Oldřich Nejedlý


Oldřich Nejedlý was a Czech footballer, who spent his entire career at Sparta Prague as an inside-forward. He is considered as one of Czechoslovakia's greatest players. He was the top goalscorer of the 1934 World Cup.

Club career

Nejedlý played for Sparta Prague in his entire career. He scored 162 league goals in 187 games, winning four Czechoslovak First League championships in 1932, 1936, 1938 and 1939, adding a Mitropa Cup in 1935. He also scored 18 goals in 38 games for SK Rakovník, giving him a total of 180 league goals in 225 games.

International career

For Czechoslovakia, Nejedlý scored 29 goals in 44 games. He was awarded the Bronze Ball in the 1934 World Cup as the third most outstanding player of the tournament and was voted into the All Star Team of the tournament. He would have gone on to play more games and score more goals for the Czechoslovakia had he not broken his leg in the 1938 World Cup which effectively ended his International career.
He was a participant in two World Cups, in 1934 in Italy and 1938 in France. Nejedlý was the outright top scorer in the 1934 World Cup with five goals. This has been officially recognized by FIFA since November 2006, as he was initially credited with only four, making him joint top scorer with Angelo Schiavio and Edmund Conen. He also scored two goals in the 1938 World Cup.
Nejedlý died in 1990, aged 80, while the 1990 FIFA World Cup was being played, tournament which, as the 1934 edition, took place in Italy.

Career statistics

International