Coordinates | 34°03′″N118°15′″N |
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playername | Patrik Berger |
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fullname | Patrik Berger |
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height | |
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dateofbirth | November 10, 1973 |
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cityofbirth | Prague |
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countryofbirth | Czechoslovakia |
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position | Left winger, inside forward |
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youthyears1 | 1989–1991 |youthclubs1 Sparta Prague |
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years1 | 1991–1995 | clubs1 Slavia Prague |caps1 90 |goals1 24 |
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years2 | 1995–1996 | clubs2 Borussia Dortmund |caps2 25 |goals2 4 |
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years3 | 1996–2003 | clubs3 Liverpool |caps3 149 |goals3 28 |
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years4 | 2003–2005 | clubs4 Portsmouth |caps4 52 |goals4 7 |
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years5 | 2005–2008 | clubs5 Aston Villa |caps5 29 |goals5 2 |
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years6 | 2006–2007 | clubs6 → Stoke City (loan) |caps6 7 |goals6 0 |
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years7 | 2008–2010 | clubs7 Sparta Prague |caps7 23 |goals7 6 |
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totalcaps | 375 |
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totalgoals | 71 |
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nationalyears1 | 1993 |nationalteam1 Czechoslovakia |nationalcaps1 2 |nationalgoals1 0 |
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nationalyears2 | 1994–2001 |nationalteam2 Czech Republic |nationalcaps2 42 |nationalgoals2 17
}} |
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Patrik Berger (; born 10 November 1973 in
Prague) is a retired
Czech footballer. He has played in
Czech Republic,
Germany, and
England. He is best remembered for his time at
Liverpool.
The success of the Czech Republic's national team in the Euro 1996 raised the profile of many players — including that of Berger, Pavel Nedvěd, and Karel Poborský — and convinced some of Europe's most prestigious clubs to purchase them. Capable of occupying midfield and forward positions, Berger became noted for his powerful strikes, surging runs, and strong left foot. Berger was beset with injuries throughout his career and received specialist treatment in the United States. He retired on 6 January 2010 due to knee injuries.
Club career
Prague and Dortmund
Berger was born in
Prague,
Czech republic. His uncle is the Czech footballer
Jan Berger — He began his career as a youth player at
Sparta Prague in 1989, securing a professional contract two-years later with rivals
Slavia Prague. Establishing himself as a senior regular, Berger competed in Europe and earned selection for Czechoslovakia and, following its establishment, the Czech Republic.
After 89 league games and 24 goals, Berger was purchased by Ottmar Hitzfeld's Borussia Dortmund in 1995 for a reported £500,000. His only season as a Dortmund player was frustrating and successful. While Dortmund gained the Bundesliga title and Super Cup, Berger was predominantly used as a substitute, scoring four goals in 25 league appearances. Hitzfeld preferred to employ Berger as a defensive midfielder as he considered him to be most suited to the role.
Liverpool's interest in Berger was stimulated by the performances of the Czech Republic during Euro 1996, organised in England, in the final of which he scored a penalty. The club approached both Berger and Karel Poborský, who elected to transfer to Manchester United after the competition's conclusion. Berger did accept Liverpool's contract offer and completed his transfer in August 1996 for £3.25 million.
Liverpool
With wife Jaroslava and their two children, Berger settled in
Southport,
Merseyside, where he resided near retired players
Kenny Dalglish and
Alan Hansen. Debuting as a substitute in a 2–1 home win against
Southampton on 7 September 1996, Berger performed well in his first month with the club, endearing him to supporters and earning praise from colleagues. Used again as a substitute in his second match, Berger scored a brace of goals in a 3–0 win against
Leicester City. A second double was registered against Chelsea in the latter's 5–1 defeat at Anfield, which he followed with a fifth goal in four games in a
Cup Winners' Cup match against
MYPA. The series of displays were recognised in October with the
FA's Player of the Month award for September.
First-team opportunities became limited in Berger's second season. Unable to reproduce earlier performances, Berger was often confined to the bench in a season punctuated by a hat-trick against Chelsea. Berger's dissatisfaction and discord between the midfielder and manager Roy Evans placed his Liverpool career in jeopardy. Evans criticised Berger's perceived indifference to teamwork and publicly expressed a willingness to sell after he refused to be used as a substitute against Bolton Wanderers in March 1998. His agent reported to the media that Benfica, Roma and unidentified Spanish clubs were interested in arranging a transfer from Liverpool. The appointment of Gérard Houllier as co-manager before the 1998–99 season and subsequent departure of Roy Evans proved to be pivotal in Berger's decision to remain with the club.
Playing regularly in his first season under Houllier's reign, Berger scored nine goals and improved as a player. An injury sustained in a 4–3 defeat to Leeds United in November 2000 rendered Berger unavailable for much of the 2000–01 season and required specialist treatment in the United States from Richard Steadman. Berger recovered by March and featured in the finals of the UEFA Cup and FA Cup, in which he assisted Michael Owen to score the deciding goal against Arsenal.
Recurring injuries between 2001 and 2003 further disrupted Berger's career and deprived him of a presence in the first team, resulting in his decision to leave Liverpool after the expiration of his contract on the conclusion of the 2002–03 season. Berger had been confined to the bench for the duration of his final season when selected, limiting him to four appearances. He moved on a free transfer to Portsmouth, having played 196 games for Liverpool, scoring 35 goals in the process.
Portsmouth
Newly promoted to the
Premier League, Berger was signed on a free-transfer by
Harry Redknapp as the south coast side prepared for the campaign by seeking experienced players. Berger made his first appearance for
Portsmouth on the opening day of the club's debut Premiership season in a 2–1 home win over
Aston Villa, scoring the second goal. On October 18, 2003, Berger scored the winning goal in Portsmouth's 1-0 victory over his former club Liverpool. However, in February 2004, he was forced to undergo an
operation upon his knee forcing him to miss the rest of the season. His performances at the start of the 2004–05 season indicated that a return to his best form might be on the cards, with Berger scoring a contender for goal of the season against
Charlton Athletic in Portsmouth's first away match.
After the club successfully battled against relegation, then-manager Alain Perrin and the club chose not to renew his contract in June 2005. Berger then joined Aston Villa on a two year-deal.
Aston Villa
Berger was hampered by injury during his early Villa career, making few league appearances. In November 2006 he was loaned to
Stoke City in order to gain fitness, with some reports suggesting that the player had fallen out with manager
Martin O'Neill over playing in the reserve side. After his loan spell, Berger had a good spell of fitness and began to show flashes of what he was capable of, regularly showing his influence on the pitch. On 7 Apri, Berger scored his first goal in two years against
Blackburn Rovers in a 2–1 victory, where his performance was praised. Berger scored again on May 5 in the penultimate game of the season against
Sheffield United.
On 28 May 2007, Berger agreed to sign a one-year contract extension with Aston Villa.
On 6 May 2008, he was told he had played his last game for Aston Villa after urging Villa captain Gareth Barry to move to Liverpool. At the end of his contract he was released by the club having appeared in just 29 matches in three seasons.
Return to Prague
On 29 May 2008, Berger returned to Prague as a free agent, signing a two-year contract with
Sparta Prague.
On 6 January 2010, he retired because of a ligament injury that he failed to recover from.
International career
Berger was capped 44 times, scoring 18 goals. He made his debut on 23 March 1993 in a
FIFA World Cup qualifier against
Cyprus, which ended 1–1. He famously scored in the final of
Euro 1996 from the penalty spot to give
Czech Republic a 1–0 lead. However, they lost on the Golden Goal rule in extra time to
Germany. He also appeared once in the
Euro 2000, having been suspended after being
sent off in a qualifier against the
Faroe Islands.
Career statistics
|-
|
1991–92||rowspan="2"|
Slavia Prague||rowspan="2"|
First League||20||3||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||20||3
|-
|
1992–93||29||10||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||2||0||31||10
|-
|
1993–94||rowspan="2"|
Slavia Prague||rowspan="2"|
Gambrinus liga||12||4||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||2||1||14||5
|-
|
1994–95||29||7||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||4||1||33||8
|-
|
1995–96||
Borussia Dortmund||
Bundesliga||25||4||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||2||0||27||4
|-
|
1996–97||rowspan="7"|
Liverpool||rowspan="7"|
Premier League||23||6||2||0||3||1||6||2||34||9
|-
|
1997–98||22||3||1||0||2||1||2||0||27||4
|-
|
1998–99||32||7||2||0||1||0||6||2||41||9
|-
|
1999–2000||34||9||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||37||9
|-
|
2000–01||14||2||1||0||1||0||5||0||21||2
|-
|
2001–02||21||1||1||0||colspan="2"|—||8||0||30||1
|-
|
2002–03||2||0||colspan="2"|—||1||1||1||0||4||1
|-
|
2003–04||rowspan="2"|
Portsmouth||rowspan="2"|
Premier League||20||5||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||23||5
|-
|
2004–05||32||3||2||0||3||0||colspan="2"|—||37||3
|-
|
2005–06||rowspan="2"|
Aston Villa||rowspan="2"|
Premier League||8||0||colspan="2"|—||1||0||colspan="2"|—||9||0
|-
|
2006–07||13||2||colspan="2"|—||1||0||colspan="2"|—||14||2
|-
|
2006–07||
Stoke City||
Championship||7||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||7||0
|-
|
2007–08||
Aston Villa||
Premier League||8||0||colspan="2"|—||1||0||colspan="2"|—||9||0
|-
|
2008–09||rowspan="2"|
Sparta Prague||rowspan="2"|
Gambrinus liga||21||6||4||2||colspan="2"|—||4||0||29||8
|-
|
2009–10||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—|||2||0
49||13||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||2||0||51||13
64||17||4||2||colspan="2"|—||10||2||78||21
25||4||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||2||0||27||4
236||38||11||0||18||3||28||4||293||45
374||72||15||2||18||3||42||6||449||83
|-
|1993||2||0
|-
|1994||3||1
|-
|1995||7||7
|-
|1996||12||3
|-
|1997||2||1
|-
|1998||4||2
|-
|1999||7||3
|-
|2000||3||1
|-
|2001||4||0
|-
!Total||44||18
|}
International goals
:''Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first.
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
|
1. |
6 September 1994 |
Bazaly, Ostrava | | |
6–1 |
6–1 |
UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying>Euro 1996 qualifying
|
2. |
8 March 1995 | | Stadion Za Lužánkami, Brno |
|
1–0 |
4–1 |
Exhibition game>Friendly
|
3. |
8 March 1995 | | Stadion Za Lužánkami, Brno |
|
2–0 |
4–1 |
Friendly
|
4. |
29 March 1995 | | Bazaly, Ostrava |
|
2–0 |
4–2 |
Euro 1996 qualifying
|
5. |
29 March 1995 | | Bazaly, Ostrava |
|
3–1 |
4–2 |
Euro 1996 qualifying
|
6. |
26 April 1995 | | Generali Arena>Letná Stadium, Prague |
|
3–1 |
3–1 |
Euro 1996 qualifying
|
7. |
7 October 1995 | | Dynama Stadium (Minsk)>Dinamo Stadium, Minsk |
|
2–0 |
2–0 |
Euro 1996 qualifying
|
8. |
15 November 1995 | | Letná Stadium, Prague |
|
3–0 |
3–0 |
Euro 1996 qualifying
|
9. |
30 June 1996 | | Wembley Stadium, London |
|
1–0 |
1–2 |
Euro 1996
|
10. |
18 September 1996 | | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |
|
1–0 |
6–0 |
1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)>1998 World Cup qualification
|
11. |
18 September 1996 | | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |
|
3–0 |
6–0 |
1998 World Cup qualification
|
12. |
26 February 1997 | | Zimní stadion (Kladno)>Zimní Stadion, Podebrady |
|
4–1 |
4–1 |
Friendly
|
13. |
14 October 1998 | | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |
|
2–0 |
4–1 |
UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying>Euro 2000 qualifying
|
14. |
14 October 1998 | | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |
|
3–0 |
4–1 |
Euro 2000 qualifying
|
14. |
27 March 1999 | | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |
|
2–0 |
2–0 |
Euro 2000 qualifying
|
15. |
5 June 1999 | | Kadrioru Stadium, Tallinn |
|
1–0 |
2–0 |
Euro 2000 qualifying
|
16. |
8 September 1999 | | Na Stínadlech, Teplice |
|
2–0 |
3–0 |
Euro 2000 qualifying
|
17. |
3 June 2000 | | Frankenstadion, Nuremberg |
|
2–2 |
2–3 |
Friendly
|
Honours
;Borussia Dortmund
German Super Cup: 1
:: 1995
Bundesliga: 1
:: 1995–96
;Liverpool
FA Cup: 1
:: 2001
Football League Cup: 2
:: 2001, 2003
UEFA Cup: 1
:: 2001
Charity Shield: 1
:: 2001
UEFA Super Cup: 1
:: 2001
;Czech Republic
European Championship runner up: 1
:: 1996
References
External links
Category:1973 births
Category:Living people
Category:Association football wingers
Category:Czech footballers
Category:Czech Republic international footballers
Category:Czechoslovak footballers
Category:Czechoslovakia international footballers
Category:Czech expatriate footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in England
Category:Expatriate footballers in Germany
Category:Fußball-Bundesliga players
Category:Gambrinus liga players
Category:Borussia Dortmund players
Category:Premier League players
Category:Liverpool F.C. players
Category:Portsmouth F.C. players
Category:Aston Villa F.C. players
Category:Stoke City F.C. players
Category:SK Slavia Prague players
Category:AC Sparta Prague players
Category:UEFA Euro 1996 players
Category:UEFA Euro 2000 players
Category:The Football League players
ar:باتريك بيرغر
cs:Patrik Berger
da:Patrik Berger
de:Patrik Berger
es:Patrik Berger
fr:Patrik Berger
id:Patrik Berger
it:Patrik Berger
lv:Patriks Bergers
hu:Patrik Berger
nl:Patrik Berger
ja:パトリック・ベルゲル
no:Patrik Berger
pl:Patrik Berger
pt:Patrik Berger
ro:Patrik Berger
ru:Бергер, Патрик
simple:Patrik Berger
fi:Patrik Berger
sv:Patrik Berger (fotbollsspelare)
tr:Patrik Berger
zh:派崔克·貝加