Matúš Kozáčik

Matúš Kozáčik (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmatuːʂ ˈkɔzaːtʂik]; born 27 December 1983) is a Slovak retired football goalkeeper who last played for Czech club Viktoria Plzeň, and who now serves as a goalkeeping coach with the club's first team.

Matúš Kozáčik
Personal information
Full name Matúš Kozáčik
Date of birth (1983-12-27) 27 December 1983
Place of birth Dolný Kubín, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Viktoria Plzeň (goalkeeping coach)
Youth career
1994–1998 Dolný Kubín
1998–2000 1. FC Košice
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 1. FC Košice 0 (0)
2002–2007 Slavia Prague 55 (0)
2007–2010 Sparta Prague 17 (0)
2010–2012 Anorthosis Famagusta 51 (0)
2012–2019 Viktoria Plzeň 171 (0)
International career‡
2006–2019 Slovakia 29 (0)
Managerial career
2020– Viktoria Plzeň (goalkeeping coach)
2022 Slovakia (goalkeeping coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 October 2019
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 June 2019

Club career

While Kozáčik was playing for Slavia Prague, Leeds United took him on trial in December 2006.[1]

2010–2011 season

In June 2010 he agreed a two-year contract with the Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta until the summer of 2012. He took the Number 1 shirt from the previous Anorthosis goalkeeper Arjan Beqaj. Kozáčik made his debut for Anorthosis Famagusta in the First qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League against Banants. He kept two clean sheets.

Kozáčik lost his place into the starting eleven to the second goalkeeper of the team Marcos Argüello a 0–2 loss against Šibenik at Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium. After the January transfer period Argüello moved to Club Bolivar and Kozáčik returned to the starting line-up for the rest of the season.

2011–2012 season

Kozáčik started as first-choice goalkeeper for the club's European matches. Then, Kozáčik lost his position to other club goalkeeper Dimitar Ivankov for the next two matches. After two matches Ivankov left the club and from this point Kozáčik continued as first-choice goalkeeper.[2]

FC Viktoria Plzeň

In June 2012, Kozáčik signed a three-year deal with Viktoria Plzeň.[3] He quickly established himself as the starting goalkeeper for the club, with which he won the Czech league title in the 2012–2013 season. In February 2014, Kozáčik extended his contract with Plzeň until June 2017.[4]

International career

On 10 December 2006, Kozáčik made his debut for Slovakia when he played in the first half of a friendly against the United Arab Emirates. However, his next game for the national team came almost seven years later when he started in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Kozáčik had been Slovakia's number one goalkeeper in the successful qualification campaign for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying and was the first choice of coach Ján Kozák. He continued to be preferred in the first half of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, however an injury excluded him from the remainder of the group matches. He only returned on 14 November 2017 to a friendly match against Norway. Since the injury, Kozáčik was only second-choice goalkeeper behind Martin Dúbravka, making sporadic appearances only.

For example, Kozáčik played 90 minutes of a controversial friendly against Denmark, who arrived with a squad of lower division players and futsal internationals,[5] maintaining a clean sheet in the 3–0 win. After that, he appeared over almost a year later, in a friendly against Jordan (5-1 win). In this match, Kozáčik conceded a goal from Musa Al-Taamari after his solo run. In the second half, Kozáčik was replaced by international debutant Dominik Greif.[6]

Managerial career

Since professional retirement in 2019, Kozáčik served in Viktoria Plzeň on various positions. By 2020 he became club's first team's goalkeeping coach. In September 2022, he took on the role of goalkeeping coach with the Slovak national team under first non-Czech nor Slovak coach for the team Francesco Calzona. He also became the sole Slovak in a coaching position with the team.[7] In March 2023, it was announced that Kozáčik will be replaced by his former national team co-goalkeeper and KFC Komárno goalkeeping coach Ján Novota, with Novota already filling-in during the extraordinary December 2022 camp.[8][9]

Honours

Sparta Prague

Slavia Prague

Viktoria Plzeň

Career statistics

As of 1 June 2018

Club Season Appearances
League Europe Cup
1. FC Košice 2000–01 000
2001–02 000
Slavia Prague 2002–03 000
2003–04 130
2004–05 1400
2005–06 1680
2006–07 1620
Sparta Prague 2007–08 000
2008–09 960
2009–10 712
Anorthosis F.C. 2010–11 2055
2011–12 3022
Viktoria Plzeň 2012–13 27121
2013–14 27133
2014–15 2921
2015–16 2781
2016–17 2690
2017–18 2400
2018–19 1020
Career totals 2745815

References
  1. "TRIALIST UPDATE". leedsunited.com. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  2. "Termination of agreement with Dimitar Ivankov". anorthosis.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  3. "Kozáčik bude v Plzni súperiť s Bolekom o post jednotky" (in Slovak). Profutbal. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  4. "Čišovský aj Kozáčik predĺžili zmluvy s Viktoriou Plzeň" (in Slovak). Futbal SFZ. 7 February 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  5. "Dánsky trapas v Trnave. Proti SR nastúpia futsalisti i treťoligisti". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  6. a.s, Petit Press. "Slováci zdolali Jordánsko, v druhom polčase strelili päť gólov". sport.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  7. "Sám Slovák medzi Talianmi. Kozáčik prijal ponuku, ktorá sa neodmieta". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  8. SFZ (2022-11-29). "MUŽI A – Päťdňový tréningový kemp, dôležitý pre budúcnosť reprezentácie". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  9. Šurin, Peter (2023-03-13). "MUŽI A – Premiérové nominácie od Calzonu pre Maka, Polievku a Vavra". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-03-13.
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