Jan Koller: biography and career main stages

In football, it succeeds not only talented but also hard working athletes. One of the most striking examples - recognized by the youth unfit for play-foot Czech footballer. At 21, he was told that he can not do anything on the football field, and a few years later, the athlete has already strikes fear in defenders throughout Europe.

Childhood and adolescence

One of the most successful strikers in the history of Czech football was born in Prague March 30, 1973. His name is Jan Koller. Biography future star of Czech football was rather normal. His parents were people who are far from the sport: mother worked in a warehouse, and my father was repairing farm machinery. About to become a football player, Koller as a child and did not think. Boy playing with his father only for the amateur team of the village Smetanova Lhota, where the family moved when he was six years old.

It seems that the future is predetermined Koller: still in school, he mastered the skills of repair techniques and like his father was going to be a mechanic. By the age of twenty Jan could serve in the army, to work in the workshop and move to an office job a bank clerk.

It seemed that football can be left in the village youth, but there was much history Koller uncommon.

Early Career

The first professional club in the career of Jan Koller became the Prague "Sparta", a contract with a 20-year-old striker signed in 1994. For a young Koller this event became the first truly significant milestone. This is not surprising, because the "Sparta" - the most titled club in the Czech Republic. By the time the team has managed to win the national championship 21 times. However, in "Sparta" at Koller went wrong. For two years he naschitval only five goals scored in 30 matches. Fans and the head coach, "Sparta" mercilessly criticized the striker for his poor performance. Moreover, in Prague Jan Koller was extremely insulting nickname for him (Giraffe) due to their more than two meters tall. Therefore, despite the two won the championship and the Cup, football player after a couple of seasons with the capital club moved to a more modest Belgian "Lokeren" on a free transfer.

In the "Lokeren" Jan Koller its rating raised well. Three seasons in a small Belgian club were marked by progressive development. The result was the title of top scorer in the Belgian championship. What is interesting, during the last season in "Lokeren" Jan Koller scored 24 goals - just as much as the previous four years.

After this season Koller could not help but take note of a bigger team. The next step was the Czech's career Grand Belgian "Anderlecht". It was there that Jan Koller has become a player of the European level. Two years and 42 goals in 65 matches - a measure of the top hitters. That's why it is understandable why Koller received the "Golden Boot" - a reward the best players of the Belgian championship. It became clear, Jan Koller - a football player at the highest level.

"Dortmund"

John's career peaked in the period of performance of the Dortmund "Borussia". For the Czech giant paid 13 million euros - the amount at the time enormous. The "Borussia" Koller has formed a great bunch with compatriot Tomas Rositsiki - one of the highlights of Czech footballers of the last twenty years. It is through these two "black-yellow" in the 2001/02 season were able to take a "salad bowl" - the main trophy of the Bundesliga and reached the UEFA Cup final, the second most important club tournament in Europe. Dortmund Koller had to make a flashback to your childhood and remember how to be a goalkeeper. Playing for the "Smetana Lhotu" Jan due to the growth got a place in the gate, and in the match against the Munich "Bavaria" (fights with which in Germany is called Der Klassiker) Koller returned there again.

It happened due to the fact that the goalkeeper "bumblebees" Jens Lehmann, has always distinguished obstinate and rather outrageous temper, was removed from the field and opportunities to release the reserve goalkeeper, the "Borussia" was not. As a result, the gate took place in Koller and played the game to zero.

The "Borussia" from Koller appeared another nickname. Dortmund fans nicknamed him Dino for indomitable character, commitment and the will to win.

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Other clubs

For "Borussia" Koller played for five years and left the club in 2006, when the "bees" are in a deep financial crisis. Forward moved for two years in the "Monaco", six months spent in "Nuremberg", a year and a half to delight fans of the Premier League game Samara "Wings of the Soviets." At the time of moving to Russia Koller I was already 34 years old, but 16 goals for "Wings" He scored that for his age, not a bad figure. The last professional club in John's career was the French "Cannes", which Koller moved to hit closer to home.