Pavel Nedvěd, Czech footballer: Profile, Career, News & Videos

Pavel Nedvěd is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Czech players of all time and he won numerous trophies with Italian clubs Lazio and Juventus. He won the last ever Cup Winners' Cup with Lazio and led Juventus to the 2003 UEFA Champions League final.

Nedvěd was a vital player in the Czech team that reached the final of Euro 1996, after which he attracted the attention of big European clubs. He also captained the team at UEFA Euro 2004, where they were defeated in the semi-final by eventual champions Greece, and Nedvěd was named in the Team of the Tournament. Furthermore, Nedvěd helped his team qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. Due to his quick and energetic runs during matches, Nedvěd was nicknamed \"Furia Ceca\" (lit. 'Czech Fury') by Italian football fans. His nickname in Czech is Méďa (lit. 'Little Bear'), stemming from the similarity between his surname and the Czech word for bear, Medvěd.

Winning the Ballon d'Or in 2003, Nedvěd was the second Czech player to win the award after Josef Masopust and the first since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. During his career, Nedvěd received many other individual awards, including the second Golden Foot award in 2004, Czech Footballer of the Year (four times), and the Golden Ball (six times). He was also named by Pelé as one of the FIFA 100 and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Nedvěd retired from professional football after the 2008–09 season. Nedvěd played 501 league matches at club level (scoring 110 goals) and was capped 91 times for the Czech Republic (scoring 18 goals).