Josef Masopust
Encyclopedia
Josef Masopust is a Czechoslovakia
n former football
player and coach. He was named European Footballer of the Year
in 1962. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA
's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player
of the Czech Republic by the Football Association of the Czech Republic
as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He played as midfielder and was an indispensable player for Czechoslovakia. He capped 63 times, scoring 10 goals for his country.
He was named by Pelé
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
in March 2004.
team that reached the 1962 FIFA World Cup
final, losing to Brazil
. He scored in the Final and Czechoslovakia took the lead, Brazil however came back to win 3-1. Because of his performance at the World Cup Finals, he was named European Footballer of the Year
in 1962. Overall, he was capped 63 times for his country, scoring ten goals (he also played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup
). In Europe, he took Czechoslovakia to third place at the 1960 UEFA European Football Championship
.
Masopust's first club was lowly ZSJ Uhlomost Most, but ZSJ Technomat Teplice (renamed to ZSJ Vodotechna Teplice in 1951) signed him as a 19-year-old left-half and gave him his top-flight debut. Then, in 1952, he joined a Czechoslovak Armed Forces football club under name of ATK Praha (renamed to ÚDA Praha in 1953 and to Dukla Prague in Winter 1956). They won eight league championships.
When he eventually went abroad in 1968, he helped Crossing Molenbeek
win promotion to the Belgian first division as player-coach. His coaching career continued at Dukla, yet his greatest achievement on the bench was winning the Czech league with Zbrojovka Brno
in 1978. Later, in 1984-88, he led the Czechoslovakian national football team
before a spell in Indonesia where coached her national football junior team in 1988-91.
; a workhorse of a team, who toiled away in obscurity crafting and building fresh attacks for the front line. Masopust though was not devoid of technical abilities and could 'play the violin and do the dishes'. He Possessed exemplary ball control, his transmission with ball on foot through the field was clinical, which he utilized for both; basic work, from the recovery of the ball in defense, to driving menacingly through the opposition in what was termed 'Masopust's slalom'. During these solo runs Masopust would seamlessly switch between both feet, easily jinking to the left and right but always moving forward.
Like Bozsik
, Masopust as well was a marvellous passer, and was able to pick out teammates with both strength and precision. The only flaw in his capabilities came from his physical weakness due to his medium build, but he made up for this deficit with massive reserves of stamina and pace, allowing him to be a tireless engine in the centre of the field.
Shackled by Czechoslovakia
's 'no-risk' style philosophy, Masopust's natural inclination for attack was limited, yet he still managed 10 goals in 63 caps for his country. At club level he scored 79 times in 386 appearances for Dukla Praha
.
|1954||1||0
|-
|1955||0||0
|-
|1956||10||2
|-
|1957||6||0
|-
|1958||10||2
|-
|1959||2||0
|-
|1960||6||2
|-
|1961||7||1
|-
|1962||11||3
|-
|1963||4||0
|-
|1964||4||0
|-
|1965||1||0
|-
|1966||1||0
|-
!Total||63||10
|}
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and coach. He was named European Footballer of the Year
European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
in 1962. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player
UEFA Jubilee Awards
To celebrate the Union of European Football Associations 's 50th anniversary in 2004, each of its member associations was asked by UEFA to choose one of its own players as the single most outstanding player of the past 50 years . The 52 players were known as the Golden Players...
of the Czech Republic by the Football Association of the Czech Republic
Football Association of the Czech Republic
The Football Association of the Czech Republic or colloquially the Czech Football Association is the governing body of football in the Czech Republic, based in Prague. It organizes the football leagues, Czech Liga and Czech 2. Liga, and the Czech Republic national football team...
as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He played as midfielder and was an indispensable player for Czechoslovakia. He capped 63 times, scoring 10 goals for his country.
He was named by Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
in March 2004.
Career
In 1962, Masopust led the CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
team that reached the 1962 FIFA World Cup
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
final, losing to Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. He scored in the Final and Czechoslovakia took the lead, Brazil however came back to win 3-1. Because of his performance at the World Cup Finals, he was named European Footballer of the Year
European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
in 1962. Overall, he was capped 63 times for his country, scoring ten goals (he also played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
). In Europe, he took Czechoslovakia to third place at the 1960 UEFA European Football Championship
1960 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1960 UEFA European Nations Cup was the first European Football Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament was held in France. It was won by the Soviet Union, who beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in Paris after extra time....
.
Masopust's first club was lowly ZSJ Uhlomost Most, but ZSJ Technomat Teplice (renamed to ZSJ Vodotechna Teplice in 1951) signed him as a 19-year-old left-half and gave him his top-flight debut. Then, in 1952, he joined a Czechoslovak Armed Forces football club under name of ATK Praha (renamed to ÚDA Praha in 1953 and to Dukla Prague in Winter 1956). They won eight league championships.
When he eventually went abroad in 1968, he helped Crossing Molenbeek
K.V.V. Crossing Elewijt
Koninklijke Voetbal Vereniging Crossing Elewijt is a Belgian association football club from the village of Elewijt in the municipality of Zemst, Vlaams Brabant. It plays at the very last level in the Belgian football league system, i.e. in the 4th division of the regional league of...
win promotion to the Belgian first division as player-coach. His coaching career continued at Dukla, yet his greatest achievement on the bench was winning the Czech league with Zbrojovka Brno
1. FC Brno
FC Zbrojovka Brno is a Czech football club based in Brno.The club won the Czechoslovak First League in the 1977–78 season and finished as runners-up in 1979–80.-Historic names:* SK Židenice * Zbrojovka Brno...
in 1978. Later, in 1984-88, he led the Czechoslovakian national football team
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
before a spell in Indonesia where coached her national football junior team in 1988-91.
Playing Ability
Masopust was in a similar mould to that of the Magyar BozsikJózsef Bozsik
József Bozsik was a Hungarian footballer. He represented Hungary in various international tournaments, and is a member of the Mighty Magyars.-Biography:...
; a workhorse of a team, who toiled away in obscurity crafting and building fresh attacks for the front line. Masopust though was not devoid of technical abilities and could 'play the violin and do the dishes'. He Possessed exemplary ball control, his transmission with ball on foot through the field was clinical, which he utilized for both; basic work, from the recovery of the ball in defense, to driving menacingly through the opposition in what was termed 'Masopust's slalom'. During these solo runs Masopust would seamlessly switch between both feet, easily jinking to the left and right but always moving forward.
Like Bozsik
József Bozsik
József Bozsik was a Hungarian footballer. He represented Hungary in various international tournaments, and is a member of the Mighty Magyars.-Biography:...
, Masopust as well was a marvellous passer, and was able to pick out teammates with both strength and precision. The only flaw in his capabilities came from his physical weakness due to his medium build, but he made up for this deficit with massive reserves of stamina and pace, allowing him to be a tireless engine in the centre of the field.
Shackled by Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
's 'no-risk' style philosophy, Masopust's natural inclination for attack was limited, yet he still managed 10 goals in 63 caps for his country. At club level he scored 79 times in 386 appearances for Dukla Praha
Dukla Praha
Dukla Prague was a Czech football club from the city of Prague. During their heyday the club won 11 Czechoslovak league titles and nine Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966-67 season, reached the semifinals of the European Cup...
.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 May 1956 | Charmilles Stadium Charmilles Stadium Charmilles Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Geneva, Switzerland. It was used mostly for football matches, and was the home venue for Servette FC. The stadium was able to hold 9,250 people and was built in 1930 for the Coupe des Nations 1930 tournament. During the 1954 FIFA World Cup the... , Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
1-6 | Win | International Cup | ||||||
| 2. | 8 August 1956 | Estádio do Pacaembu Estádio do Pacaembu Estádio do Pacaembu , as it is usually called, is a football stadium in São Paulo, located on Praça Charles Miller, no nº - in Pacaembu neighborhood. Its official name is Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho and it is owned by the Municipal Prefecture of São Paulo... , São Paulo São Paulo São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
4-1 | Lost | Friendly | ||||||
| 3. | 30 August 1958 | Strahov Stadium Strahov Stadium The Great Strahov Stadium is a stadium in the Strahov district of Prague, Czech Republic. The stadium is the largest in the world, and is the second largest sports facility worldwide after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, seating around 220,000.... , Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... |
2-2 | Draw | Friendly | ||||||
| 4. | 13 December 1958 | Stadio Luigi Ferraris Stadio Luigi Ferraris Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, also known as the Marassi from the name of the ward where is located, is a multi-use stadium in Genoa, Italy. It opened in 1911 and is one of the first and oldest stadiums still in use for football and other sports in Italy.Hosts since its birth the inside of Genoa,... , Genova Génova Génova may refer to:* Spanish spelling of the city of Genoa, Italy* Génova, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío, Colombia* Génova, Quetzaltenango, a municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
1-1 | Draw | International Cup | ||||||
| 5. | 1 May 1960 | Strahov Stadium Strahov Stadium The Great Strahov Stadium is a stadium in the Strahov district of Prague, Czech Republic. The stadium is the largest in the world, and is the second largest sports facility worldwide after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, seating around 220,000.... , Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... |
4-0 | Win | Friendly | ||||||
| 6. | 22 May 1960 | Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea... |
0-2 | Win | EURO 1960 | ||||||
| 7. | 29 October 1961 | Strahov Stadium Strahov Stadium The Great Strahov Stadium is a stadium in the Strahov district of Prague, Czech Republic. The stadium is the largest in the world, and is the second largest sports facility worldwide after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, seating around 220,000.... , Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... |
7-1 | Win | 1962 FIFA World Cup Q. 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification Sweden and Switzerland finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.Switzerland qualified for FIFA World Cup 1962 in Chile-UEFA Group 2:--------------------... |
||||||
| 8. | 17 June 1962 | Estadio Nacional Estadio Nacional de Chile The Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos is the national stadium of Chile, and is located in the Ñuñoa district of Santiago). It is the largest stadium in Chile with an official capacity of 47,000, and is part of a 62 ha sporting complex which also features tennis courts, an aquatics center, a... , Santiago Santiago, Chile Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level... , Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
3-1 | Lost | 1962 FIFA World Cup 1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final... |
||||||
| 9. | 16 September 1962 | Praterstadion, Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
0-6 | Win | Friendly | ||||||
| 10. | 16 September 1962 | Praterstadion, Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
0-6 | Win | Friendly | ||||||
| Correct as of 10 June 2011 | |||||||||||
National team statistics
|-|1954||1||0
|-
|1955||0||0
|-
|1956||10||2
|-
|1957||6||0
|-
|1958||10||2
|-
|1959||2||0
|-
|1960||6||2
|-
|1961||7||1
|-
|1962||11||3
|-
|1963||4||0
|-
|1964||4||0
|-
|1965||1||0
|-
|1966||1||0
|-
!Total||63||10
|}
External links
- Short biography (in CzechCzech languageCzech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
) - UEFA.com's article on Czech Republic's Golden Player
- 1962 - JOSEF MASOPUST - LA PRIME AU COLLECTIF, France Football