Marek Ujlaky

1991–2000: First spell with Spartak Trnava

Ujlaky made his senior debut for Spartak Trnava on 19 October 1991 in the Slovak Cup quarter-finals, scoring the only goal for his side goal in a 2–1 defeat to Lokomotíva Košice. Later that year, he made his Czechoslovak First League debut at just 17 years old, making an appearance in a 2–1 home loss against Dynamo České Budějovice. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 home loss to Tatran Presov in the spring of 1992. He scored the winning goal of a 1–0 victory over FK Dukla Banska Bystrica in the last round of the league, helping Trnava avoid relegation. In his debut season, he was the club's top goalscorer alongside Ján Solár with 4 goals in 20 appearances. In the 1993–94 season, he featured for the first time in the league's best eleven. He was most prolific in the 1995–96 season, when he netted 10 league goals across the season. On 25 September 1995, Ujlaky scored four goals in a 5–2 home win against Tatran Presov, ending Tatran’s invincibility hopes. He became the 13th player in the league's history to score four goals in a single match. Ujlaky was a part of the squad that led the league after the autumn part of the season. He played in the 1996 Slovak Cup final, were Spartak would lose 2–1 against Chemlon Humenné in what was considered a shock result. He made his European debut the next season on 22 June 1996, featuring in a 3–0 victory over Čukarički Stankom in the Intertoto Cup, netting two goals. Later…

Ujlaky made his debut for the Slovak national team on February 22, 1995, in a 5–0 friendly defeat to Brazil. He scored his first international goal for Slovakia on 11 October 1995, in a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match against Poland at Tehelné pole in Bratislava. Coming on as a substitute, he scored the third goal in the 78th minute, helping Slovakia win 4–1. Slovakia attempted to qualify for a major championship as an independent team for the first time in the 1996 qualifying, but finished third in their group, behind Romania and France. His second and final international goal came on 27 March 1996 in a friendly against Belarus, where Slovakia won 4–0. Ujlaky was a part of the squad during the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers, where he featured in two matches, a 3–0 home win over Azerbaijan on 5 September 1998, and a 2–0 victory against Liechtenstein on 8 September 1999, but Slovakia ended third behind Portugal and Romania, failing to advance. He also featured in early 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, starting in the 2–0 home win over North Macedonia on 3 September 2000, and a 3–1 victory against Azerbaijan on 28 March 2001. During his international career, Ujlaky played in the qualifiers for Euro 96, the 1998 World Cup, and Euro 2000. From 1995 to 2001, he played 40 matches for the national team, scoring two goals.

Ujlaky was born on 26 March 1974 in Zeleneč, a municipality in the Trnava District. He started playing football at the age of eight at the local club Slávia Zeleneč. He stayed there until he was twelve, when he left to join the academy of Spartak Trnava.

Ujlaky has a son, also named Marek, who is also a footballer. He currently plays for Spartak Trnava, graduating from the club’s academy and debuting in 2021. Ujlaky also has a cousin, Erik, who played for Spartak Trnava in his youth and was a regular starter for DAC Dunajská Streda.