Miroslav Votava
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miroslav Votava | ||
| Date of birth | 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. | |||
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
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1991–92
- Bundesliga: 1987–88, 1992–93
- DFB-Pokal: 1990–91, 1993–94; Runner-up 1988–89, 1989–90
- Copa del Rey: 1984–85
Country
References
- ↑ "Votava, Miroslav" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ↑ Matthias Arnhold (19 February 2015). "Miroslav Votava – Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ Matthias Arnhold (28 May 2014). "Germany – All-Time Most Matches Played in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "Votava: el último nibelungo" [Votava: the last of the nibelungs] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 20 August 1982. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "1991/92: Bremen shine in Stadium of Light". UEFA.com. 1 June 1992. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ↑ Matthias Arnhold (19 February 2015). "Miroslav Votava – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
External links
- Miroslav Votava profile at Fussballdaten
- Miroslav Votava profile at BDFutbol
- Miroslav Votava at National-Football-Teams.com
- Worldfootball profile
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