Rudi Skácel facts for kids
Skácel playing for Hearts in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rudolf Skácel | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 July 1979 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Trutnov, Czechoslovakia | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1992 | FK Trutnov | |||||||||||||||
| 1992–1999 | Hradec Králové | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Hradec Králové | 37 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Slavia Prague | 57 | (13) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Marseille | 20 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | → Panathinaikos (loan) | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Heart of Midlothian (loan) | 35 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Southampton | 83 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | → Hertha BSC (loan) | 16 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | Slavia Prague | 5 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Larissa | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Heart of Midlothian | 58 | (25) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Dundee United | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | Slavia Prague | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Mladá Boleslav | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Raith Rovers | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | 1. FK Příbram | 43 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 422 | (80) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Czech Republic U21 | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Czech Republic | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Rudolf Skácel (born 17 July 1979) is a retired professional footballer from the Czech Republic. He played as a midfielder and was known for being able to play in different positions. He could play on the left side of the midfield, as an attacking midfielder in the center, or even as a left back. He also played for his country, the Czech Republic.
Skácel started his career with FC Hradec Králové before joining Slavia Prague. His skills there caught the eye of the French club Olympique de Marseille. He then went on loan to Panathinaikos and Heart of Midlothian. At Hearts, he became a fan favorite, scoring in the 2006 Scottish Cup Final which his team won. After that, he played for Southampton and had a loan spell at Hertha BSC. He returned to Slavia Prague and then played for Larissa. His second time at Hearts was very successful. He was the top scorer for the club in both seasons and scored two goals in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final, helping Hearts win another cup. He played seven games for the Czech Republic national team.
Contents
Football Journey: Rudi Skácel's Career
Starting in the Czech Republic
Rudolf Skácel was born in Trutnov, a town in the Czech Republic. He began his football journey with FC Hradec Králové. He played his first senior game in 1999. He helped his team get promoted back to the top league in the Czech Republic.
In 2002, he joined Slavia Prague. With Slavia, he won the Czech Cup in May 2002. They beat their big rivals Sparta Prague in the final. In the same year, he also won a gold medal with the Czech Republic Under-21 team at the European Under-21 Football Championship. His strong performances in the Czech league and the UEFA Cup caught the attention of French club Olympique de Marseille.
Playing in France and Greece
In August 2003, Skácel moved to Marseille in France. He played his first game for them on September 13, 2003, in a big 5–0 win. He scored his only goal for Marseille in October 2003.
After his first season, Skácel was loaned out to the Greek club Panathinaikos. He scored two goals in his first game for them. He also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time with Panathinaikos. He scored a goal in a match against Rosenborg. During his time in Greece, he scored five goals in total.
Becoming a Hearts Hero
After his loan at Panathinaikos ended, Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) in Scotland decided to sign Skácel on loan from Marseille in July 2005.
He had an amazing start at Hearts in the 2005–06 season. Hearts won their first seven league games, and Skácel scored in every single one of them! This set a new record in the Scottish Premier League. In his first home game for Hearts, he scored in a 4–0 win against their city rivals Hibernian. He scored 16 goals that season. He also scored for Hearts in the Scottish Cup final, which Hearts won. He was even nominated for a special player award, but he didn't win it.
Even though it seemed like he might stay, Skácel left Hearts after this successful loan spell.
Time at Southampton and Hertha Berlin
On July 29, 2006, Skácel joined Southampton in England. He played many games for Southampton, often as a left back. He scored a great goal from 25 yards in a game against West Bromwich Albion in 2007.
In January 2008, Skácel moved to Hertha BSC in Germany on loan. He wanted to play in a top league to improve his chances of playing for the Czech national team. He did make it into the UEFA Euro 2008 squad, but he didn't play in any of the games. He returned to Southampton and left the club in 2009.
Returning to Former Clubs
Skácel went back to his old club, Slavia Prague, in October 2009. He scored three goals in one game against FC Brno. After a short time, he moved to Larissa in Greece in January 2010.
On September 16, 2010, Skácel returned to Hearts for a second time. He scored in his first home game back against Rangers. He scored three goals in one game against St Mirren in October 2010. He continued to score many goals, ending the 2010–11 season as Hearts' top scorer with 13 goals.
He signed a new contract with Hearts in August 2011. He scored his first goal of that season in a UEFA Europa League game. He continued his great form, scoring against Celtic and Dunfermline. In January 2012, he scored in the Edinburgh derby against Hibs. He also scored his second hat-trick for Hearts against St. Mirren. He played his 100th game for Hearts in April 2012.
Skácel was a key player in the Scottish Cup run. He scored in the quarter-finals, the semi-finals against Celtic, and two goals in the historic 2012 Scottish Cup Final against Hibs. Hearts won the final 5–1, and Skácel was named the best player of the match. He said it was the "best way to say goodbye" to the club.
Later Career Moves
In October 2012, Skácel joined Dundee United. He chose the number 51 shirt, which caused some talk because it was a reference to Hearts' 5–1 win over Hibs in the Scottish Cup final. He scored one goal for Dundee United before leaving in January 2013.
He then returned to Slavia Prague for a third time in March 2013. He played five games before his contract ended.
After this, Skácel trained with Hearts again, but he couldn't sign due to rules about the club's finances. He was disappointed by this.
In July 2016, Skácel signed with Raith Rovers in Scotland. After leaving Raith Rovers, he returned to the Czech Republic and joined 1. FK Příbram. He helped them get promoted to the top Czech league. Skácel retired from football in June 2019 after Příbram won their relegation playoff game.
Playing for His Country
Rudolf Skácel played for the Czech Republic Under-21 team. He scored in his debut game against Bulgaria in 2001. He was part of the team that won the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in Switzerland. He even scored in the penalty shootout in the final against France.
Skácel made his debut for the main Czech Republic national team on November 12, 2003, against Canada. He scored a goal just eight minutes after coming on as a substitute. He was chosen for the UEFA Euro 2008 squad but did not play in any matches. In total, he played seven games for his country and scored one goal.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Slavia Prague | 2001–02 | Gambrinus liga | 12 | 3 | 12 | 3 | ||||||
| 2002–03 | 30 | 8 | 30 | 8 | ||||||||
| 2003–04 | 15 | 2 | 15 | 2 | ||||||||
| Total | 57 | 13 | 57 | 13 | ||||||||
| Marseille | 2003–04 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Panathinaikos (loan) | 2004–05 | Alpha Ethniki | 16 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 5 | ||
| Heart of Midlothian (loan) | 2005–06 | Scottish Premier League | 35 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 17 | ||
| Southampton | 2006–07 | Football League Championship | 39 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | ||||
| 2008–09 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 83 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 6 | ||
| Hertha BSC (loan) | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Slavia Prague | 2009–10 | Gambrinus liga | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | ||
| Larissa | 2009–10 | Superleague Greece | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | 2010–11 | Scottish Premier League | 29 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 13 | ||
| 2011–12 | 29 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 18 | ||
| Total | 58 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 69 | 31 | ||
| Dundee United | 2012–13 | Scottish Premier League | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Slavia Prague | 2012–13 | Czech First League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |||
| Mladá Boleslav | 2015–16 | Czech First League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Raith Rovers | 2016–17 | Scottish Championship | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 1. FK Příbram | 2017–18 | Czech National Football League | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 27 | 4 | |
| 2018–19 | Czech First League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| Total | 43 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 435 | 72 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 479 | 84 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Club | Season | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | Marseille | 2003–04 | 1 | 1 |
| Hearts | 2005–06 | 2 | 0 | |
| Hertha BSC | 2007–08 | 2 | 0 | |
| Larissa | 2009–10 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 1 | ||
| International appearances and goals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Goal | Competition |
| 2003–04 | ||||||
| 1. | 12 November 2003 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice, Czech Republic |  Canada |
5–1 | 1 | Friendly |
| 2005–06 | ||||||
| 2. | 17 August 2005 | Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Sweden |
1–2 | 0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 7 September 2005 | Andrův stadion, Olomouc, Czech Republic |  Armenia |
4–1 | 0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2007–08 | ||||||
| 4. | 27 May 2008 | Stadion Eden, Prague, Czech Republic |  Lithuania |
2–0 | 0 | Friendly |
| 5. | 30 May 2008 | Letná Stadium, Prague, Czech Republic |  Scotland |
3–1 | 0 | Friendly |
| 2009–10 | ||||||
| 6. | 3 March 2010 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland |
0–1 | 0 | Friendly |
| 7. | 22 May 2010 | Red Bull Arena, New Jersey, United States |  Turkey |
1–2 | 0 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Hradec Králové
- Czech 2. Liga: 2000–01 (Won the second division league)
Slavia Prague
- Czech Cup: 2001–02 (Won the Czech Cup)
Heart of Midlothian
- Scottish Cup: 2005–06, 2011–12 (Won the Scottish Cup twice)
Czech Republic Under-21
- UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2002 (Won the European Under-21 Championship)
Individual Awards
- Scottish Premier League Player of the Month: August 2005 (Recognized as the best player in the league for that month)
Images for kids
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A robot illustration, similar to those found in children's encyclopedias.
See also
In Spanish: Rudolf Skácel para niños
