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Ľubomír Moravčík facts for kids

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Ľubomír Moravčík
Alan Thompson and Lubomir Moravcik, John Kennedy testimonial match.jpg
Moravcik (right) at the John Kennedy testmonial match in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth (1965-06-22) 22 June 1965 (age 60)
Place of birth Nitra, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.72 m
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Slovakia (vice-president)
Youth career
Nitra
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1983–1990 Nitra 119 (30)
1990–1996 Saint-Etienne 197 (31)
1996–1998 Bastia 33 (8)
1998 MSV Duisburg 5 (0)
1998–2002 Celtic 94 (29)
2002 JEF United Ichihara 2 (0)
2003–2004 Nitra
Total 432 (98)
National team
1987–1993 Czechoslovakia 42 (7)
1994–2000 Slovakia 38 (6)
Teams managed
2004–2005 Ružomberok
2005–2008 Slovakia U16
2008 Zlaté Moravce
2016–2017 ŠKF Sereď (assistant)
2017 Zvolen (assistant)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Ľubomír Moravčík (born June 22, 1965) is a Slovak football manager and former player. He was a very creative midfielder. He was known for his great skill with the ball. He could shoot powerfully and pass the ball perfectly with both feet.

Moravčík played for teams in Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, France, Germany, Japan, and Scotland. While playing for the Scottish club Celtic, he played 129 games. He scored 35 goals and won two Scottish Premier League titles. He also played for the national teams of Czechoslovakia and Slovakia. He was part of the Czechoslovak team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Moravčík started his career at Plastika Nitra in Czechoslovakia. He played his first league game on October 16, 1983. He was part of a very successful group of young players at Nitra.

He played over 170 games for the club. In 1990, he moved to France. He joined Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne. There, he played over 230 matches. Later, he played for Bastia and then MSV Duisburg in Germany.

Time at Celtic

On October 27, 1998, Moravčík joined Scottish Premier League team Celtic. The transfer cost £330,000. He joined up with his fellow Slovak, Jozef Vengloš, who was Celtic's manager.

Even though he was 33 years old, Moravčík became a fan favorite. He formed a great partnership with Henrik Larsson. Moravčík played his first league game for Celtic on November 7, 1998. It was a big 6-1 win against Dundee United. On November 21, he scored two goals against Celtic's rivals, Rangers. Celtic won that game 5–1.

Moravčík played for Celtic for four seasons. He won two Scottish championships. He also won one Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups. Many of his former teammates praised his skill with both feet. Moravčík said that playing for Celtic was a "gift from God" to him. He played his last game for Celtic on April 21, 2002.

Playing in Japan

On May 4, 2002, Moravčík announced he was leaving Celtic. He joined JEF United Ichihara in Japan's J-League. This move reunited him with Jozef Vengloš.

Moravčík only played three games for JEF United Ichihara. He suffered an ankle injury. After not being able to recover, he retired from football. This was on September 6, 2002.

International Career

Moravčík played 80 games for his country. He played for Czechoslovakia and Slovakia. His international career lasted from 1987 to 2000.

He first played for Czechoslovakia on November 11, 1987. It was a 2–0 win against Wales. He scored his first goal in a 3–0 win against Switzerland. This was during the qualifiers for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Moravčík played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. He was sent off in the quarter-final game against Germany. Germany won that game 1–0.

His first game for the new Slovak team was on March 30, 1994. It was a 2–1 friendly win against Malta.

After Playing Football

After retiring, Moravčík became a football manager. He coached the Slovak national U-17 team. Then he became the coach of FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce. This team plays in the highest Slovak league.

He is also a vice-president of the Slovak Football Association. He also worked as an assistant coach for ŠKF Sereď. Moravčík also earned an engineering degree. He studied at the Slovak University of Agriculture while playing for Nitra.

How He Played

Moravčík was known for his amazing skill. He was a free kick specialist. He was also famous for being able to use both his left and right feet equally well.

Henrik Larsson said that Moravčík was one of the best players he ever played with. Larsson even said he didn't know if Moravčík was right-footed or left-footed. This shows how good he was with both feet.

Personal Life

Ľubomír Moravčík became a French citizen on November 5, 1996.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Plastika Nitra 1983–84 First League 9 0 9 0
1984–85 24 4 24 4
1985–86 29 4 29 4
1986–87 First League 27 7 27 7
1987–88 24 3 24 3
1988–89 30 6 30 6
1989–90 29 14 29 14
Total 172 38 172 38
Saint-Étienne 1990–91 French Division 1 37 7 37 7
1991–92 32 4 32 4
1992–93 34 5 34 5
1993–94 33 4 33 4
1994–95 27 4 27 4
1995–96 34 7 34 7
Total 197 31 197 31
Bastia 1996–97 Division 1 21 6 21 6
1997–98 12 2 12 2
Total 33 8 33 8
MSV Duisburg 1998–99 Bundesliga 5 0 5 0
Celtic 1998–99 Premier League 14 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 17 6
1999–00 30 8 1 0 4 1 4 0 39 9
2000–01 27 9 5 1 3 1 5 3 40 14
2001–02 23 6 1 0 3 0 6 0 33 6
Total 94 29 10 1 10 2 15 3 129 35
JEF United Ichihara 2002 J1 League 2 0 0 0 1 0 - 3 0
Career total 450 98 10 1 11 2 15 3 486 104

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Czechoslovakia 1987 1 0
1988 5 0
1989 8 1
1990 12 1
1991 6 2
1992 6 1
1993 6 1
Total 44 6
Slovakia 1994 6 2
1995 8 0
1996 5 1
1997 3 0
1998 10 3
2000 5 0
Total 37 6
Career total 81 12
  • Moravčík's team's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Moravčík goal.
International goals by Ľubomír Moravčík
No. Team Cap Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1  Czechoslovakia 13 25 October 1989 Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia  Switzerland 3–0 3–0 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 26 14 November 1990 Stadion Evžena Rošického, Prague, Czechoslovakia  Spain 3–2 3–2 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
3 27 27 March 1991 Andrův stadion, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia  Poland 2–0 4–0 Friendly
4 31 25 September 1991 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 2–1 3–2 Friendly
5 35 19 August 1991 Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia  Austria 2–2 2–2 Friendly
6 39 24 March 1993 Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus  Cyprus 1–0 1–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
7  Slovakia 2 20 April 1994 Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia  Croatia 4–1 4–1 Friendly
8 5 12 October 1994 Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel  Israel 1–0 2–2 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
9 18 31 August 1996 Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 1–0 2–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 24 6 February 1998 Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus  Slovenia 1–1 1–1 Friendly
11 25 7 February 1998 Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus  Iceland 2–0 2–1 Friendly
12 30 5 September 1998 Štadión Lokomotívy, Košice, Slovakia  Azerbaijan 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying

Honours and Awards

Bastia

  • UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1997

Celtic

Individual Awards

  • Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year: 1992
  • Slovak Footballer of the Year: 2001

Images for kids

  • Alan Thompson and Lubomir Moravcik, John Kennedy testimonial match

    Moravcik (right) at the John Kennedy testmonial match in 2011

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ľubomír Moravčík para niños

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