Start at the silver WC in 1934 and 1938, the desired triumph in the Central European Cup or a successful stay at a truly famous address – in Barcelona. This is just a short list of successes experienced by Ferdinand Daučík. Football back, captain of Slavia and later a progressive coach in a decent suit. A pilot who, thanks to his skill, raised a number of Spanish units.
For the Slovak native, life has not only prepared honors that belong in shiny showcases. The course of history waved with him. Daucík was born in 1910 in the Slovak village of Šahy, where Hungarian was the dominant language. Nevertheless, the young player got into the famous 1. ČsŠK Bratislava (today’s Slovan), with whom he was able to advance among the elite of the First Republic.
In the top competition, Daucík made his way to Slavia Praguein which he won a number of trophies. As a full-back, he celebrated the championship title four times, in 1938, as captain, he led the team to its first triumph in the Central European Cup. He had – to give you a better idea – a stamp roughly at the level of today’s Champions League!
An exemplary captain
Daucík took over the club’s armband from the legendary František Pláničkywith whom he also experienced the world championship in France. “He was an exemplary captain for his team. He was always able to find the right words to encourage his teammates. And he was able to send those words by silent mail from the position of defender, for example, to the right wing,” recalled the defensive leader Vítězslav Houška in the book 50 famous Slavists.
The times of that time were also remembered outside the football pages. “This is a short outline of the events that made the past year 1938 so extraordinarily rich even for Slavia. Even in this richness, however, two moments stand out the most: the victory in the Central European Cup and the period when Slavia’s clubhouses were empty. Well, this year is behind us. But even in the changed conditions of our homeland, Slavia still has other tasks that it owes its great past to honorably fulfill,” noted Slavist chroniclers.
It was in that year that she “baked” the infamous Munich Agreement Czechoslovakia became the Second Republic.
Daucík only left Prague during World War II, when he returned to his native Slovakia. There was more peace there, also due to the servility of the Slovak fascists, than in the truncated Protectorate. In the 1940s, an ex-Slavist nicknamed Nandi (because of a white streak between his dark hair) hung his football boots on a nail. And he embarked on a coaching career.
Champions League: Slavia – Barcelona, Wednesday 21.1. from 21:00
After the establishment of peace, the elegant coach advocated for the football relationship between Czech and Slovak footballers. Another fateful year was 1948, in which Daucík found himself on the bench of the Czechoslovak national team. However, he lasted only two matches at the helm of the national team.
Reason? Political and social changes. The country was captured by the communist regime.
After the February coup, Daucík found himself under scrutiny. The communists accused him of contacts with politicians of the former Slovak state – despite the fact that the coach was primarily interested in football.
Imprisonment, brutal interrogations, beatings followed. After his release, the ex-footballer’s story took on another dimension. One that they wouldn’t have to fear even in famous Hollywood. Daucík decided to flee Czechoslovakia with his family. Brave people sailed across the Morava river on a rubber boat! It worked. From Vienna, Daucík made it all the way to Italy, where he helped create the international refugee team FC Hungaria.
From the refugee team to the famous address
It was thanks to the improvised team that the native of Šah managed to capture the attention of soccer Spain. After a trip to the Iberian Peninsula, the famous Barcelona immediately came up. His brother-in-law Ladislav Kubala, who played for Blauganas, was also heading to Catalonia.
Sports genes also affected other family members. Daucík’s brother Karol was a first league footballer and son Yanko even wore a Real Madrid jersey…
“Ferdinand Daučík is one of the important figures of post-war Spanish football. The former Czechoslovakia national team defender and Slavia player emigrated to Spain after February 1948. He quickly developed into a recognized coach – first in Barcelona, with whom he won two league titles, and later in Bilbao, where he worked in the 1960s,” the football geographer described to Denik Miroslav Šiftaamong others, a sports columnist.
What made Daucík famous? “He was known as an innovator who paid attention to discipline, physical preparation and tactical organization. For Spain at the time, he represented a modern European school and his work elevated all the clubs he led – you could say he professionalized them,” Šifta explained.
In addition to the Catalan team, the Slovak native also got a hold of, for example, v Athletic Clubu. “Daučík’s reputation was truly exceptional at the time. The choice of a coach was pragmatic – if it could bring success, the club had no problem accepting an expert from the outside. In addition, Bilbao also brought Daučík as an innovator of the entire system, including the education of youth, which they paid so much attention to at the club,” Šifta concluded.
Daucík has become one of the iconic personalities of Spanish football. Although he was also famous in Czechoslovakia, his legacy was destroyed by the communist regime. According to relatives, the first-class player and coach wanted to return to Slovakia one day, but he never managed to do so. Daucík’s life ended on November 14, 1986 in Spain.
Interesting? Ferdinand Daucík in 1936, he earned 1,200 crowns per month in Slavia, which roughly corresponded to the national average across professions at the time. Besides that – as was the custom at the time – the leader of the rear ranks was working. He won a position at the Directorate of Tobacco Management.
