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Vladimír Šmicer (Czech pronunciation:[ˈʃmɪtsɛr]; born 24 May 1973) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He started his senior career at Slavia Prague, the only Czech club he ever played for. In 1999, Šmicer moved to England where he played for Liverpool, winning multiple honours. He is perhaps best remembered at Liverpool for his long-range goal in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final victory against Milan. At Liverpool he also won an UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup treble in 2001 as well as the 2003 League Cup.
He also notably played for French sides Lens, with whom he won the Ligue 1 title, and Bordeaux.
At international level, Šmicer played once for the Czechoslovak national side and 80 times for the Czech Republic. He retired from professional football in 2009.
Club career
Liverpool
Šmicer joined Liverpool for a fee of £4.2 million, recruited to fill the void left by the departure of Steve McManaman to Real Madrid. Upon arriving at Anfield in 1999, Šmicer was given the number 7 shirt, although he would later switch to number 11 after the arrival of Harry Kewell. When he left Liverpool in 2005, Šmicer said: "Just signing for Liverpool in itself was a dream because I supported them as a kid. It was a dream come true." He made his Liverpool debut in a match against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium[3] and scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–2 away victory against Watford.[4]
Although Šmicer was plagued with injury problems, he scored the last minute winner against Chelsea in 2002,[5] and a stunning volley against Borussia Dortmund[6]
Šmicer also scored Liverpool’s second goal during the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final vs AC Milan. The game ended 3-3, with Liverpool coming back from 3-0 to bring it to penalties. Šmicer would then score Liverpool’s fourth and final penalty to win the game.
Slavia Prague
Upon returning to Slavia Prague in 2007, Šmicer won the Personality of the League award at the Czech Footballer of the Year awards in 2008.[7] He ended his football career after draw 0–0 with Viktoria Plzeň on 9 November 2009, but made his farewell party on 11 May 2010.[8]
International career
Šmicer began his international career in 1993.[citation needed][clarification needed] At the Euro 1996, he represented the Czech Republic as they made it to the finals. He was the Czech’s only substitute in the final, coming on in the 88th minute against Germany to replace Karel Poborský. At the Euro 2000, he scored both goals in the national team's only tournament victory, 2–0 against Denmark.[9] Šmicer did not participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup due to a leg injury.[10]
Managerial career
Just one day after retiring from football, Šmicer became sports manager of the Czech national team, working alongside head coach Michal Bílek.[11][12]
Personal life
Šmicer stood for minor Czech party VIZE 2014 in the European Parliament election; his stated priority was to reduce obesity among children.[13] As a result of Šmicer's playing career, he can speak English and French apart from his native Czech.[14]
