traveled! In 1922–23, they went to Spain and won six out of nine matches. In 1929, the club decided to become professional and join the national league. They quickly improved, finishing second in their second professional season. This led to their first promotion to the top league!
In the 1934–35 Czechoslovak First League, Viktoria Plzeň finished fourth. This earned them a spot in the 1935 Mitropa Cup, which was the biggest European club competition at that time. They played against the famous Italian team Juventus. They drew 3–3 at home, but lost 5–1 in Italy. These matches helped people across Europe notice Viktoria Plzeň.
The club faced some ups and downs, moving between the top league and lower divisions. During World War II, competitions were interrupted. In 1952, the club changed its name to Sokol Škoda Plzeň. Over the years, they changed names a few more times, including Spartak Plzeň and Škoda Plzeň, before returning to their original name.
In 1971, Viktoria won the Czech Cup. This allowed them to play in the European Cup Winners' Cup. They were eliminated in the first round by the strong German team Bayern Munich.
Recent Successes and European Adventures
.JPG)
In 1992, the club officially became FC Viktoria Plzeň again. The very next season, they moved up to the first league and stayed there until 1999.
In 2005, local people bought the club's shares, bringing it back under Czech ownership. They also reconnected with the Czech car company Škoda, which had sponsored the club before.
On May 18, 2010, Viktoria won the Czech Cup final against Jablonec. This victory meant they could play in European competitions again, specifically the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. They played against Beşiktaş but were eventually knocked out.
Viktoria Plzeň won their first-ever league championship in the 2010–11 season. They finished just one point ahead of Sparta Prague! This win qualified them for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. They beat Copenhagen to reach the group stage. There, they played against famous teams like Barcelona and Milan. They finished third in their group after beating BATE Borisov. This meant they moved into the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, where they lost to Schalke 04.
In 2011, the club's stadium, Stadion města Plzně, was rebuilt. The club also celebrated its 100th birthday! In 2012, midfielder Pavel Horváth was voted the club's greatest player ever.
In the 2012–13 season, Viktoria Plzeň won the Czech First League for the second time. They continued to do well in Europe, reaching the Round of 16 in the Europa League in 2013.
The club won the league again in 2014–15 and 2015–16, making it four league titles! In 2017, the club even installed a unique dugout shaped like a beer can, thanks to a local sponsor.
After being runners-up in 2016-17, Viktoria Plzeň came back strong and won the championship again in 2017–18. They won their sixth league title in the 2021–22 season.
Most recently, in the 2023–24 season, Viktoria had an amazing run in the UEFA Europa Conference League. They won all six of their group stage matches, becoming the first Czech team to do so in a UEFA competition! They beat Dinamo Zagreb, FC Astana, and FC Ballkani. They then beat Servette FC in the Round of 16 before being knocked out by Fiorentina in the quarter-finals.
Club Names Through the Years
- 1911 – SK Viktoria Plzeň (Sportovní klub Viktoria Plzeň)
- 1949 – Sokol Škoda Plzeň
- 1952 – Sokol ZVIL Plzeň (Sokol Závody Vladimíra Iljiče Lenina Plzeň)
- 1953 – DSO Spartak LZ Plzeň (Dobrovolná sportovní organizace Spartak Leninovy závody Plzeň)
- 1962 – TJ Spartak LZ Plzeň (Tělovýchovná jednota Spartak Leninovy závody Plzeň)
- 1965 – TJ Škoda Plzeň (Tělovýchovná jednota Škoda Plzeň)
- 1993 – FC Viktoria Plzeň (Football Club Viktoria Plzeň, a.s.)
Players
Current Squad
|
|
Players on Loan
|
|
Famous Former Players
Player Records in the Czech First League
Here are some of the top players for Viktoria Plzeň in the Czech First League. Players who are still in the current squad are highlighted.
Most Games Played
| # | Name | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  David Limberský |
393 |
| 2 | Milan Petržela |
267 |
| 3 | Lukáš Hejda |
257 |
| 4 | Daniel Kolář |
229 |
| 5 | Radim Řezník |
220 |
| 6 | Jan Kopic |
217 |
| 7 | Tomáš Hořava |
197 |
| 8 | Jan Kovařík |
195 |
| 9 | Václav Procházka |
188 |
| 10 |  Marek Bakoš |
177 |
Most Goals Scored
| # | Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Kolář |
66 |
| 2 | Marek Bakoš |
54 |
| 3 | Michael Krmenčík |
45 |
| Tomáš Chorý |
||
| 5 |  Jean-David Beauguel |
43 |
| 6 | Milan Petržela |
38 |
| 7 | Pavel Horváth |
35 |
| 8 | Michal Ďuriš |
34 |
| 9 | Jan Kopic |
33 |
| 10 | Tomáš Hořava |
31 |
Most Clean Sheets (Goalkeepers)
| # | Name | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matúš Kozáčik |
82 |
| 2 | Aleš Hruška |
34 |
| Jindřich Staněk |
||
| 4 | Michal Čaloun |
31 |
| 5 | Michal Daněk |
29 |
Managers of Viktoria Plzeň
Many coaches have led Viktoria Plzeň over the years. Here are some of them:
- Rudolf Krčil (1963)
- Vlastimil Chobot (1967–68)
- Karel Kolský (1969–70)
- Jiří Rubáš (1970–75)
- Tomáš Pospíchal (1975–77)
- Jaroslav Dočkal (1977–78)
- Svatopluk Pluskal (1978–79)
- Josef Žaloudek (1979–??)
- Václav Rys
- Zdeněk Michálek (1993–95)
- Jaroslav Hřebík (1995–96)
- Antonín Dvořák (1996–97)
- Petr Uličný (1997–99)
- Milan Šíp (1999)
- Luboš Urban (1999–2000)
- Miroslav Koubek (Oct 2000 – Dec 2001)
- Petr Rada (Dec 2001 – Oct 2002)
- Zdeněk Michálek (Oct 2002 – May 2003)
- František Cipro (May 2003 – May 2004)
- Martin Pulpit (May 2004 – May 2005)
- Zdeněk Michálek (May 2005 – April 2006)
- František Straka (April 2006 – May 2006)
- Michal Bílek (July 2006 – Sept 2006)
- Stanislav Levý (Oct 2006 – April 2008)
- Karel Krejčí (April 2008 – May 2008)
- Jaroslav Šilhavý (July 2008 – Oct 2008)
- Pavel Vrba (Oct 2008 – Dec 2013)
- Dušan Uhrin Jr. (Dec 2013 – Aug 2014)
- Miroslav Koubek (Aug 2014 – Aug 2015)
- Karel Krejčí (Aug 2015 – May 2016)
- Roman Pivarník (May 2016 – April 2017)
- Zdeněk Bečka (April 2017 – June 2017)
- Pavel Vrba (Jun 2017 – Dec 2019)
- Adrián Guľa (Dec 2019 – May 2021)
- Michal Bílek (May 2021 – May 2023)
- Miroslav Koubek (June 2023 –)
Viktoria Plzeň's Trophies and Wins
National Titles
- Czech First League (Top League)
- Winners (6 times): 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2021–22
- Runners-up (finished second): 2013–14, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20
- Czech Cup
- Winners (1 time): 2009–10
- Runners-up: 2013–14, 2020–21, 2023–24
- Czech Supercup
- Winners (2 times): 2011, 2015
- Runners-up: 2010, 2013, 2014
- Czech 2. Liga (Second League)
- Winners (1 time): 2002–03
Club Records in the Czech First League
- Best position: 1st place (6 times)
- Worst position: 16th place (2000–01, 2003–04)
- Biggest home win: Plzeň 7–0 Ústí nad Labem (2010–11), Plzeň 7–0 Teplice (2020–21)
- Biggest away win: Zlín 1–7 Plzeň (2023–24)
- Biggest home defeat: Plzeň 1–5 Drnovice (1997–98), Plzeň 0–4 Příbram (2003–04), Plzeň 0–4 Slavia Prague (2006–07), Plzeň 0–4 Ostrava (2007–08), Plzeň 0–4 Olomouc (2011–12)
- Biggest away defeat: Ostrava 6–0 Plzeň (2005–06)
See also
In Spanish: Football Club Viktoria Pilsen para niños
