He played for Slavia at the beginning and end of his career, now he watches the matches from the stands. Vladimír Šmicer was part of the red and white team to three championship titles and now he is enjoying the success his beloved club is achieving on the European stage.
When Vladimír Šmicer left Slavia and transferred to Lens, France knew very well about the Vrsovic team. In the season 1995/96, Lens was eliminated in extra time in the round of 16 of the Europa League.
When he signed in Liverpool, his slavish past was not discussed much. In any case, the Czech midfielder did not get lost among the English elite and helped him to win the FA Cup, two league cups, the UEFA Cup and most importantly to triumph in the Champions League.
“Everyone knew that I had transferred from Lens. But the fact that I had previously played for Slavia was no longer an issue. Journalists know that I worked there, and when Slavia gets an English opponent, they sometimes call me and scout me,” said Šmicer for the Slavia website.
And they probably called often in recent years. The Staples have faced three Premier League sides in the Europa League play-offs in the past five seasons, namely Chelsea (2018/19) and Leicester v Arsenal (both 2020/21).
Between the two mentioned years, Slavia fought in the group of death with Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan. They picked up two points for draws at San Siro and Camp Nou. She played 0-0 with Barcelona after a great team performance.
“In England, they are practically only interested in the Champions League. If you play in the Champions League, you are known all over the world. When Slavia drew with Barcelona, it was the best advertisement for them. Then she also became famous for the case with Rangers, even bad publicity is publicity.” continued the author of the converted penalty in the Champions League final.
Among the players on the Islands, Slavia made the biggest name a year and a half ago. First, in the double match, they didn’t allow then-played Leicester to have any goal chances and knocked them out, then in the quarter-finals, they drew 1:1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Even Šmicer played for Liverpool against the Czech team. As part of the European League 2000/01, the famous English team went to Liberec. Slovan lost 2:3 in the shootout. To this day, the match is considered the Liberec match of the century.
“Czech clubs were perceived by teammates and people around football only if they played in the Champions League, the UEFA Cup was no longer that interesting. I know we played Liberec in the 2nd round of the UEFA Cup and they didn’t even know where he was,” added Šmicer.
Source: SK Slavia Prague
