Quick Facts
CancerBiography
Ľubomír "Lubo" Moravčík (born 22 June 1965) is a football manager and former footballer from Slovakia who played internationally for Czechoslovakia (42 caps, seven goals) and Slovakia (38 caps, six goals). He was a member of the Czechoslovak team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where he was sent off against Germany in the quarter-final in Milan.
He played club football in Czechoslovakia/Slovakia, France, Germany, Scotland and Japan, winning two Scottish Premier League titles with Celtic F.C..
Career
He was a creative midfield player, reminiscent of the old-fashioned inside forward. Renowned for his technical ability, Moravčík was capable of unleashing powerful, accurate shots, and pinpoint crosses with both feet.
The 1990s saw him moving to Western Europe to play for Saint-Étienne, Bastia and MSV Duisburg before moving to Scottish side Celtic in November 1998. Signed by fellow Slovak Dr Jozef Vengloš for a fee of just £300,000. Initially sceptical of the impact a player aged then 33 could have, he became a hero in the eyes of the Parkhead faithful, forming an outstanding partnership with Henrik Larsson.
Moravčík's first two goals for Celtic came against their arch-rivals Rangers on 21 November 1998, in what turned out to be a memorable 5–1 victory. He stayed at Celtic Park for a total of four seasons, winning two SPL championships, one Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups.Former teammates Larsson, Chris Sutton and Stiliyan Petrov have named him in their One to Eleven highlighting his two-footedness, his ability with both feet.
Moravčík is one of his country's most capped player, with a total of 80 appearances for Czechoslovakia and Slovakia. He played for Czechoslovakia at the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals in Italy.
He started a career in coaching as a manager of Slovak national U-17 team. 'Ľubo' was later coaching FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce, the team from highest Slovak league – Corgoň Liga.
Moravcik is now the vice-president of the Slovak Football Association and assistant of ŠKF Sereď.
Career statistics
Club
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Czechoslovakia | League | Czechoslovak Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1983–84 | Plastika Nitra | First League | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||||||
| 1984–85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1985–86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1986–87 | First League | 27 | 7 | 27 | 7 | |||||||
| 1987–88 | 24 | 3 | 24 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1988–89 | 30 | 6 | 30 | 6 | ||||||||
| 1989–90 | 29 | 14 | 29 | 14 | ||||||||
| France | League | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1990–91 | Saint-Étienne | Division 1 | 37 | 7 | 37 | 7 | ||||||
| 1991–92 | 32 | 4 | 32 | 4 | ||||||||
| 1992–93 | 34 | 5 | 34 | 5 | ||||||||
| 1993–94 | 33 | 4 | 33 | 4 | ||||||||
| 1994–95 | 27 | 4 | 27 | 4 | ||||||||
| 1995–96 | 34 | 7 | 34 | 7 | ||||||||
| 1996–97 | Bastia | Division 1 | 21 | 6 | 21 | 6 | ||||||
| 1997–98 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2 | ||||||||
| Germany | League | DFB-Pokal | DFB Ligapokal | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Duisburg | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| Scotland | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Celtic | Premier League | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| 1999–00 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2000–01 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 14 | ||
| 2001–02 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 6 | ||
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Asia | Total | |||||||
| 2002 | JEF United Ichihara | J1 League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | |
| Country | Czechoslovakia | 119 | 30 | 119 | 30 | |||||||
| France | 230 | 39 | 230 | 39 | ||||||||
| Germany | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||||||
| Scotland | 94 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 129 | 35 | ||
| Japan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 450 | 98 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 486 | 104 | ||
International
- Source:
| Czechoslovakia national team | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | 3 | 0 |
| 1989 | 8 | 1 |
| 1990 | 12 | 1 |
| 1991 | 6 | 2 |
| 1992 | 6 | 1 |
| 1993 | 6 | 1 |
| Total | 42 | 6 |
| Slovakia national team | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 6 | 2 |
| 1995 | 8 | 0 |
| 1996 | 5 | 1 |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 |
| 1998 | 10 | 3 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 38 | 6 |
Honours
Club
Bastia
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1997
Celtic
- Scottish Premier League (2): 2000–01, 2001–02
- Scottish Cup: 2001
- Scottish League Cup (2): 2000, 2001
Individual
- Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year: 1992
- Slovak Footballer of the Year: 2001