Miroslav Votava

Mirko Votava
Personal information
Full name Miroslav Votava
Date of birth (1956-04-25) 25 April 1956
Place of birth Prague, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Werder Bremen (youth)
Youth career
Dukla Prague
1968–1973 VfL Witten
1973–1974 Borussia Dortmund
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1974–1982 Borussia Dortmund 257 (28)
1982–1985 Atlético Madrid 96 (9)
1985–1996 Werder Bremen 357 (18)
1996–1998 VfB Oldenburg 15 (0)
Total 725 (55)
National team
1979–1981 West Germany 5 (0)
Teams managed
1997–1998 VfB Oldenburg
1998–1999 SV Meppen
2002–2004 Union Berlin
2004– Werder Bremen (youth)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Miroslav "Mirko" Votava (born 25 April 1956) is a German retired footballer and a current coach.[1]

A defensive midfielder of stamina and tactical awareness, he played 546 matches[2] in the Bundesliga (fourth in the all-time list at the time of his retirement),[3] retiring at the age of 41. Most of his professional career was spent in with Werder Bremen, with which he won a total of five titles – he also spent eight years with Borussia Dortmund.

Votava represented West Germany at Euro 1980.

Club career

Borussia Dortmund / Atlético

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Votava started learning his football trade at local FK Dukla. However, his parents left the country during the Prague Spring, settling first in Australia then West Germany, in Witten. He began playing professionally with Borussia Dortmund in 1974, with the club in the second division.

Scoring three goals in 22 games during his first Bundesliga season, Votava was an undisputed starter onwards, only missing three contests from 1977–82 combined, although he failed to win any silverware.

He subsequently moved to Atlético Madrid for 58 million pesetas,[4] being an instrumental figure for the Colchoneros which always finished in the top four in La Liga during his three-year spell, and also lifting the Copa del Rey in 1985.

Werder Bremen

Votava returned to West Germany aged 29, signing with SV Werder Bremen, where he would play a further 11 campaigns and rarely missing a game. He helped the club to the 1991–92 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup[5] and two league titles (to which he contributed with 65 matches and five goals combined). On 24 August 1996, aged 40 years and 121 days, he became the league's oldest goalscorer, scoring in a 1–2 loss at VfB Stuttgart.

As he was understandably slowing down, Votava left Bremen during the 1997 January transfer window, joining second division's VfB Oldenburg and retiring at the season's end, with his team ranking last. During a 23-year professional career, he was never sent off.

Votava then moved into coaching, starting with last club Oldenburg then moving to SV Meppen, both in the regional leagues. From late 2002 to early 2004, he took the reins of 1. FC Union Berlin in the second level, following which he returned to Werder as a youth coach (he had previously worked with the club as a scout).

International career

Votava chose to represent West Germany internationally, and made his debut on 21 November 1979, playing fifteen minutes in a 3–1 friendly away win over the Soviet Union.

He appeared in a further four internationals, including UEFA Euro 1980's group stage match against Greece (0–0) as the national side emerged victorious in the tournament.[6]

Honours

Club

Country

References

  1. ↑ "Votava, Miroslav" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  2. ↑ Matthias Arnhold (19 February 2015). "Miroslav Votava – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Matthias Arnhold (28 May 2014). "Germany – All-Time Most Matches Played in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Votava: el último nibelungo" [Votava: the last of the nibelungs] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 20 August 1982. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "1991/92: Bremen shine in Stadium of Light". UEFA.com. 1 June 1992. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  6. ↑ Matthias Arnhold (19 February 2015). "Miroslav Votava – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2015.

External links

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