Pavel Nedved

The man with the golden touch

(FILES) Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved (R) vies with Greek defender Traianos Dellas, 01 July 2004 during their European Nations championship semi-final football match between Greece and Czech at the Do Dragao stadium in Porto. Former Czech national football team captain Pavel Nedved will definitively not return to the national team, he said 22 September 2005 speaking on public radio station Radiozurnal. Nedved, European Footballer of the Year in 2003 will miss the enxt World Cup. AFP PHOTO ADRIAN DENNIS

Czech star Pavel Nedved hoped to make Euro 2004 the crowning glory on a brilliant international career.

However, he was cruelly denied success when he limped off in the semi-final and looked on helplessly as Greece continued their march to the title with a silver goal winner.

The roving midfielder promptly retired from the national side in September, 2004 but the temptation of playing in the World Cup was too much to resist and he is now back as captain, preparing for his debut at the tournament in 2006.

The dynamic playmaker led the national charge toward Euro 2004 and, since his big money move to Juventus in 2001, his dazzling performances have made up for the Turin giant's loss of Zinedine Zidane.

Czech Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved holds the Ballon d'Or 22 December 2003 in Paris after being named the 2003 European Footballer of the Year. The prize, know as the Ballon d'or in French (the Golden Ball) and handed out by bi-weekly France-Football magazine, was awarded after a poll among journalists from the 52 countries affiliated to European football's governing body UEFA. MAFA PHOTO MICHAL SVACEK

Such was his impact during the 2003 Champions League campaign, when he led Juve to the final, and also playing for the national side, he was awarded the prestigious Ballon d'Or in December as European player of the year.

At Euro 96, the Czech side unexpectedly reached the final but they came undone against Germany, cruelly letting the title slip to an Oliver Bierhoff golden goal.

French midfielder and captain Didier Deschamps (L) fights for the ball with Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved during the Euro-2000 Group D first round match between France and the Czech Republic, 16 June 2000 at the Jan-Breydel stadium in Bruges.

At Euro 2000, pitted in a difficult group, Nedved was unable to inspire his nation past their rivals France and Holland, and the Czechs crashed out at the first round.

Originally from a village in western Bohemia near the German border, Nedved's career began back in Czechoslovakia's Division 2 at the age of 17, in the regional capital of Pilsen.

After serving his military service at Dukla Prague, (which at the time was still a Czechoslovak army team), he opted for city rivals, Sparta.

Time to blossom at Lazio

Inter Milan's midfielder Aron Winter (L) watches Lazio Rome's Pavel Nedved as they chase the ball, 06 May at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris during the 1998 UEFA soccer Cup final.

Fresh from Euro 96 Nedved moved to Lazio, where he won a string of titles.

He marshalled the Roman midfield to victory in the last Cup Winners' Cup tournament in 1999 and also the brilliant League and Cup double in 2000.

There was also a second Italian Cup and a run to the 1998 Uefa Cup final, where Ivan Zamorano inspired Inter Milan to a 3-0 win.

Juventus Turin's Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved jubilates after scoring against Bayern Munich, during their Champions League group C football match, at Delle Alpi stadium in Turin 19 October 2004. AFP PHOTO/ Patrick HERTZOG

In 2001 Nedved's talent received one of the ultimate compliment's when Juventus, with 64 million dollars to spend from the sale of Zidane, prized him away from Rome.

At Juventus Nedved quickly became one of the squad leaders and has added more silverware to his collection, winning the league title in both 2002 and 2003.

He nearly added a Champions League winners' medal to his collection in 2003. However, after scoring in the semi-final against Real Madrid a careless yellow card meant this crucial player missed the final, where Juventus lost on penalties to AC Milan in Manchester.

Juventus did win the Serie A title in 2004 but have been knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Liverpool and Arsenal respectively in 2005 and 2006.