Vratislav Lokvenc

Vratislav Lokvenc ( born September 27, 1973 in Náchod ) is a former Czech football player. Lokvenc was known primarily for his engagements with the Bundesliga clubs 1.FC Kaiserslautern and VfL Bochum.

Career

After Lokvenc has played in the early years of career in his Czech homeland, where he also became a national player, he joined in the summer of 2000 to the first FC Kaiserslautern, where he met the German international Miroslav Klose formed an torgefährliches Duo in the following years. After the FCK only narrowly avoiding relegation twice, changed to 2004/ 05 for the UEFA Cup participants VfL Bochum.

In Bochum Lokvenc not fulfilled despite ten goals scored expectations, the club retired early out of the European Cup. After the VfL ​​at the end of the season also still descending, Lokvenc changed after 145 games and 45 goals in the German Bundesliga Austrian Bundesliga Red Bull Salzburg. There, however, he usually came only as the Joker used and played in the second half of the 2007/08 season on loan at FC Basel.

Since Lokvenc could not prevail even there, he went to the 2008/09 season to the German second division team FC Ingolstadt 04, where he finished his career after the season.

National

His debut for the national team of the Czech Republic was Lokvenc on 6 September 1995 in a European Championship qualifier against Norway. With the Czech national team, he participated in the Euro 2000 in Belgium and in the Netherlands and at the European Football Championship 2004 in Portugal and at the Football World Cup 2006. The third group match against Ghana at the 2006 World Cup was his 74th and last international match. In September 2006, he announced his retirement from international football. Lokvenc shot in his 74 caps 14 goals.

Coaching career

In the season 2010/11 Lokvenc coaching the Czech fourth division SK Union Čelákovice as player-coach.

Others

Together with his former teammates Tomáš Votava and Pavel Nedvěd took Lokvenc 27 March 2010 part of the Prague Half Marathon.