František Plánička

Early career

In 1919, the 15-year-old Plánička signed an application for the football club Slovan Prague VII, because he thought that other friends would also go there, but in the meantime, they had become members of SK Bubeneč, so he joined as a goalkeeper two years later, in 1921. Later, he was invited to train with the top-division club Sparta Prague, but he was eventually rejected due to his small height. However, he perfectly compensated for his small stature for a goalkeeper with cat-like agility and excellent observation, hence earning the nickname "Master of Robinsonades". Plánička remained the goalkeeper of Bubeneč and from March 1923 he also trained at Slavia Prague. Both he and the club wanted to join forces, but Bubeneč refused to let him go, so Plánička eventually stopped asking and simply went with Slavia to a match in Vienna, where he started under the name Jakubec to replace Slavia's injured goalkeeper. However, they failed to keep this a secret and SK Bubeneč sent the whole case to the Commission on Crime Prevention, which resulted in Slavia being fined for the offense, but Plánička could stay with them, an agreement that was officialized in October 1923.

Slavia Prague

Plánička played with Slavia Prague for 15 years, from 1923 to 1938, which was one of the most successful eras in the club's history, playing a total of 196 league matches as Slavia won seven league titles. He appeared in a total of 969 matches, of which Slavia won 742.…

Between 1926 and 1938, Plánička played 73 times in goal for Czechoslovakia, a world record at the time and a national record that stood until 1966 when Ladislav Novák earned his 74th cap. Plánička was the national team captain 37 times, another record at the time. He made his international debut on 17 January 1926 in a 1–3 loss against Italy.

1934 World Cup

Plánička helped Czechoslovakia qualify to the 1934 World Cup, and was the team's captain in the tournament. Despite not being able to keep a single clean-sheet throughout the tournament, he led his nation to victories over Romania in the first round, Switzerland in the quarterfinals, and Germany in the semifinals to advance to the final.

On 10 June 1934, Czechoslovakia played the final against hosts Italy, who also had one of the great goalkeepers of the time, Gianpiero Combi, as its captain. The Czechs took the lead in the 71st minute with a goal by Antonín Puč, but ten minutes later a shot by Raimundo Orsi beat Plánička for the equalizer, sending the match to extra time, where a goal by Angelo Schiavio gave the Italians the victory. Plánička finished the tournament with six goals against in four matches.

1938 World Cup

Plánička captained the Czechs again to the 1938 World Cup. In the first round, they beat the Netherlands 3–0 with all three goals coming in extra time. In the second round, they faced Brazil on 12 July, in what was one of the most violent matches in World Cup history, known as the…

František Plánička was born on 2 July 1904 in the Prague district of Žižkov as the eldest of three children of carpenter Karel Plánička. His childhood was marked by his father's long absence during World War I, when he had to help his mother support the family. After finishing school, he learned to be a turner. After his father's return, he could devote himself more to his great hobby, which was football. He played most of his footballing career and lived most of his life in the Czech capital. He first played football with his friends on the street, alternately in attack or goal.

After moving to Slavia, Plánička, who had previously worked as a laborer in various factories, completed basic military service with an anti-aircraft regiment in Prague. He married his childhood sweetheart, Božena Chvojková, and their marriage lasted a lifetime. They raised two daughters together. Plánička was aware of the shortness of his sports career and in order to provide for his family, he graduated from business school. He got a job in the accounting department at the Pension Institute and devoted his free time to football and his family. After his retirement, Plánička continued to play football with fellow Slavia legends, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and physical condition. On 4 July 1970, Plánička played his last match in goal in a senior team of former internationals. In 1985, UNESCO presented him with an Honorary Fair Play Award in recognition of his footballing career. In 1994, after receiving a sports merit award, Plánička stated that he would like to see Slavia win the league while he was still alive. In the 1995–96 season, after a 48-year wait, Slavia won the league title, and Plánička was able to celebrate it. Two months later, he died at the age of 92. At the time of his death, he was the last living member of the Czech squad at the 1934 World Cup and the last surviving player from either team to play in the final. Czech national team midfielder Karel Poborský attended his burial, postponing his contract signing with Manchester United, which was scheduled…