Ex-red Vladimír Šmicer yesterday climbed to joint number six in the Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia’s all-time Top Appearances list as he won his 75th cap in their 2-1 friendly defeat by Sweden in Göteborg. It was his first match for his country since leaving the reds in the summer.
This draws Vladi level with both Marián Masný and Ladislav Novák. Masný appeared for the Czechs between 1974 and 1982, including when they beat Germany in the Final of the European Championships in Belgrade in 1976. The forward also netted eighteen times for his country. Left-back Novák turned out for Czechoslovakia during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Vlad has also bagged 26 goals for his country, placing him in seventh in this ranking as well.
Top Ten Czech Cap Holders:
1. Karel Poborský (104)
2. Zdeněk Nehoda (90)
3. Pavel Kuka (87)
4. Jirí Nemec (84)
5. Pavel Nedvěd (83)
6= Marián Masný (75)
6= Ladislav Novák (75)
6= Vladimír Šmicer (75)
9. Frantisek Plánicka (73)
10. Vratislav Lokvenc (68)
