Luděk Mikloško

Czechoslovakia

Mikloško began his career with RH Cheb before joining reigning Czech champions Baník Ostrava in 1982. He left Czechoslovakia having made 234 appearances in the Czechoslovak First League.

West Ham United

Mikloško went to English side West Ham United on trial in December 1989. He transferred to West Ham United, managed by Lou Macari, for a fee of around £300,000 in February 1990. Mikloško made his league debut on 18 February in a 2–2 away draw against Swindon Town. His fourth match was the second leg of the 1989–90 League Cup semi-final against Oldham Athletic. West Ham had lost the first leg 6–0, with Phil Parkes in goal in what proved to be his last game for West Ham after an eleven-year association with the club. From this point until the 1997–98 season, Mikloško was the first-choice goalkeeper. Mikloško played 56 matches for West Ham in the 1990–91 season, including every league match, as they were promoted as runners-up from the Second Division. The club made the semi-finals of the FA Cup, before losing to Nottingham Forest, with him playing in all of their seven cup games. He was named Hammer of the Year in 1991. and Man of the Match performance against Manchester United on the last day of the 1994–95 season, in which West Ham drew 1–1 with Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground to help secure United's rivals, Blackburn Rovers, their first league title in over 80 years. Mikloško conceded once before being sent off in a December 1995 away…

From 1980 to 1982, Mikloško represented Czechoslovakia under-21 24 times, being named best goalkeeper at the 1980 and 1982 editions of the Toulon Tournament. He made his debut for Czechoslovakia in a 3–1 friendly victory against Denmark on 27 October 1982. Between 1983 and 1984 he made two appearances for the Czechoslovakia Olympic team. Mikloško went to the 1990 FIFA World Cup with the Czechoslovakia squad, but did not play in the tournament. His final match for the national team took place on 2 April 1997 in a 2–1 home loss against FR Yugoslavia. Mikloško made 40 appearances for Czechoslovakia and two for the Czech Republic.

After his retirement, Mikloško returned to West Ham to take up a goalkeeping coaching role, but left the club in March 2010. He later returned to the Czech Republic and worked for a sporting investment agency. As of 2024, he was also employed as sporting director at his former club Baník Ostrava.

Born on 9 December 1961 in Prostějov, Mikloško started with football at home in Němčice nad Hanou. At the age of 13, he was scouted to be a goalkeeper for the youth league in his hometown.