Ján Popluhár

Ján "Bimbo" Popluhár (born September 12, 1935 in Čeklís ; † March 6, 2011 in Bernolákovo , Slovakia ) was a Czechoslovak football player of Slovak origin. He was considered one of the world's best defenders in the 1960s.

Ján Popluhár played for Dynamo Bernolákovo in his youth . In 1954 the defender moved to Slovan Bratislava , where, apart from two years of military service at RH Brno , he spent 15 successful years. Slovan trainer Leopold Šťastný gave Popluhár the nickname “Bimbo” because, in his opinion, he was as good-natured on the pitch as an elephant in a circus. In 1962 and 1963, Popluhár, known as a reliable and strong header, won the Czechoslovak Cup with Slovan . During these years he formed a world-class center-back duo in the Czechoslovak national team together with Svatopluk Pluskal . He had already taken part in the World Cup in 1958, and in 1962 in Chile he was runner-up with Czechoslovakia. Two years earlier, the Czechoslovak team had won the bronze medal at the European Championships. 1963 Popluhár was in a world selection together with players like Alfredo Di Stéfano , Eusébio or Ferenc Puskás .

In 1965 he was voted Czechoslovak footballer of the year. After 262 games for Slovan Bratislava, Popluhár moved to Olympique Lyon at the age of 33 , where he stayed for two years. In 1971 he went to Zbrojovka Brno , which he helped to move up to the first division. In 1972, now 37 years old, he went to SK Slovan Vienna , where he was active as a player- coach until 1979 .

In the Czechoslovak national team, Popluhár completed a total of 62 games from 1957 to 1967, scoring a goal in the 2-2 win against Brazil at the Estádio do Maracanã . In 1967 he received the FIFA World Fair Play Award for an action that lived up to his nickname Bimbo. At the 1962 World Cup in Chile, he drew the referee's attention to Pelé, who was injured on the ground , instead of exploiting the situation in his favor.

In 2002 Popluhár received the Rad Ľudovíta Štúra Class I award from the President of Slovakia . He was voted the best Slovak footballer of the 20th century. On June 15, 2011 an asteroid was named after him: (267585) Popluhár .

Web links and sources

• International match statistics (Czech)
• Great players of the past - Ján Popluhár (English)
• Futbalista storočia Ján Popluhár oslavuje sedemdesiatku (Slovak)