Milan Baroš

Milan Baroš
Milan baros.JPG
Personal information
Full name Milan Baroš
Date of birth 28 October 1981 (1981-10-28) (age 29)
Place of birth Valašské Meziříčí, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.84 m (6 ft  12 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Galatasaray
Number 15
Youth career
1987–1991 Vigantice
1991–1993 Rožnov p. Radhoštěm
1993–1998 Baník Ostrava
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Baník Ostrava 76 (23)
2002–2005 Liverpool 68 (19)
2005–2007 Aston Villa 42 (9)
2007–2008 Lyon 24 (7)
2008 Portsmouth (loan) 12 (0)
2008– Galatasaray 48 (32)
National team
1996–1997 Czech Republic U-15 7 (3)
1997–1998 Czech Republic U-16 5 (1)
1998 Czech Republic U-17 4 (1)
1998–2000 Czech Republic U-18 19 (5)
1999–2002 Czech Republic U-21 19 (9)
2001– Czech Republic 78 (38)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 May 2010.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 May 2010

Milan Baroš (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɪlan ˈbaroʃ]) (born 28 October 1981) is a Czech professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Galatasaray in Turkey and the Czech national team.

In the 2008–09 season, Baroš scored 20 goals in Turkish Süper Lig, the highest total in the league. He was the winner of the Golden Boot at UEFA Euro 2004, where he scored five goals, and he has previously played for clubs including Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Olympique Lyonnais.

Contents

Club career

Baník Ostrava

Baroš was raised to big football at FC Baník Ostrava. In 1998 he debuted in Gambrinus liga, top flight of Czech football. During a few seasons he developed to be the best goalscorer of the club in these seasons. In 2000 he won the Talent of the Year award at the Czech Footballer of the Year awards.[1]

Liverpool

Baroš joined Liverpool in 2002 and was given the number 5 shirt, making his debut in a Champions League tie away to Barcelona. It was his only appearance of the 2001–02 season. The following season, Baroš scored twice on his Premiership debut away to Bolton Wanderers[2] and ended the season with 12 goals for the club. For the 2003–04 season, Baroš was expected to feature more prominently but he broke his ankle in a match. He didn't play again for six months and scored just two goals all season. Baroš would later claim that had manager Gérard Houllier stayed at the club after the summer of 2004, he would have put in a transfer request. As it was, Houllier resigned and was replaced by Rafael Benítez.

On returning from Euro 2004, where he had been the top goalscorer, Baroš hit his best form for his club early in the 2004–05 season. With Michael Owen and Emile Heskey now sold and new signing Djibril Cissé out with a long term injury, Baroš was now the club's senior striker. Despite being the club's joint top scorer with 13 goals, including a hat trick against Crystal Palace, Baroš was surprisingly dropped for the Carling Cup final defeat to Chelsea. However, he played an important role in Liverpool's run to the 2005 Champions League, playing virtually all the games in the competition as a lone striker as the club clinched their fifth title. Baroš reportedly dropped the trophy during the team's celebration, leaving a dent, but Liverpool decided not to mend it because it "added to the character" of the trophy.[3]

In June 2005, Baroš' future at Liverpool looked bleak, with the player seemingly poised to leave Liverpool to rejoin former manager Gérard Houllier at Olympique Lyonnais, who had expressed interest in bringing him to France. Baroš, however, rejected the move, saying that he wanted to prove himself at Liverpool. It was widely reported, however, that Liverpool would try to sell Baroš before the transfer window closed on 31 August. Adding fuel to these rumours was Liverpool's purchase of Peter Crouch from Southampton, along with the decision by manager Rafael Benítez not to play Baroš in any of Liverpool's Champions League qualifying-round ties. By not playing Baroš, Benítez assured that Baroš would not be cup-tied to Liverpool – cup-tied players are considerably less valuable – especially to teams that could reasonably afford the transfer fee that Liverpool would likely require for Baroš. Indeed, two clubs that had already qualified for the group phase, Lyon and Schalke 04, strongly pursued Baroš, but he expressed a desire to stay in the Premiership or to move to Spain.

He played as a substitute in the first two games of Liverpool's 2005–06 season, but they were his last for the club.

Aston Villa

Baroš moved to Premiership side Aston Villa for a fee of £6.5 million in August 2005, signing a four year contract.[4] He was given the number 10 shirt. Just ten minutes into his Aston Villa debut, he scored the only goal in his new team's victory over Blackburn Rovers. He finished the season with 8 goals in 25 appearances. He also scored three goals in as many games in the FA Cup that season, as well as one goal from two League Cup appearances, but he never really won over the fans due to his perceived lack of effort on the playing field.

The following season proved to be difficult for Baroš. He began the season as first-choice striker under Martin O'Neill and played alongside Juan Pablo Ángel, but he soon got injured and lost his place to Luke Moore and the emerging Gabriel Agbonlahor. Boss Martin O'Neill challenged Baroš to prove himself before the January transfer window. He subsequently opened his account for the season on 11 December with a close range equalizer against Sheffield United in a 2–2 draw. This didn't prove good enough and he was soon dropped from the squad altogether and was given few opportunities following that. In the January transfer window, Baroš left the club. Following his final goal for Aston Villa in a 2–1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup, he was sold to Lyon in a part exchange deal for John Carew.

He finished his Aston Villa career with 14 goals from 51 appearances.

Lyon

On 26 January 2007, Baroš signed with French side Olympique Lyonnais, reuniting with former manager Gérard Houllier from his time at Liverpool. The deal swapped Baroš with Lyon striker John Carew, who joined Aston Villa on a three-and-an-eighth-year deal. On 24 January 2007, he made his Lyon Ligue 1 debut against Bordeaux.

On 18 April 2007, during Lyon's match against Rennes, Baroš was accused of making a racist gesture towards his Cameroonian opponent, Stéphane Mbia. After having been fouled by Mbia several times, Baroš held his nose in front of Mbia and waved his hand as if to waft away an unpleasant smell. In the ensuing controversy, Baroš insisted that his gesture was not intended to be racist in any way, and he was only trying to tell Mbia to get out of his face and leave him alone.[5] On 4 May, Baroš and Mbia were brought before an official disciplinary hearing of the LFP. The jury ruled that Baroš was innocent of racist behavior, but he was nevertheless suspended for the remainder of the season for unsportsmanlike conduct.[6]

Following the departure of Gérard Houllier, Baroš played significantly less under new manager Alain Perrin in the 2007–08 season. On 1 November, Baroš was arrested in France while driving at 271 km/h in his black Ferrari F430, on a freeway limited to 130 km/h. Stopped by French Police between Lyon and Geneva in the region of Ain, the local authorities said the radar reading of 271 km/h (168.4 mph) was the fastest speed ever recorded in the region, beating the 248 km/h (154 mph) set by a motorcyclist in 2000. Allegedly, Baroš claimed to the police that the reason he was going so fast was that he "wanted to hear what a Ferrari sounded like at 200km/h." As a result, Baroš had his car and licence confiscated and had to take a taxi back to Lyon. In the awaiting court case, his drivers licence may be suspended for up to three years and he will have to pay a significant fine.[7]

Portsmouth

On 27 January 2008, Baroš was possibly given his last chance to prove he is up to the challenge of English football, when completing a surprise loan signing that kept him at English side Portsmouth until the end of the 2007–08 English Premier League season with a view to a permanent deal (€7 million).[8] Baroš made his Portsmouth debut against Manchester United on 30 January 2008.

Baroš did not score in any of his 16 appearances (12 league, 4 cup) for Portsmouth but played a significant role in the club winning the 2008 FA Cup. He won Portsmouth's match-winning penalty kick in the quarter-final at Manchester United and assisted Nwankwo Kanu's deciding goal in the semi final match against West Bromwich Albion with a suspected hand-ball that went unnoticed by both the referee and his assistant. The final match of Baroš' loan spell was the 2008 FA Cup Final victory over Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium, where he appeared as an 87th minute substitute for Kanu. At the end of the season, Pompey decided against making Baroš' signing permanent, and he returned to Lyon.

Galatasaray

2008–09

In August 2008, Baroš joined Turkish champions Galatasaray from Olympique Lyonnais for €5.5 million, linking up with former Liverpool team-mate Harry Kewell. He played his first match against Kayserispor, playing the last 15 minutes. Baroš scored his 19th goal and made his 21st appearance on 8 January 2009.

Baroš scored his first goals as a double in the UEFA Cup 1st Round 1st Leg game against Bellinzona.[9] Three days later, in his first league start, he once again scored two goals against Kocaelispor, with Galatasaray going on to win the match 4–1.[10]

On 21 December 2008, 14 goals in total, Baroš became the top goalscorer in Süper Lig, scoring a hat-trick in the thrilling derby encounter with Beşiktaş, converting two penalties and calmly finishing a one-two move with Lincoln, as Galatasaray won the match 4–2.[11] He became top scorer in the Süper Lig in 2008–2009 season with 20 goals.

2009–10

Baroš scored his first goal of the new campaign after three league games when he scored twice in a 4–1 win against Kayserispor.[12] His next two goals came on 13 September where Galatasaray played rivals Beşiktaş. Galatasaray came out winner 3–0 with Baroš scoring his third and fourth goals of the season.[13]

He broke his foot in two places after a tackle by Emre Belözoğlu in the Fenerbahçe–Galatasaray derby's first minute. He returned to action 4.5 months later on March 14, 2010 for a game against Ankaragucu, scoring a goal on his comeback.[14] On 11 April 2010, he scored a hattrick at home against Diyarbakirspor. On April 17, 2010, he scored the second goal in a 1–2 win at Manisaspor. He has scored five goals in three games since returning from his prolonged injury.

2010–11

On August 7, a week before the start of the Super Lig he extended his contract with Galatasaray for two seasons, until the end of the 2012-13 season.[15].

International career

Baroš (15) in the starting lineup of a game between Czech Republic and Morocco in February 2009.

At UEFA Euro 2004, Baroš scored the first goal for the Czech Republic in their first game of the tournament, a come-from-behind 2–1 victory over Latvia. He went on to score goals in the Czechs' other two group matches. His second goal was an equalizer against the Netherlands; the Dutch team had a two-goal lead over the Czechs until the 22nd minute, when Jan Koller scored from a Baroš pass. The Czechs went on to win that game. The last was a game-winning goal against Germany. Baroš and Dutch star Ruud van Nistelrooy were the only two players in the tournament to score in all three of their group matches.

Baroš added two goals in two minutes of the second half of the Czechs' quarterfinal win over Denmark, and finished as the tournament's Golden Boot with five goals.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a persistent foot injury kept him out of games against the United States and Ghana. He did appear in the Czech's final group game against Italy, but was considered unfit and was subsequently withdrawn after 65 minutes.

Despite being frequently stated to be only good for his country and not club, his form for his country has dropped significantly over the past few seasons.

During UEFA Euro 2008, Baroš suffered the indignity of receiving a yellow card during stoppage time in the match against Turkey, even though he was neither playing in the match or even on the pitch at the time of his booking.

Baroš was banned indefinitely, in April 2009, from playing for his national side after a breach of discipline.[16] However, Baroš was recalled to the national side after the appointment of Ivan Hašek as head coach and on 12 August 2009, he marked his return to international duty with a goal from the penalty spot in the 3–1 home win against Belgium in a friendly match.

On 9 September 2009, Baroš scored a career high of four goals against San Marino, in a game where the Czech Republic won 7–0 in World Cup qualifier.

Personal life

Born in Valašské Meziříčí, Baroš lives in the village of Vigantice, located nearby. He is married to Tereza Franková.[17] Their son Patrick was born on 1 September 2009.

Career statistics

Club

As of 20 August 2010
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Baník Ostrava 1998–99 6 0 - - 6 0
1999–00 29 6 - - 29 6
2000–01 26 6 - - 26 6
2001–02 15 11 - - 15 11
Total 76 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 23
Liverpool 2001–02 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
2002–03 27 9 1 0 4 2 8 1 40 12
2003–04 13 1 1 0 0 0 4 1 18 2
2004–05 26 9 1 0 4 2 14 2 45 13
2005–06 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Total 68 19 3 0 8 4 27 4 106 27
Aston Villa 2005–06 25 8 3 3 2 1 30 12
2006–07 17 1 1 1 3 0 21 2
Total 42 9 4 4 5 1 0 0 51 14
Lyon 2006–07 12 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 13 4
2007–08 12 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 15 3
Total 24 7 0 0 0 0 4 0 28 7
Portsmouth 2007–08 12 0 4 0 0 0 16 0
Total 12 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 16 0
Galatasaray 2008–09 31 20 3 1 9 5 43 26
2009–10 17 11 1 0 6 5 24 16
2010–11 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 3
Total 48 33 4 1 0 0 16 12 69 46
Career total 270 89 15 5 13 5 47 16 345 117

European competition goals

International

As of 17 May 2010[18]
National team Season Apps Goals
Czech Republic 2001 8 4
2002 6 4
2003 7 4
2004 13 9
2005 11 5
2006 8 4
2007 8 1
2008 9 1
2009 8 6
2010 0 0
Total 78 38

International goals

As of 17 May 2010[19][20]
# Date Location Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 25 April 2001 Prague, Czech Republic  Belgium 1–1 Draw Friendly
2. 6 June 2001 Teplice, Czech Republic  Northern Ireland 3–1 Win 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 5 September 2001 Teplice, Czech Republic  Malta 3–2 Win 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 6 October 2001 Prague, Czech Republic  Bulgaria 6–0 Win 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
5. 6 September 2002 Prague, Czech Republic  Yugoslavia 5–0 Win Friendly
6. 6 September 2002 Prague, Czech Republic  Yugoslavia 5–0 Win Friendly
7. 16 October 2002 Teplice, Czech Republic  Belarus 2–0 Win UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
8. 20 November 2002 Teplice, Czech Republic  Sweden 3–3 Draw Friendly
9. 12 February 2003 Saint-Denis, France  France 2–0 Win Friendly
10. 30 April 2003 Teplice, Czech Republic  Turkey 4–0 Win Friendly
11. 6 September 2003 Minsk, Belarus  Belarus 3–1 Win UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
12. 10 September 2003 Prague, Czech Republic  Netherlands 3–1 Win UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
13. 31 March 2004 Dublin, Republic of Ireland  Republic of Ireland 2–1 Loss Friendly
14. 2 June 2004 Prague, Czech Republic  Bulgaria 3–1 Win Friendly
15. 6 June 2004 Teplice, Czech Republic  Estonia 2–0 Win Friendly
16. 6 June 2004 Teplice, Czech Republic  Estonia 2–0 Win Friendly
17. 15 June 2004 Aveiro, Portugal  Latvia 2–1 Win UEFA Euro 2004
18. 19 June 2004 Aveiro, Portugal  Netherlands 3–2 Win UEFA Euro 2004
19. 23 June 2004 Lisbon, Portugal  Germany 2–1 Win UEFA Euro 2004
20. 27 June 2004 Porto, Portugal  Denmark 3–0 Win UEFA Euro 2004
21. 27 June 2004 Porto, Portugal  Denmark 3–0 Win UEFA Euro 2004
22. 12 February 2005 Teplice, Czech Republic  Finland 4–3 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
23. 30 March 2005 Andorra la Vella, Andorra  Andorra 4–0 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
24. 4 June 2005 Liberec, Czech Republic  Andorra 8–1 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
25. 8 June 2005 Teplice, Czech Republic  Macedonia 6–1 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
26. 7 September 2005 Olomouc, Czech Republic  Armenia 4–1 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
27. 26 May 2006 Innsbruck, Austria  Saudi Arabia 2–0 Win Friendly
28. 7 October 2006 Liberec, Czech Republic  San Marino 7–0 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
29. 7 October 2006 Liberec, Czech Republic  San Marino 7–0 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
30. 15 November 2006 Prague, Czech Republic  Denmark 1–1 Draw Friendly
31. 24 March 2007 Prague, Czech Republic  Germany 2–1 Loss UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
32. 20 August 2008 London, England  England 2–2 Draw Friendly
33. 12 August 2009 Teplice, Czech Republic  Belgium 3–1 Win Friendly
34. 5 September 2009 Bratislava, Slovakia  Slovakia 2–2 Draw 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
35. 9 September 2009 Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic  San Marino 7–0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
36. 9 September 2009 Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic  San Marino 7–0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
37. 9 September 2009 Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic  San Marino 7–0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
38. 9 September 2009 Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic  San Marino 7–0 Win 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

Liverpool

Olympique Lyon

Portsmouth

Country

Czech Republic

Individual

References

  1. (Czech) Historie ankety Fotbalista roku at ČMFS website
  2. [1] BBC SPORT | Football | cipso premier | Baros makes his mark]
  3. "Liverpool damage Champions trophy.". CBBC. June 2, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4600000/newsid_4603500/4603587.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-08. 
  4. "Baros completes transfer to Villa". BBC Sport. 2005-08-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/4154498.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-27. 
  5. BAROS FACES RAP OVER GESTURE | Sporting Life – Football | Football Transfers, France Ligue 1 News, Fixtures, Results, Match Reports, Standings
  6. French league suspends Baroš for three matches, clears him of racist gesture – International Herald Tribune
  7. "Ligue 1 – Baros caught speeding at 170 mph (270 km/h)". Eurosport. 2 November 2, 2007. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/02112007/58/ligue-1-baros-caught-speeding-170mph.html. Retrieved 2008-01-26. 
  8. "Portsmouth seal Baros loan deal". BBC Sport. January 27, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/7207454.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-27. 
  9. "Match Report – Bellinzona:3 Galatasaray:4". Galatasaray.org. 18 September 2008. http://www.galatasaray.org/en/futbol/uefa/haber/124.php. Retrieved 24 December 2008. 
  10. "Match Report – Kocaeli:1 Galatasaray:4". Galatasaray.org. 21 September 2008. http://www.galatasaray.org/en/futbol/superlig/haber/132.php. Retrieved 24 December 2008. 
  11. "Match Report – Galatasaray:4 Beşiktaş:2". Galatasaray.org. 21 December 2008. http://www.galatasaray.org/en/futbol/superlig/haber/307.php. Retrieved 24 December 2008. 
  12. Baros scores first two goals of season Retrieved on 13 September 2009
  13. Baros scores twice against Besiktas Retrieved on September 13, 2009
  14. "Medical Report for Milan Baroš". Galatasaray.org. 26 Oktober 2009. http://www.galatasaray.org/en/kulup/haber/809.php. Retrieved 12 December 2009. 
  15. http://www.galatasaray.org/kulup/haber/7559.php
  16. Czechs ban Hammer after late night out. This is London (2009-04-08). Retrieved on 2009-04-08.
  17. "Milan Baros gizlice evlendi". Hürriyet. 2 August 2009. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/spor/futbol/12196565.asp. Retrieved 2 August 2009. 
  18. [2]
  19. Milan Baros – Goals in International Matches
  20. STATISTIKY REPREZENTANTŮ

External links