Pavel Nedvěd (pronounced Cs-Pavel Nedved.ogg [ˈpavɛl ˈnɛdvjɛt] (help·info); born 30 August 1972 in Cheb) is a former Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to have played in a top European league, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus. Widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the modern era, he was the recipient of the prestigious Ballon d'Or, the first Czech player since the break up of Czechoslovakia, in 2003 while at Juventus. He is known for his energy and tireless runs as well as his goal scoring ability. Nedvěd retired after the 2008–09 season after 19 years as a professional. Club career Nedvěd began his career in his native Czech Republic but made his name in Italy. His performances at UEFA Euro 1996 did not go unnoticed; despite having a verbal agreement with PSV, Nedvěd decided to move from Sparta Prague to Lazio in the Serie A in 1996. [edit] Lazio At Lazio, Nedvěd won the Coppa Italia in 1997–98, and the last international Cup Winners' Cup tournament in 1999 against RCD Mallorca, where he scored the last ever goal of the tournament in a 2–1 win for Lazio. [edit] Juventus Nedvěd eventually moved to Juventus in 2001 for a fee of €41 million as a replacement for Zinedine Zidane, who had transferred to Spain's Real Madrid the same summer.[1] He proved to be one of the few midfielders capable of assuming the playmaking role of his French predecessor. Nedvěd played frequently in Juventus' Scudetto-winning teams of 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, and 2005–06. Nedvěd was instrumenta in leading Juventus into the 2003 Champions League final against Milan, but he was forced to sit out the final because of accumulation of yellow cards, after being booked in the semi-final for tackling Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman. At the end of the year, he won the European Footballer of the Year award. Following the 2005–06 season, and Juventus's relegation from Serie A due to the Calciopoli scandal, Nedvěd's future as a Juventus player was heavily discussed. After the World Cup, he dispelled those rumors by restating his desire to help Juventus regain promotion to the Serie A. However, the season was somewhat tumultuous for the Czech international. With only a one-year contract, he hinted he might retire from football altogether at the end of the season. He repeated this threat after a 5-game ban stemming from a red card on 1 December. Nedvěd persisted, and Juventus won the Serie B title, securing promotion to Serie A. During the 2007–08 season, Nedvěd played frequently for the Bianconeri, providing contributions while being Juve's first-choice left winger. However, he has not been free from controversy. Nedvěd came under negative spotlight recently for his tackle on Internazionale midfielder Luís Figo, which resulted in a broken fibula for the Portuguese player.[2] Nedvěd had a fair season during Juve's return, but only scored twice. During Serie A 2007–08, Nedvěd acquired a slight concussion that kept him off of the pitch for about a month. He was linked with a move to Japanese side Jubilo Iwata during the 2008–09 summer transfer window, but the rumours were quickly scotched when he committed his future to Juventus for another year after signing a new one year contract extension which would secure his services until June 2009. [edit] 2008–09 season Nedvěd scored Juventus' first league goal of the 2008–09 season in a 1-1 away draw with Fiorentina. He also netted twice against Bologna (2–1) in a match he captained Juve. On 26 February 2009, Nedvěd announced that he would retire at the end of 2008–09 season.[3] On 10 March 2009, Nedved was substituted due to injury in the first half of the UEFA Champions League second round game against Chelsea, which due to his impending retirement, turned out to be his last European game for Juventus (who lost 3–2 on aggregate). He retired at the end of the season, captaining the final match against former team Lazio and set up Vincenzo Iaquinta's goal; Juventus eventually won 2–0. He was substituted before the final whistle and was given a standing ovation by both sets of supporters. After the match ended, the other Juventus players formed a guard of honour and Nedvěd did a lap of honour to thank the fans. Later, captain Alessandro Del Piero presented him with a commemorative shirt. [edit] Retirement Nedvěd stated that he did not retire for "economic reasons" but so that he could spend more time with his family.[4] The Juventus management has offered him a job in the backroom staff under coach and former teammate Ciro Ferrara, but he has yet to respond to the offer.[5] [edit] International career Nedvěd debuted for the newly reformed Czech national team in June 1994 in a 3–1 win over the Republic of Ireland. His big break came at the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament, where he was the driving force behind the Czechs' run to the final. He continued to be a regular in midfield and captained the Czech Republic from 2000 onwards. He initially retired in September 2004[6] but came out of retirement after much persuasion from the coach and teammates. in qualifying for their first ever World Cup since the break-up of Czechoslovakia. Although the Czechs won their opening game against the United States, they lost their next two group matches and finished third in their group. He had several attempts at goal against Italy but they were saved by Juve teammate Gianluigi Buffon. Nedvěd announced his retirement permanently after the tournament and has refused to reverse his decision despite calls from teammates and the coach at that time Karel Brückner.[7] [edit] Personal life Nedved married his girlfriend Ivana when he was 21, and the couple have two children who carry their same names: Ivana and Pavel. He holds a qualified surveyor diploma. He was contracted to Uhlsport, but changed his sportswear favourite to Adidas.