Vladimír Šmicer

Early career

An attacking midfielder, Šmicer first shot to prominence in 1996, helping Slavia Prague reach the semi-finals of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup and then starring for the Czech Republic during their run to the UEFA Euro 1996 final. Šmicer did not have to wait to be noticed at Euro 1996, as he signed a contract with French club Lens prior to the tournament. While at Lens, he enjoyed more success, inspiring the club to a first ever French title in 1997–98, their only title to date. That season he scored seven goals and was a leader on the ground. He played in the UEFA Champions League and played a pivotal role in the side's successes in this tournament. He left Lens to move to Liverpool in June 1999.

Liverpool

Šmicer joined Liverpool for a fee of £4.2 million, recruited to fill the void left by the departure of Steve McManaman to Real Madrid. Upon arriving at Anfield in 1999, Šmicer was given the number 7 shirt, although he would later switch to number 11 after the arrival of Harry Kewell. When he left Liverpool in 2005, Šmicer said, "Just signing for Liverpool in itself was a dream because I supported them as a kid. It was a dream come true." He made his Liverpool debut in a match against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium and scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–2 away win against Watford. His first campaign at Liverpool, however, was a difficult one as he struggled to come to terms with the pace of the English game and suffered a…

Šmicer began his international career in 1993. He was an essential player in three UEFA European Championships for the Czech Republic, in total earning 80 caps and scoring 27 goals. He also has one cap for the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks team (the combined team of the Czech Republic and Slovakia after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, as the nations started the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification as the unified country). Šmicer was part of the Czech Republic squad for Euro 1996. The then 22-year-old midfielder started the country's stunning campaign in England. The Czechs were down 3–2 in a game against Russia and needed to draw in order to qualify for the play-off rounds. Šmicer scored the all important equalizer two minutes before the end of the game. The Czechs then advanced through the play-offs to the final game, which they lost to Germany after extra-time. Four years later, at Euro 2000, Šmicer scored both goals in the national team's only tournament victory, 2–0 against Denmark. At Euro 2004, he scored the winning goal in the team's 3–2 win over the Netherlands. In that game, the Czechs were 2–0 down after 20 minutes of play but still managed to recover. The comeback began an impressive march to the tournament's semi-finals. Šmicer has said the game against Netherlands was the most memorable moment in his international career. Šmicer was unable to participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup due to a leg injury. Šmicer was only the second player to score at three…

Just one day after retiring from football, Šmicer became sports manager of the Czech national team, working alongside head coach Michal Bílek.

Šmicer is married to Pavlína Vízková, daughter of Olympic gold medal-winning footballer Ladislav Vízek. They have a daughter, Natalie, and a son, Jiří. Šmicer stood for minor Czech party VIZE 2014 in the European Parliament election; his stated priority was to reduce obesity among children.