Vratislav Greško

Vratislav Greško (born 24 July 1977) is a Slovak former footballer. His preferred position was left-back. He was an attacking full-back widely known for his crossing ability.

Vratislav Greško
Greško with Bayer Leverkusen in 2009
Personal information
Full name Vratislav Greško
Date of birth (1977-07-24) 24 July 1977
Place of birth Tajov, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s) Left back
Youth career
Dukla Banská Bystrica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1997 Dukla Banská Bystrica 8 (0)
1997–1999 Inter Bratislava 51 (5)
1999–2000 Bayer Leverkusen 15 (0)
2000–2002 Inter Milan 41 (0)
2002–2003 Parma 5 (0)
2003 → Blackburn Rovers (loan) 10 (0)
2003–2006 Blackburn Rovers 30 (2)
2006–2007 1. FC Nürnberg 15 (1)
2007–2009 Bayer Leverkusen 21 (0)
2011–2015 ŽP Šport Podbrezová 118 (7)
Total 314 (15)
National team
2000–2007 Slovakia 34 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Early career

Greško began his career at Dukla Banská Bystrica in 1995, before he was signed by Inter Bratislava in 1997 where he played until 1999.

Bayer Leverkusen

He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 1999.

Move to Internazionale and Parma

In October 2000, he signed a four–year contract with Internazionale for a fee of €4.857 million (exactly 9.5 million Deutsche Mark),[1] which media reported a difference figure from 9 billion lire (€4.65 million)[2] to 14 billion lire (€7.23 million)[3] Greško was the first Slovak who ever played for Inter. He made his league debut on 1 November 2000 in a 2–0 victory against Roma. On 5 May 2002, during the last week of the 2001–02 season, Greško headed the ball to Karel Poborský, allowing him to score in a 2–4 defeat against Lazio. After the match, he was heavily criticised for the error, which led to Inter losing the scudetto.[4] His performance at Inter Milan was "firm" and "erratic". He spent only eighteen months between November 2000 and June 2002, making a total of 41 league appearances.

A swap deal was also made between Internazionale and Parma in June 2002, which saw Greško make a switch for Matías Almeyda, both players were tagged for €16 million[5][6][7] The deal was criticized as a financial success than a good deal for the team performance.[8] He was out of favour at his next club, Parma, he made just two full appearances during the 2002–03 season.

Blackburn Rovers

Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers manager Graeme Souness was looking for left-sided defensive cover.[9] Greško, who initially played on loan to Blackburn for four months (January–May 2003) was given a full contract in August. He scored twice in his first permanent season at Blackburn, with goals against Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers.[10][11]

During the 2004–05 campaign, he suffered a cruciate ligament damage in December which led to him not playing for the rest of the season.[12] He then did not make a single appearance during the 2005–06 season, and was released when his contract expired in July. Not only this season was over for him, even during the following season, he struggled with form and persistent symptoms.

Move to Nürnberg and return to Bayer Leverkusen

In 2006, he moved to 1. FC Nürnberg, joining his Slovakian teammates Róbert Vittek and Marek Mintál. In September 2006, Greško signed there in the light of his injury a strong performance-based one-year contract. In October 2006, he made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute. Overall in the 2006–07 season, he started in 15 matches in the Bundesliga, scoring one goal.

In July 2007, Greško returned to Bayer Leverkusen as a free agent on a two-year contract after nearly seven years.[13][14] In June 2009, Bayer Leverkusen announced that Greško would leave the club.

ŽP ŠPORT Podbrezová

In March 2011, he joined Slovak club ŽP ŠPORT Podbrezová (promoted to the second league 2011–12 – the second highest team event in Slovakia), Where he received a one-year contract in July 2011.[15] On 14 June 2015, he announced end of professional career.[16]

International career

Greško appeared 34 times for the Slovak national team, scoring two goals.[17] He scored his first goal in the A-team on 14 May 2002 in the friendly against Uzbekistan.[18]

International goals
Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.14 May 2002Štadión Prešov, Prešov, Slovakia Uzbekistan
1–0
4–1
Friendly
2.18 August 2004Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia Luxembourg
2–1
3–1
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

1. FC Nürnberg

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References
  1. "FC Internazionale Milano SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2002" (in Italian).
  2. "Tutti i contratti" (in Italian). raisport.rai.it. 27 October 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  3. Fabio, Monti (28 November 2000). "L' Inter ai ripari: preso Gresko" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  4. "Almeyda joins transfer merry-go-round". Sports Illustrated. 4 July 2002. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  5. "Parma AC SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2002" (in Italian).
  6. "FC Internazionale Milano SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2002" (in Italian).
  7. Ruta, Alessandro (14 March 2008). "La triste storia dello sciagurato Gresko" (in Italian). Gazetta dello Sport. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  8. "Un tempo il "calciomercato" era un rito e un'arena" (in Italian). cinquantamila.it. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  9. "Vratislav Gresko". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  10. "Blackburn 3–4 Bolton". BBC Sport. 10 January 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  11. "Gresko sinks Spurs". BBC Sport. 29 November 2003. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  12. "Gresko will seek specialist help". BBC Sport. 16 December 2004. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  13. "Greško Goes Back to Leverkusen". UEFA. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  14. "Greško už aj zmluvne na dva roky v Leverkusene" (in Slovak). profutbal.sk. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  15. "Greško bude hrať v Podbrezovaj, opäť našiel motiváciu" (in Slovak). sportky.topky.sk. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  16. Greško zavesil kopačky na klinec: Je čas na niečo nové 14 June 2015
  17. "Slovakia – Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  18. "Slovensko – Uzbekistan 4:1 v medzištátnom zápase" (in Slovak). presov.mesto.sk. 14 May 2002. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
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