Rudolf Kučera

Rudolf Kučera (born 23 January 1940) is a Czech retired footballer who played as a forward. He played his club football in Czechoslovakia, mainly for Dukla Prague, with whom he became joint top scorer of the 1960–61 Czechoslovak First League with 17 goals. He won three league titles with the club, as well as the Czechoslovak Cup in 1961.

Rudolf Kučera
Kučera in 2012
Personal information
Full name Rudolf Kučera
Date of birth (1940-01-23) 23 January 1940
Place of birth Spytihněv, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Playing position(s) Forward
Youth career
Spytihněv
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1952–1956 Tatran Napajedla
1957–1959 TJ Gottwaldov
1959–1967 Dukla Prague 121 (44)
National team
1960 Czechoslovakia Olympic 1 (0)
1961–1962 Czechoslovakia B 2 (0)
1961–1963 Czechoslovakia 7 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Kučera played for TJ Gottwaldov before moving to Dukla Prague in 1959. Kučera scored the first competitive goal at Stadion Juliska, opening the scoring in a 2–1 win against Wiener SK in the 1960 Mitropa Cup.[1] In the 1960–61 Czechoslovak First League, Dukla won the league, with Kučera's 17 goals tying Ladislav Pavlovič as joint top scorer.[2] The club also won the Czechoslovak Cup the same season, earning "the double" in the process. Further league titles followed in 1961–62 and 1962–63. In the European Cup, Kučera scored 11 times in 14 matches,[3] ranking him third highest goalscorer overall from Czechoslovak players in the pre-Champions League era of the competition behind Jozef Adamec and Ivan Mráz.[4]

Kučera's career was ended through injury at the age of 23. In a 1963–64 European Cup match against Polish side Górnik Zabrze, Kučera was injured following an elbow to the head from defender Stanisław Oślizło and never played at the top level again.[5]

International career

Kučera played internationally for Czechoslovakia, making his international debut at Dalymount Park in a 3–1 win for his country against Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifier on 8 October 1961.[5] In total he scored three goals in seven appearances between 1961 and 1963,[3] although he missed the 1962 FIFA World Cup due to injury.[5] He also represented Czechoslovakia B on two occasions between 1961 and 1962.[3]

International goals
Scores and results list Czechoslovakia's goal tally first.[6]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1. 16 September 1962Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria Austria1–06–0Friendly
2.5–0
3.21 November 1962Walter Ulbricht Stadion, East Berlin, East germany East Germany1–21–21964 European Nations' Cup qualifying

Honours

Club
Dukla Prague

Individual
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References
  1. Pivoda, p. 35.
  2. Jeřábek, p. 231.
  3. Jeřábek, p. 103.
  4. Jeřábek, p. 244.
  5. Pivoda, p. 51.
  6. "Rudolf Kučera". European Football. Retrieved 9 April 2015.

Cited texts
  • Jeřábek, Luboš (2007). Český a československý fotbal – lexikon osobností a klubů. Prague: Grada Publishing. ISBN 978-80-247-1656-5.
  • Pivoda, Aleš (2013). Legenda se vrátila. Prague: MAC. ISBN 978-80-86783-65-9.

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