Jan Svehlik
(1. 17. 1950)

        First football touches made in his birthplace Lovec okr. Ziar nad Hronom, later played for Ziar and after coming to Bratislava to study the law, he dressed jersey of SK Slovan Bratislava, whit which he 2 times became Czechoslovak champion. Very fast he caught attention of football experts with his pugnacity, speed and feeling for looking for goal positions.
                      He seemed to became very fast a stabile member of Czechoslovak national team. Was member of U- 23 national team, which in 1972 became European champion, in the middle of attack line of A-national team  he first time appeared in  1974, in game against France in Prague. His progress later became slower. What I think, the reason was his stay in czech army team Dukla Prague. He had to go there to fulfill army requirements of football players. He went to Dukla Prague as a star in his best years and returned  back to SK Slovan Bratislava as a not even average player. I do not know what was the reason, trainers of Dukla Prague did not use him in games. A lot of Slovak players had to go to fulfill army requirements to the czech army clubs (more money and power then slovak army clubs ). Only a few football players can say that during their football careers they achieved another career for future. Jan Svehlik is one of them, when he successfully finished law school. His best performance in national team was in European championship 1976 in Yugoslavia in the final match against West Germany ( author of  first goal). He cupped 17 matches for national team with 4 goals.

SVEHLIK Jan

EURO 1976 (Yugoslavia) final : Jan Svehlik scores 1st goal into
West Germany goal net.
[Czechoslovakia - West Germany  2 : 2 (2 : 1), overtime, penalties 5 : 3]

Jan SVEHLIK (right) as an assistent trainer of SK Slovan Bratislava
(1998)