Libor Sionko facts for kids
Libor Sionko
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Libor Sionko | ||
| Date of birth | 1 February 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Ostrava, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1986 | TJ Vítkovice | ||
| 1986–1993 | Baník Ostrava | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1994 | Banik Ostrava | 1 | (0) |
| 1994–1996 | TŽ Třinec | 12 | (3) |
| 1996–1997 | VTJ Znojmo | 0 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Banik Ostrava | 45 | (11) |
| 1999–2004 | Sparta Prague | 95 | (25) |
| 2004 | Grazer AK | 15 | (2) |
| 2004–2006 | Austria Wien | 63 | (8) |
| 2006–2007 | Rangers | 18 | (3) |
| 2007–2009 | F.C. Copenhagen | 54 | (9) |
| 2010–2012 | Sparta Prague | 40 | (7) |
| Total | 343 | (68) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–2000 | Czech Republic U21 | 19 | (7) |
| 1999–2010 | Czech Republic | 41 | (8) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Libor Sionko, born on February 1, 1977, is a former professional footballer from the Czech Republic. He played as a midfielder, often on the right side of the field.
Libor started his football journey in his hometown of Ostrava. He played for youth teams like TJ Vítkovice and Baník Ostrava. He then became a professional player in the Czech Republic. He played for clubs like Ostrava and Sparta Prague.
Later, Libor moved abroad to play in other countries. He played in Austria for Grazer AK and Austria Wien. After that, he went to Scotland to play for Rangers. He also played in Denmark for F.C. Copenhagen. Libor returned to the Czech Republic to finish his career with Sparta Prague. He retired from football in 2012.
Libor also played for his country, the Czech Republic. He joined the national team in 1999. He played in big tournaments like the 2000 Olympics, the 2006 World Cup, and Euro 2008. He played for the national team until 2010, scoring 8 goals in 41 games.
Contents
Libor Sionko's Club Career
Starting Out in the Czech Republic
Libor Sionko was born in Ostrava. He began playing football as a young boy for local teams. These included TJ Vítkovice and Baník Ostrava.
In 1999, Libor joined Sparta Prague. This is a very famous club in the Czech Republic. He played very well for Sparta in the Czech First League, which is the top football league in the Czech Republic. He also played in the UEFA Champions League. This is a big competition where the best clubs in Europe play against each other. Sparta Prague made it past the group stage twice with Libor on the team. This happened in the 1999–2000 and 2003–2004 seasons.
Playing in Austria
Libor left Sparta Prague in February 2004. He moved to Austria to play for Grazer AK. He helped them win their first-ever Austrian championship. His team also won the Austrian Cup that year.
After this success, he joined Austria Wien. He helped them reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in the 2004–2005 season. The UEFA Cup is another big European club competition. In the 2005–2006 season, Libor helped Austria Wien win both the Austrian league and the Austrian Cup. This was a great achievement!
Time in Scotland and Denmark
On May 16, 2006, Libor Sionko moved to Scotland. He joined Rangers, a big club in Glasgow. He signed a three-year contract with them.
Libor scored a goal in his very first game for Rangers. This was against Motherwell on July 30, 2006. Rangers won that game 2–1. However, Libor often had injuries, which meant he couldn't play in every game. He played 24 games for Rangers in his first season.
In the summer of 2007, Libor moved to Denmark. He signed a two-year contract with F.C. Copenhagen. This team was the Danish champion at the time.
Libor's first game for F.C. Copenhagen was on August 4. He helped his team win 1–0 against AGF. He scored his first goal for the club in his second game. This was his first home game at Parken Stadium. F.C. Copenhagen won that match 5–2 against Esbjerg fB. He later scored more goals in cup matches. Libor said that his family was happy in Copenhagen. He even called Copenhagen his second home.
Back to Sparta Prague and Retirement
By late 2009, Libor wasn't playing much for F.C. Copenhagen. In January 2010, he left the club. He then signed a contract with Sparta Prague again. He played for them until June 2012.
Libor Sionko retired from football on August 27, 2012. He decided to stop playing after his contract with Sparta Prague ended.
Libor Sionko's International Career
Libor Sionko played for the Czech Republic at many levels. He played for the Under 17, Under 18, Under 20, and Under 21 teams. He played his first game for the senior Czech Republic national team on April 24, 1999. This was a friendly match against Poland. He played 41 games for his country and scored 8 goals. For a long time, he was a substitute player. This was because another great player, Karel Poborský, played in his position.
Playing in the 2000 Olympics
Libor Sionko played in all three games at the 2000 Olympics. The Czech team drew with the United States and Cameroon. They lost to Kuwait. This meant they were knocked out of the tournament early.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup
Libor was chosen to play for the Czech team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was called up because another player was injured. He mostly came on as a substitute in games. The Czech team was knocked out in the group stage of the competition. Libor's first World Cup game was against Ghana on June 17, 2006. Ghana won that game 2–0.
UEFA Euro 2008
On June 11, Libor scored a goal for the Czech Republic in their second game of Euro 2008. This was against Portugal. Portugal won the game 3–1. Libor scored in the 17th minute, making the score 1–1. But Portugal scored two more goals later. This meant the Czechs had to fight hard in their last group game against Turkey.
International Goals
- Scores and results list the Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sionko goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2003 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice, Czech Republic |  Canada |
4–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 September 2006 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia |  Slovakia |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 3 | 2–0 | |||||
| 4 | 17 October 2007 | Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany |  Germany |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 5 | 30 May 2008 | Letná, Prague, Czech Republic |  Scotland |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 3–1 | |||||
| 7 | 11 June 2008 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland |  Portugal |
1–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 |
| 8 | 15 October 2008 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice, Czech Republic |  Slovenia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying |
Honours and Achievements
Libor Sionko won many awards and championships during his football career:
- Austrian Football Bundesliga:
- 2003–04 (with Grazer AK)
- 2005–06 (with Austria Wien)
- Austrian Cup:
- 2003–04 (with Grazer AK)
- 2004–05 (with Austria Wien)
- 2005–06 (with Austria Wien)
- Danish Superliga: 2008–09 (with F.C. Copenhagen)
- Danish Cup: 2008–09 (with F.C. Copenhagen)
- Czech First League:
- 1999–2000 (with Sparta Prague)
- 2000–01 (with Sparta Prague)
- 2002–03 (with Sparta Prague)
- Czech Cup: 2003–04 (with Sparta Prague)
See also
In Spanish: Libor Sionko para niños
