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Fullname: Lubomír Moravčík
aka: Lubomir Moravcik, Lubo, "A Gift from God"
Born: 22 June 1965
Birthplace: Nitra, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
Signed: 27 Oct 1998
Position: Midfielder
Internationals: Czechoslovakia; Slovakia
International Caps: 42 caps; 37 caps
International Goals: 7 goals; 6 goals

Biog

There have been very few players in the recent history of Scottish football quite as wonderfully gifted as the man known to Celtic fans simply as ‘Lubo’.

Born in Nitra, Slovakia Lubomir Moravcik was in the veteran stage of his career when he was brought to Celtic Park in November 1998 by then boss Josef Venglos.

The signing of the midfielder from German side Duisburg for just £200,000 was met with indifference from the Celtic support and howls of derision from a Scottish media who were soon made to look rather foolish indeed.

Aged 33 when he arrived in Glasgow, Moravcik had played most of his club football in France and despite being highly rated there and in his homeland he was very much an unknown in Scotland. At one point he was to make a high profile move to Marseille until injury struck and hampered his career progress.

So he arrived in Glasgow, with something to prove to many. That would all change when Lubo made his debut in a 6-1 demolition of Dundee at Celtic Park on November 7th. The Slovakian midfield ace displayed an array of sublime touches and suddenly the Celtic support sensed that here was a very special talent.

The magnificence of Moravcik was confirmed in the sweetest fashion just a fortnight later when he scored twice and inspired his new club to a 5-1 thrashing of old rivals Rangers at Parkhead. The legend that is Lubo was born.

Moravcik seemed to have it all. Quick feet, wonderful vision and an eye for goal. Equally comfortable with his left or right foot Lubo possessed a level of skill not seen at Celtic Park – or in Scotland – for many years. His tricks and flicks were a joy to watch but in addition to being a supreme football entertainer Moravcik had a real cutting edge to his game and was much more than just a show pony.

Truth is though that despite his talents there were many a game where he just drifted, and during the dark season under Barnes/Dalglish, he may have been a bright spark amongst most of the gloom back then but he was just as culpable for the poor results and performances as many others.

Despite his abundance of ability Lubo had never won a major trophy in his long career but that was to change at Celtic with the Slovakian playing a major part in securing honours for the Bhoys and re-establishing the side as the dominant force in Scotland.

It might have been the pragmatic skills of inspirational manager Martin O’Neill which ultimately toppled Rangers from their perch but it was the skills of Lubo and Henrik Larsson which ensured they did it with panache and style.

Nowhere was this better illustrated than at Ibrox on April 29 2001. Celtic had already sealed the Championship and Rangers had made it known they were determined to show the Bhoys that they were really still top dogs. Moravcik slaughtered them in their own backyard. He scored two wonderful second-half goals in a 3-0 triumph in which during the second 45 minutes the Lubo inspired Celts to simply and mercilessly destroy their vastly outclassed rivals.

Celtic won the treble and the next season – Lubo’s last in the Hoops – retained the league as Moravcik finally had a chance to parade his skills on the biggest stage – the Champions League. He didn’t disappoint but even he couldn’t prevent Celtic’s unlucky exit from the group stage.

In many ways, he was underused in his last season with some arguing that Martin O'Neill did not know how to use flair players. Nevertheless, Lubo's entry onto the pitch was usually at vital stages in order to hold the ball, slow the tempo and retain possession.

Lubo left Celtic in the summer of 2002 for JEF Ichihara in Japan after four years, 129 appearances and 35 goals. While at Celtic Park he won two league titles, a Scottish Cup and two League Cups.

But even the most impressive of statistics can never do justice to the skills of Moravcik. He was a joy to watch and the memory of his performances will live long in the minds of the Celtic support.

Playing Career

Club	From	To	Fee	League		Scottish Cup		League cup		Other
Celtic	27/10/1998	01/06/2002	£300,000	75 (19)	29	9 (1)	1	8 (2)	2	11 (4)	3
Duisburg	01/08/1998	27/10/1998		No appearance data available
Bastia	01/08/1997	01/08/1998		No appearance data available
Totals			£300,000	75 (19)	29	9 (1)	1	8 (2)	2	11 (4)	3
			goals / game	0.3		0.1		0.2		0.2
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals

Honours with Celtic

Scottish Premier League (2)

• 2000-01, 2001-02

Scottish Cup (1)

• 2001

Scottish League Cup (2)

• 1999-00, 2000-01

Pictures

• Picture Gallery

Quotes

"I don't know what I find more laughable; the fact that Celtic cannot find £500,000 from their biscuit tin to sign a proven talent like John Spencer, or the fact that they then spent £300,000 on one of Dr. Jo's old pals, the unknown Lubomir Moravcik!"
(Hugh Keevins, Sunday Mail; Nov 1998)
(How wrong can any journalist be?)

'He is the type of player that makes people come to watch football.'
Rangers midfielder Ronald de Boer on Lubo Moravcik, 2002

"Tell him I was never a zero!"
Lubo through an interpreter to a Scotland On Sunday journalist who after the Classic 5-1 victory over Rangers in 1998 asked him "How does it feel to go from being a zero to a hero?"

“Martin had clear ideas. He would tell me: ‘Lubo, I do not want to see you come back and take the ball from the centre-backs and play the easy pass. I want you near the penalty box to make passes and score goals. This is your job for the team.’" He added: “Martin was clear with me: 'If you do that, I kick you up the bum’."
Lubo on manager Martin O'Neill (2010)

Moravcik fondly recalls best of years and worst of years

(12 Mar 2009, The Herald)

There will be a Celtic reunion of sorts in the Czech Republic on Sunday, but the coming together will not occur with the Co-operative Insurance Cup final against Rangers in mind.

Some 1200 miles from Glasgow, Lubomir Moravcik will be stationed inside a television studio in Prague, adding his insightful analysis to pictures beamed in from Aston Villa's Barclays Premier League match with Tottenham Hotspur. The Celtic connection and memories of the League Cup, though, will not be far away.

Moravcik will speak warmly about Martin O'Neill, the manager who many felt got the best out of the Slovak during his four years in Glasgow and with whom he celebrated a League Cup success in 2001.

He will recall playing alongside Stiliyan Petrov, now with O'Neill at Villa as they push for a Champions League place next season, his team-mate when Celtic triumphed in the tournament in 2000 and who only missed out on repeating the feat a year later due to a broken leg.

Celtic's 2-0 win over Aberdeen in March 2000, the goals scored by Vidar Riseth and Tommy Johnson, was a rare bright spot that season.

The infamous Scottish Cup exit to Inverness had brought a swift end to John Barnes' reign at Parkhead, while Dick Advocaat's Rangers would canter to the SPL title by 21 points. The CIS Insurance Cup success was seized on by fans in the hope it may signal a bright new era, albeit with the team under the temporary charge of Kenny Dalglish.

For Moravcik it carried extra significance. The talented Slovak was in the autumn of a wandering career by the time Dr Jozef Venglos brought him to Celtic Park in November 1998, after years of relatively unrewarded service with FC Nitra, St Etienne, Bastia, and MSV Duisburg. Victory over Aberdeen belatedly earned Moravcik his first senior medal at the age of 34. Little wonder, then, that the moment remains embedded in the his mind.

"I don't remember much about the match itself but I know we beat Aberdeen 2-0 and it was my very first medal," he told The Herald. "It was a very special moment for me to get my first trophy and celebrate in front of all our supporters. It had been a difficult season for us.

"John Barnes had been sacked and Kenny Dalglish had not long taken over as manager. We knew Rangers were going to win the league so we wanted to get something from a bad season. I had scored in the semi-final so I felt I had played my part. The final was not a very exciting game but we won."

If that success was a consolation prize, the defence of the trophy the following season would become part of something much greater and more significant. Celtic, reinvigorated under O'Neill, were a far different prospect to the side that had been shorn of all confidence under Barnes and Dalglish. The 2001 CIS Cup semi-final against Rangers, though, proved to be something of a mixed bag for Moravcik.

Celtic powered through to the final with a 3-1 win but Moravcik was sent off in the final few minutes, along with Michael Mols and Claudio Reyna of Rangers. He lets out a small chuckle as he recalls that evening at Hampden.

"I was a bad boy that night," he added. "I had not been on long as a substitute when I got involved in something right at the end of the game. I remember there was a bad tackle and all of a sudden everyone was pushing and fighting. I can't remember how but I was in the middle of it all like Zorro. I was sent off which was a shame because we had just had a great victory. Luckily, I was able to play in the final."

If the semi-final had been frantic, then the final against Kilmarnock was an anti-climax. Not for the first time, the day belonged to Henrik Larsson, who bagged the match ball in a 3-0 saunter.

While the previous success was simply a case of salvaging an otherwise disastrous season, lifting the trophy in 2001 set the platform for an impressive clean sweep.

"The league cup is nice to win in its own right," Moravcik added. "But when you win it then it gives you extra confidence. We did not say anything at the time but maybe we started to think there was a chance we could win the treble."

Moravcik continues to follow Celtic's fortunes from afar. He was surprised, if not shocked, to hear about his old team's Scottish Cup exit to St Mirren last weekend, and relatively unimpressed with the goalless draw served up in the last Old Firm meeting.

"The last game against Rangers was not easy to watch," he said. "I hope it will be a better match on Sunday. I have to commentate on the Aston Villa game but I will have one ear ready for any news from Glasgow."

By GRAEME MACPHERSON