A talented athlete is a person who “built” himself, his character and his career on his own, thanks to his extraordinary abilities and outstanding physical data. It is such people who become world famous, they are invited to play for the best teams. In this article you will learn about Jan Koller, a famous football player, and how he achieved success in sports.
Carier start
The future footballer from childhood revealed the prerequisites for playing sports. High growth, great appetite, physical strength and endurance - all this determined the fate of the future forward. Since childhood, Ian Koller loved football, but the decision to professionally engage in this sport came to the player only after serving in the army.
It should be noted that the father of the football player was a goalkeeper, so at first the coaches wanted to make a goalkeeper out of Ian. They did not succeed, as the player soon proved himself as a talented striker.
Performances for different clubs
Which team did Jan Koller stand out for? The career of a football player began with a game in the Czech Sparta. The coaches were not able to assess the ability of the young striker, so without much regret they let him go to Lokeren.
Moving to Belgium had a positive impact on the player’s life. A new club from the city of the same name kept in the middle of the standings in the national championship. Despite this, Jan Koller attracted the attention of Belgium's leading football experts after becoming the league's top scorer. He managed to achieve this only a year after the start of performances for Lokeren.
For further professional development, the football player needed a transition to a more promising club. Therefore, the most productive striker of the championship soon accepted an offer of cooperation from Anderlecht, which repeatedly won such famous teams as Real and Manchester United.
Jan Koller has become a recognizable figure in European football. Confirmation of this - a lot of offers from famous English and German clubs. After much deliberation, the player chose the Dortmund Borussia, in which he repeatedly became the champion of Germany. In one of the matches, Koller had to temporarily change his role. Goalkeeper J. Lehmann received a red card and was sent off. Ian replaced him and finished the match without missing a single goal. For this, ironically, he was recognized as the best goalkeeper of the tour.
Over time, the forward began to lose shape. This made him leave Germany. The footballer began playing for Wings of the Soviets. However, Koller did not play in the Russian Premier League for long. Health problems (asthma), age, and fatigue did the trick. Having completed his career, the athlete moved to France, where he settled down with his wife and children.
Statistics
Jan Koller is one of the most productive players in the world in the history of football. So, in the championship of Belgium 1998-1999. forward scored 24 goals.
The footballer successfully played for the national team of his home country of the Czech Republic. In 14 matches, he scored 14 goals.
During 33 matches in the Belgian Premier League, Jan Koller, whose photo after this result became recognizable not only among Anderlecht fans, but also in Europe as a whole, hit the opponents' goal as many as 20 times.
Major Achievements
The forward has made a very successful football career, so he has won many awards and titles. What was remembered by fans of this sport Jan Koller? Player achievements are associated with performances for different teams. So, he became one of the best scorers in the championship of Belgium in the Lokeren.
Speaking for the Czech national team, the player participated in the 2000 European Championship. At the preliminary stage, the team won all the matches, but then could not leave Group H, losing to the Dutch and French.
The transition to the German league, several seasons in the “Borussia”, as well as offers of cooperation from the leading clubs of the Old World - “Milan”, “Lazio” and “Liverpool” - can also be considered professional achievements of the football player. Speaking for Borussia, Koller became the champion of Germany, one of the top scorers of the German championship. As mentioned above, Jan in one of the rounds won the title of best goalkeeper.
In the Russian championship, he was again recognized as one of the best strikers of the Premier League, which once again proved his professionalism.