Mario Licka
Encyclopedia
Mario Lička is a Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 footballer, currently playing for Stade Brestois in France. His position is midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

.

Career

Lička began his footballing career at Czech club Baník Ostrava in 2002. He played at the Bazaly
Bazaly
The Bazaly stadium is a football stadium in Ostrava, Czech Republic. It lies in Slezská Ostrava, the Silesian part of the city, next to the Ostravice River. It is the home stadium of FC Baník Ostrava. The first match was played there on 19 April 1959....

 until January 2005, making sixty-five appearances. Lička was a member of the squad of Baník Ostrava in the 2003–2004 season, when Baník won the league title. He was sold to 1. FC Slovácko
1. FC Slovácko
1. FC Slovácko is a Czech football club from Uherské Hradiště. The team were formerly known as 1. FC Synot which was a merger of FC Slovácká Slavia Uherské Hradiště and FC Synot.-Current squad:-Honours:...

 where he made 28 league appearances in 2005-06 and was released in July 2006.

He had an unsuccessful trial at West Ham United before signing for Southampton F.C.
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

, following another trial. After an injury hit first couple of months at the club, Lička forced his way into manager George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...

's plans, scoring his first goal for the club in a 1–0 win over Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 on 21 October 2006. However not long after he became surplus to Burley's requirements and found himself playing in the reserves. After the appointment of new manager Nigel Pearson
Nigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently in his second spell as manager of Leicester City, having previously managed Hull City, Southampton and Carlisle United, and been assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United...

 in February 2008, Licka was given a new chance and after a series of good performances found himself playing regularly again. However after the return of former Chairman Rupert Lowe
Rupert Lowe
Rupert James Graham Lowe is a British businessman, who was the chairman of Southampton Football Club from 1996 to 2006. He regained his power in May 2008, teaming up with Michael Wilde, who had previously forced Lowe out, becoming chairman of the club's parent company, Southampton Leisure Holdings...

, Pearson did not have his short-term contract renewed despite saving the club from relegation. Lowe did not offer Lička a new contract as he was also at the end of his contract. Despite reported interest from Pearson at his new managerial post at Leicester City, Lička chose to return to his homeland to play for Baník Ostrava. In June 2010 he signed for the French club Stade Brestois for three seasons.

Personal life

His father Verner Lička was a very successful footballer. His brother Marcel is also a professional footballer.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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