5 Eastern European players who dominated on the world stage

#3 Pavel Nedved

Pavel Nedved was known for his blonde mop and all-action style

One of the best players to come out of the Czech Republic, all-action attacking midfielder Nedved – looking like Patrick Swayze’s character from Point Break thanks to his shaggy blonde mop – made his name in Italy’s Serie A, where he starred for Lazio and Juventus over thirteen seasons. During that time he won Serie A three times, won the UEFA Cup-Winners Cup and the UEFA Cup with Lazio, and even captured the Champions League with Juventus.

The Champions League win in 2002/03 was the catalyst that allowed Nedved to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2003 – becoming the first Czech player to win the award since the breakup of the old Czechoslovakia. That season saw him score fourteen goals – a career high during his time in Italy – as he lived up to his huge £37m price tag and became the successor to the great Zinedine Zidane in the famous black-and-white of Juventus.

At international level, Nedved was also a huge success. Playing alongside the likes of Karel Poborsky and Patrik Berger, he helped the Czech Republic to the final of Euro 1996 where they were narrowly beaten by Germany, and then as captain he took them to the semi-finals of Euro 2004 and was named in the team of the tournament. The World Cup was less successful for him – he only played in World Cup 2006, returning from international retirement to do so, but the Czechs went out in the group stages.

With the ability to play anywhere in midfield, Nedved was renowned for his stamina, passing range, vision and a frighteningly hard shot. Sven-Goran Eriksson – who managed him at Lazio – described him as “the complete midfielder”, and anyone who saw him in his pomp would struggle to disagree.