<strong>Antonín Panenka</strong> (56) - the living legend of Bohemians. Never played for a team other than Bohemians until the age 33 when the communist regime allowed him to play abroad for Rapid Vienna. Midfielder, represented Czechoslovakia 59 times and scored 17 goals. <strong>Tomáš Rosický</strong> (25) - one of the best Czech football talents ever, midfielder of Borussia Dortmund and the Czech national team. Played for the Czech national team 50 times, scored 14 goals. His father played defense for Sparta Prague and finished his career in Bohemians. His brother, Jiří, whose career was interrupted by a serious knee injury after having played, among other teams, for Atletico Madrid and Casino Bregenz, decided to help Bohemians 1905 where he plays midfield. The conversation took place after the World Cup qualifying game between the Czech Republic and the Netherlands in Prague which the host team lost 2:0. Tomáš Rosický did not score in that game on a penalty shot and a few minutes later the Dutch scored their first goal.<br />
A.P.: I saw Bohemka play Budějovice B on Sunday. And I’d say that your brother had a good game. He was valuable for the team, creative, made a beautiful pass on the fourth goal. Bohemka won 4:1. They could hardly get in the offensive zone during the first half but then it was like in the old times. They worked hard and there were over 4 thousands of people in the stands. Like the first league.
T.R.: Do you think they can make it to the second league?
There is always a chance. The team is not bad but they faltered at the season’s start. But that could have been expected.
Sure thing. For the longest time they did not even know if they will be able to play. And then they had to put the team together at the last minute.
I met Pavel Mareš there (former Bohemka defender, currently playing for Zenit St.Petersburg - translator’s note), your teammate on the Czech national team. He said that the coach Brűckner did not give you guys a hard time after the game against the Netherlands. On the contrary, he acknowledged your hard work.
You know what? Even if we beat the Dutch, we would still have to win in Finland. It can backfire on you if you play for a tie.
That’s true. It is sometimes better when you must win, when you go on the field feeling that you have to do it rather than think about a tie. But I can’t help to dig at you - if there is a penalty, will you take it?
Yeah... There were three of us designated but I took the last few penalty shots before and scored. If I took a soft shot above the goalkeeper... Like you in Beograd (laughing),
It’s not that easy, I had practiced that chip shot for two years before I dared to do it. First in friendlies, in the league and then in the EURO finals... Why did the referee make you repeat the penalty kick? Was it because the goalkeeper was not ready?
He was ready. I have no idea why he made me repeat it.
Somebody said that there were players standing inside the box. In that case the penalty has to be executed again, goal or not. However, if the ref disrupts the penalty execution this way, in most cases it’s customary that somebody else takes the repeated shot...
It all happened very quickly. I was concentrated but the ref rattled me. I was thinking before the game that if there is a penalty I should take a hard shot in the middle, just below the crossbar. I had scored a few penalty shots like that. But Čechino (Petr Čech, the goalkeeper of the Czech national team - translator’s note) said: “Hey, man, don’t do it, Van der Saar (the Dutch goalkeeper) always waits until the last second.” So I aimed to one side but did not execute it very well - I did not place it close enough to the post. Moreover, the goalkeeper did not wait and that was it.
Don’t worry, there have been other champs that screwed up on penalty shots. Did you get any time off after the game? Perhaps not, since you are going to play in Finland...
We had a team dinner and the time off was on Sunday afternoon.
Oh yeah, that’s right, Šmíca (Šmicer, the Czech national team midfielder - translator’s note) was playing golf with Vízek (the former national team player, Šmicer’s father-in-law - translator’s note). I could not, I had to see Bohemka.
Do you play golf?
Yes, I have started ten years ago. Golf suits me since I am not allowed to run! (hip problem - translator’s note). I usually join Láďa Vízek, Ivan Hašek (former players of the Czech national team - translator’s note) and others. We shoot breeze, place some bets... You know what? It used to be different before. We used to go with the guys for beer. How about you?
Beer? I am afraid not.
I remember how Pepa Vojta who used to play for Sparta, had one or two beers before the game. He claimed that without that he would not be so good. Each one of us is different. I liked a hot dog before the game. I did not like the hungry feeling in my stomach.
They give us now energy bars. I don’t like playing hungry either.
Well, in essence energy bars are hot dogs in a different form, are not they?
Well said, energy bars or hot dogs, it’s all the same. Almost... And football also stayed the same although I know from my dad how it used to be.
The passion for football is the same. It’s an advantage when you can do something that you love and get paid for it. Ideal situation.
Except that from what I know, you did not get paid that well back then...
That’s true, you are making nowadays more money. The only thing that I regret is that I did not secure my family financially the way I would like to. On the other hand, we had probably nicer, more romantic life. We were like professionals, did not have to go to work. We enjoyed a little higher standard of living than ordinary people but you are always under public scrutiny, you can even step out. I don’t think that I envy you.
Like I said, I know how it used to be from my dad’s stories and...
...Sorry to interrupt but you would enjoy playing with us. You would fit into our football style perfectly. There used to be more real football players than athletes on the team. We used to have nine players and two “water carriers”. Now it’s the other way around. There is no doubt about it Tomáš, you would be a perfect fit.
Unfortunately, you could not play where you wanted. It was all controlled by a communist regime. How old were you when they let you go to Rapid Vienna?
I was thirty three.
That’s the major difference. I joined Dortmund when I was twenty. Back to what you said about creative players, there is a real decline in this sense in our league. It seems to be sufficient to run and work hard to play in the league. Unfortunately, those creative players are not aggressive enough and that’s why they don’t have a chance
It’s interesting that coaches today reproach offensive players for not defending. They even leave them out of the lineup because of that. I have yet to hear about a coach blaming defender that he is not offensive enough. And these players are assured of their spot. It must be the system that is to blame.
I used to be blamed too that I was not helping on defense. I had to change. Germany was a school of hard knocks for me and I am better for it now.
When you went to Germany at twenty, were not you anxious?
Of course, I was. I was afraid. I had one advantage though, I learnt German in the school.
Oh well, when I joined Rapid I knew only two sentences: Guten Tag (good day) and Noch ein Bier (“hello” and “one more beer” - translator’s note).
Really? That’s pretty good (laughing).
And it was enough in the beginning. However, it was very difficult. It is so important to speak the language. They wanted to explain to me something and I looked at them like an idiot. It was terrible, it took about a year. But I said to myself that it’s also important to be able to count the money on a payday.
So did you study German at home?
Oh no, I just learned by listening. I still don’t speak German properly but I make myself understood. I also had a help from Josef Kadraba who played for Czechoslovakia in the finals of the World Cup in 1962 in Chile against Brasil. He immigrated after August of 1968 to Vienna. He was my guardian angel. Do you have your own Mr. Kadraba in Dortmund?
I had either my mom or my dad helping me there. The club had also a lot of patience with me and helped me in many ways.
Lately, they made a leader out of you. You are supposed to carry the team. It was not always like that, was it?
Well, my transfer was at one time the most expensive one in Bundesliga. So that pressure has been present with me since I was twenty and I had to manage it somehow. And the leader... I find it a bit absurd. Of course, the centre midfielder has a strategic role and there is a great responsibility. I know that the team is relying on me in this respect but I don’t have to be reminded that (smile).
I can relate to it. We said that there is substantially less creative players nowadays than before. In Bohemka, we used to have a midfield Jílek, Knebort, Panenka. Each of us was a type of a player that could affect the outcome of the game. So when I did not have my day or they doubled up on me, “Kendy” (Knebort’s nickname - translator’s note) or Jílek took over. However, if you are there alone, you can’t expect anyone else to take over. I think that your position is more difficult than ours used to be.
How was it in the national team? For instance, in Beograd?
Oh, all the guys there knew how to play. When I watch some top football teams on TV, e.g., Chelsea etc., they are all good with the ball. Whereas in our league, we have some players that are one-dimensional. Perhaps they would like to create something but don’t have the capability to execute it.
I agree. That’s the way it is.
Back to that pressure. It really does not matter if you play for peanuts or for a big dough, although it may mean more responsibility. I think that you are already used to playing under pressure because, as you indicated, you are going abroad young and you experience playing under pressure right from the start.
Yeah, and the national team press conference is attended by up to twenty sports reporters. Was it like that during your times?
No, there were less reporters, it was a different time. Imagine that we were leaving for the Euro in Yugoslavia and there was only one photographer, Standa Tereba. Nobody else! Today, if everything goes well and you’ll make it to the World Cup, you will be accompanied by half the population of Prague. These are different times. Moreover, we were back then unknown in Europe, no foreign journalist would be interested in us. If you arrive on Euro, you will be surrounded by thousand of reporters and will bother you, won’t they?
Well, we have much less privacy and that’s why everybody protects it as much as he can. It is difficult, though.
And one more thing. It seems to me that back then we all used to pull in one direction. Now, especially in top teams where the pressure is greater, everybody must play for himself in first place.
I can prove that on Sparta example. When I played there, we had something, what newspaper reporters called a team spirit. There was Horst Siegl, Jirka Novotný and others and we won almost every game three nothing. It is different now; the team roster is changing so quickly that players don’t come even close to having a team spirit.
Yeah, the relation to the club is missing. When you spend five or ten years in one club, there is a relationship. There was a difference between Sparta and Slavia. The roster was equal in quality but Sparta was more determined - it was like I am Spartan and who is more?
That’s true. Sometimes Sparta won by a goal in the last minute. We just pushed it somehow in.
And the national team? It’s been said that players looked forward to seeing each other.
That’s still the same. We like each other; we get a break from the club. We are a good bunch.
You did not want to talk about the beer so let’s try something different. Do you know that I own a wine bar?
Really?
Yeah, but you can’t have alcohol. We were not allowed to drink either but... Sometimes we had a few. Do you prefer white or red?
Rather red.
So if you win in Finland, I will give you a bottle of red. It is Frankovka, the late picking. But look out - with my picture on the label!
Oh, sweet! I’ll have to try hard. That’s what I call motivation.
Translator’s note: The game between Finland and the Czech Republic in Helsinki was won by the Czech Republic 3:0. Tomáš Rosický scored one of the goals. Presumably, the bottle of red wine changed hands.
The Czech Republic national team is now facing Norway in two play-off qualifying games for the World Cup 2006 in Germany.
