Roman Kukleta

Roman Kukleta (Brno, Czech Republic, 22 December 1964 – ibídem, 26 October 2011) was a Czech footballer who played as a forward. He won three Czechoslovak First League titles with Sparta Prague between 1988 and 1991, during which time he also finished as top scorer of the First League. Other clubs he played for include Zbrojovka Brno, RH Cheb and Real Betis. Kukleta represented Czechoslovakia internationally, winning four caps, all in 1991.

Roman Kukleta
Personal information
Full name Roman Kukleta
Date of birth (1964-12-22)22 December 1964
Place of birth Brno, Czechoslovakia
Date of death 26 October 2011(2011-10-26) (aged 46)
Place of death Brno, Czech Republic
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982–1983 Zbrojovka Brno
1983–1985 RH Cheb
1985–1988 Zbrojovka Brno
1988–1991 Sparta Prague
1991–1992 Real Betis 28 (6)
1993–1996 Zbrojovka Brno
National team
1984 Czechoslovakia U21 8 (2)
1987 Czechoslovakia Olympic 1 (1)
1991 Czechoslovakia 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Kukleta started to play his club football in Czechoslovakia for Zbrojovka Brno and RH Cheb. In 1986, he was awarded the Křišťálovou kopačku award for goal of the year, for his scissors kick in Brno's second division match against Slušovice.[1] In 1988, he joined Sparta Prague, with whom he won the league three times in three seasons, as well as the Czechoslovak Cup in the 1988–89 season.[2] He was the top scorer of the 1990–91 Czechoslovak First League with 17 goals.[3]

In 1991 Kukleta moved to Spain to play for Real Betis, where he joined compatriot manager Jozef Jarabinský, as well as players Michal Bílek and Alois Grussmann.[4][5] He scored six goals in 28 appearances for the Spanish side.[5] Kukleta later returned to his homeland where he played for Brno for the rest of his professional career.[2] He amassed a total of 159 appearances and 58 goals (counting First League only) in his professional career.[2] Kukleta went on to play in the lower leagues for Děčín, Zeman Brno, Mutěnice and Velké Meziříčí.[1]

International career

Having scored on his only appearance for the Czechoslovakia Olympic team in 1987,[2] Kukleta made his debut for the full national side in January 1991 in a friendly match against Australia. His only competitive appearance was in a 2–0 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying win against Albania, where he played alongside Pavel Kuka.[6]

Personal life

Kukleta was divorced and had a son, Roman.[6] He worked as a lorry driver after his footballing career.[6] Kukleta died suddenly in October 2011.[1]

Honours

Club

Sparta Prague

Individual

References
  1. Novák, Miloslav; Meitner, Zdeněk (26 October 2011). "Zemřel bývalý fotbalový reprezentant Kukleta. Proslul gólem nůžkami" (in Czech). idnes.cz. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  2. Jeřábek, p. 105.
  3. Jeřábek, p. 232.
  4. "Ve věku 46 let náhle zemřel Roman Kukleta" (in Czech). Česká televize. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  5. "Fallece a los 46 años exjugador del Betis Kukleta" [Former Betis player Kukleta dies at 46] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  6. Kára, Jaroslav (1 April 2010). "Odchod ze Sevilly mě mrzí, přiznává Kukleta" (in Czech). Deník. Retrieved 25 January 2016.

Cited texts
  • Jeřábek, Luboš (2007). Český a československý fotbal – lexikon osobností a klubů. Prague: Grada Publishing. ISBN 978-80-247-1656-5.
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