Czechoslovakian legend Jan Popluhar dies at the age of 75
Former Slovakia international footballer, Jan Popluhar has passed away at the age of 75.
According to the Slovakia Football Federation, Popluhar died in a hospital in Bratislava however, the cause of his death is unknown for the time being.
Born on 12 August, 1935, the legendary Popluhar was a prominent presence that headed the Czechoslovakian defence in the 1962 World Cup in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chile-c2871. That Czech side reached its second world cup final where they eventually lost against Brazil 3-1.
In 1960, he won the bronze medal in the European championship and also represented Czechoslovakia in the 1958 World Cup in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sweden-c3015.
Nicknamed ‘Bimbo’ by his teammates for his kind nature, he later on won a fair play award due to some events in the World Cup in 1962. In the final against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pele-c40189 lying injured on the ground even when his side had the possession of the ball at that time.
Although Jan was born in Slovakia and played for Slovan Bratislava from 1955 to 1969, he chose to play for Czechoslovakia. He played 262 games for Bratislava and then in 1969, he went to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 to play for Olympique de Lyonnais where he made a name for himself.
In 1965, Popluhar was named Footballer of the Year in Czechohttp://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Slovakia-c3007. Soon after, he faced difficult times when a sports company he worked for went bankrupt. His prolonged health problems and a modest pension forced him to return to football as he took on a coaching role at Slovakia.
In 2000, Jan Popluhar was named the best Slovak player of the 20th century.
It is sad news indeed for the footballing world and especially for Czech and Slovak football as he was one of those players who paved the way for new age footballers from Czechoslovakia and Slovakia.
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