Rudolf Skácel

Rudolf Skácel (* July 17, 1979 in Ústí nad Orlicí ) is a Czech football player.

Club career

Skácel played in his youth for the FK Trutnov, later for the SK Hradec Králové, for whom he debuted in the first league in 1999. In February 2002, he spent 14 million kroner to Slavia Prague, where he became a regular player quickly. In the summer of 2003 he was transferred for about 50 million crowns to Olympique Marseille, where, however, he could not sit down and after a year moved on loan to Panathinaikos Athens.

After just one season he was loaned to Scottish club Heart of Midlothian 2004/ 05. In Edinburgh, the midfielder played an excellent season, in 35 games he scored 16 goals. The Hearts were runner-up and won the Scottish Cup. In the summer of 2006, he spent £ 1.6 million for Southampton FC. In the second half of the 2007/08 season he was loaned out to Hertha BSC.

After he was early in the season 2009/10 without a club and kept fit at FC Hradec Králové, he signed a contract in October 2009 to the year at Slavia Prague. In January 2010 Skácel moved to Greek club AE Larisa, in which the midfielder signed a one and a half year contract. In the summer of 2010, the Czech broke up his contract with AE Larisa and changed mid-September 2010 free transfer to his former club Heart of Midlothian.

National

In the Czech national Skácel debuted on 15 November 2003 in a 5-1 in Teplice against Canada, in which he scored the intermediate 5-0. Then Skácel still came in 2005 with two other inserts. He also played nine times in the Under-21 and thereby scored a goal. Skácel was nominated for the 2008 European Championship, was there not, however, be used.