# Ľubomír Moravčík

Ľubomír Moravčík (born 22 June 1965) is a Slovak football manager and former player. A creative midfielder renowned for his technical ability, he was capable of unleashing powerful, accurate shots, and pinpoint crosses with both feet. He played for teams in Czechoslovakia and Slovakia, France, Germany, Japan, and Scotland. During his time at Scottish club Celtic, Moravčík made 129 appearances, scoring 35 goals and winning two Scottish Premier League titles.
At international level, Moravčík played for Czechoslovakia (42 appearances; seven goals) and Slovakia (38 appearances; six goals). He was a member of the Czechoslovak team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

## Club career
### Early career

Moravčík began his career at Czechoslovak First League club Plastika Nitra, making his league debut on 16 October 1983 against FK Teplice. He spoke about his early career in an interview with the Slovak podcast, Podcast Výkrok: "I grew up in a very successful generation of Nitra, with whom we became champions of Slovakia in pupils, as younger teenagers we finished third and again became masters as older teenagers. But during my time in Shala, I never dreamed of the first league. However, when Nitra was on the verge of falling out, the club's management decided to give the young players a chance. And that meant my entry into the Premier League scene."
Moravčík went on to make over 170 appearances for the club before leaving 1990 to join French Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne, where he played over 230 matches. He later moved to Bastia and then MSV Duisburg in Germany.

### Celtic

On 27 October 1998, Moravčík signed for Scottish Premier League side Celtic for a fee of £330,000. The transfer linked him up with fellow Slovak Jozef Vengloš, who was Celtic manager at the time. Initially sceptical of the impact a then-33-year-old footballer could have, Moravčík became a hero in the eyes of the Parkhead faithful, forming an outstanding partnership with Henrik Larsson.
Moravčík made his league debut in a 6-1 victory against Dundee United on 7 November 1998. The same year on 21 November, he scored his first two goals against Old Firm rivals Rangers, wwhich ended in a memorable 5–1 victory.
Moravčík stayed at Celtic Park for a total of four seasons, winning two Scottish championships, one Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups. All of his former teammates, including Larsson, Chris Sutton, and Stiliyan Petrov have named him in their One to Eleven highlighting his two-foot, his ability with both feet. In 2015, Moravčík said of his time in Glasgow: "My favourite time, my most special time, was at Celtic. They said I was a 'gift from God' but it was the opposite – Celtic was a gift from God to me... Celtic is unique." He played his last game for Celtic on 21 April 2002, a 1–1 draw with Rangers in which he assisted Alan Thompson's equaliser and came off as a substitute for Steve Guppy on the 72nd minute.

### JEF United Ichihara

On 4 May 2020, the day before the 2002 Scottish Cup final against Rangers, Moravčík announced his departure from Celtic to join JEF United Ichihara in the J-League, a move that would link him up with Jozef Vengloš, who first brought him to Parkhead in 1998. Moravčík told the Daily Record: "I don't want to play in the last league game at Aberdeen [the following week] so I will be leaving Celtic and Scotland after the Cup final. Because I am going to Japan I will have to start pre-season training at the beginning of June and, before that, I need a holiday." He spent the entire final on the bench as Celtic lost the match 3–2. Moravčík only made three appearances for JEF United Ichihara due to an ankle injury. After failing to recover, Moravčík announced his retirement from football on 6 September 2002.

## International career

Moravčík made a total of 80 appearances for Czechoslovakia and Slovakia between 1987 and 2000. He debuted for the former national team on 11 November 1987 in a 2–0 friendly victory against Wales and scored his first goal in a 3–0 victory against Switzerland during the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification. Moravčík played at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, where he was sent off against Germany in the quarter-final in Milan. Germany won the game 1–0. His debut for the newly-established Slovak senior squad occurred on 30 March 1994 in a 2–1 friendly victory against Malta.

## Post-playing career

Moravčík began his managerial career with Slovak national U-17 team before being appointed coach of FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce, the team from highest Slovak league, Corgoň Liga. He is also vice-president of the Slovak Football Association and assistant of ŠKF Sereď.
Moravčík also has an engineering degree from the Slovak University of Agriculture, which he gained whilst playing for Nitra. "I think getting a college degree apart from professional sports is more complicated nowadays than when I studied", he said. "The communist regime was proud that the athletes growing up in its establishment had a university degree and were very accommodating. Athletes had individual study plans, various concessions, teachers sometimes turned a blind eye, and were proud to educate a representative of Czechoslovakia. Honestly, I was not an exceptional student, but I tried to come to school honestly and learn. Professors also appreciated my efforts and did not hinder me. Today, graduating from university is extremely challenging for a top athlete with multi-phase daily training, rehabilitation, training and matches. The athlete must define his priorities. I was lucky that, in addition to sports, they also provided us with education. Today is a different time, but I consider the completion of the graduation to be a necessary minimum, this can certainly be managed in addition to sports."

## Style of play

A free kick specialist, Moravčík was reminiscent of the old-fashioned inside forward. He was also known for his ability to use both his left and right legs. "It's easy, always notice which foot the player is leading the ball," he told Podcast Vykroč in November 2021. "I never led the ball with my left foot. Yes, I knew how to move it and kick it with my left hand. Through targeted long-term training, I improved my left leg so that I did not distinguish at all when kicking and passing, whether by kicking with my left or right foot. But I always led the ball right."
Henrik Larsson said: "For me, [Moravčík] is one of the best players I ever played with. Still to this day I don't know if he was right-footed or left-footed." Moravčík's two-footedness has also been praised by Pavel Nedvěd.

## Personal life

Moravčík acquired French nationality by naturalization on 5 November 1996.

## Career statistics
### Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Plastika Nitra | 1983–84 | First League | 9 | 0 | | | | | | | 9 | 0 |
| Plastika Nitra | 1984–85 | | 24 | 4 | | | | | | | 24 | 4 |
| Plastika Nitra | 1985–86 | | 29 | 4 | | | | | | | 29 | 4 |
| Plastika Nitra | 1986–87 | First League | 27 | 7 | | | | | | | 27 | 7 |
| Plastika Nitra | 1987–88 | First League | 24 | 3 | | | | | | | 24 | 3 |
| Plastika Nitra | 1988–89 | First League | 30 | 6 | | | | | | | 30 | 6 |
| Plastika Nitra | 1989–90 | First League | 29 | 14 | | | | | | | 29 | 14 |
| Plastika Nitra | Total | Total | 172 | 38 | | | | | | | 172 | 38 |
| Saint-Étienne | 1990–91 | French Division 1 | 37 | 7 | | | | | | | 37 | 7 |
| Saint-Étienne | 1991–92 | French Division 1 | 32 | 4 | | | | | | | 32 | 4 |
| Saint-Étienne | 1992–93 | French Division 1 | 34 | 5 | | | | | | | 34 | 5 |
| Saint-Étienne | 1993–94 | French Division 1 | 33 | 4 | | | | | | | 33 | 4 |
| Saint-Étienne | 1994–95 | French Division 1 | 27 | 4 | | | | | | | 27 | 4 |
| Saint-Étienne | 1995–96 | French Division 1 | 34 | 7 | | | | | | | 34 | 7 |
| Saint-Étienne | Total | Total | 197 | 31 | | | | | | | 197 | 31 |
| Bastia | 1996–97 | Division 1 | 21 | 6 | | | | | | | 21 | 6 |
| Bastia | 1997–98 | Division 1 | 12 | 2 | | | | | | | 12 | 2 |
| Bastia | Total | Total | 33 | 8 | | | | | | | 33 | 8 |
| MSV Duisburg | 1998–99 | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | | | | | | | 5 | 0 |
| Celtic | 1998–99 | Premier League | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| Celtic | 1999–00 | Premier League | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 9 |
| Celtic | 2000–01 | Premier League | 27 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 14 |
| Celtic | 2001–02 | Premier League | 23 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 6 |
| Celtic | Total | Total | 94 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 129 | 35 |
| JEF United Ichihara | 2002 | J1 League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 450 | 98 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 486 | 104 |
* ↑ Includes Czechoslovak Cup, Coupe de France, DFB-Pokal, Scottish Cup, Emperor's Cup
* ↑ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, DFB Ligapokal, Scottish League Cup, J.League Cup

### International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Czechoslovakia | 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1988 | 5 | 0 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1989 | 8 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1990 | 12 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1991 | 6 | 2 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1992 | 6 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1993 | 6 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 44 | 6 |
| Slovakia | 1994 | 6 | 2 |
| Slovakia | 1995 | 8 | 0 |
| Slovakia | 1996 | 5 | 1 |
| Slovakia | 1997 | 3 | 0 |
| Slovakia | 1998 | 10 | 3 |
| Slovakia | 2000 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 37 | 6 |
| Career total | Career total | 81 | 12 |
* Moravčík's team's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Moravčík goal.
International goals by Ľubomír Moravčík :
| No. | Team | Cap | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | Czechoslovakia | 13 | 25 October 1989 | Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia | Switzerland | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | Czechoslovakia | 26 | 14 November 1990 | Stadion Evžena Rošického, Prague, Czechoslovakia | Spain | 3–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 3 | Czechoslovakia | 27 | 27 March 1991 | Andrův stadion, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia | Poland | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | Czechoslovakia | 31 | 25 September 1991 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | Norway | 2–1 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | Czechoslovakia | 35 | 19 August 1991 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia | Austria | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | Czechoslovakia | 39 | 24 March 1993 | Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus | Cyprus | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | Slovakia | 2 | 20 April 1994 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | Croatia | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | Slovakia | 5 | 12 October 1994 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel | Israel | 1–0 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 9 | Slovakia | 18 | 31 August 1996 | Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands | Faroe Islands | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | Slovakia | 24 | 6 February 1998 | Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus | Slovenia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 11 | Slovakia | 25 | 7 February 1998 | Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus | Iceland | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 12 | Slovakia | 30 | 5 September 1998 | Štadión Lokomotívy, Košice, Slovakia | Azerbaijan | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |

## Honours

Bastia
* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1997
Celtic
* Scottish Premier League: 2000–01, 2001–02
* Scottish Cup: 2001
* Scottish League Cup: 2000, 2001
Individual
* Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year: 1992
* Slovak Footballer of the Year: 2001