František Svoboda


František Svoboda was a Czech football player who played as a striker. His nickname was "Franci".

Club career

He started his career with Vinohrady Rapid, from where he moved to Slavia Prague in 1926, and with them he was the Champions of Czechoslovakia 8 times, played a pivotal role in helping the club to win 8 national league titles, scoring 101 league goals in his 14 years at the club and being the top goalscorer of the 1934–35 season with 27 goals. He remained in Slavia until 1940, after which he succeeded Viktoria Žižkov.
Svoboda enjoyed great fame in his playing days, being a respected and feared striker throughout Europe. Svoboda was a very strong and muscular player, but despite being robust in stature, his movement was elegant and he excelled especially at rocket shots even from great distances, becoming known for his goals from long range.

International career

He played 43 matches in 10 years for the Czechoslovakia national team, scoring 22 goals, and he was a member of the team that reached the [1934 FIFA FIFA World Cup|World Cup Final|final] of the 1934 FIFA World Cup, playing in three matches and scoring a goal in the match against Switzerland. Half of his international tally came in the Central European Cup, and with those 11 goals, he is the fourth all-time top goal scorer in the competition's history.

International goals

No.CapDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
122 January 1927Stade de Sclessin, Liège, Belgium1–03–2Friendly
222 January 1927Stade de Sclessin, Liège, Belgium3–13–2Friendly
3424 April 1927Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia3–04–1Friendly
4823 October 1927Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia1–12–21927–30 Central European Cup
5823 October 1927Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia2–12–21927–30 Central European Cup
6928 October 1927Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia2–15–3Friendly
7928 October 1927Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia5–35–3Friendly
8123 March 1929Stadio Littoriale, Bologna, Italy2–22–41927–30 Central European Cup
91317 March 1929Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia3–23–3Friendly
10158 September 1929Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia1–01–11927–30 Central European Cup
11176 October 1929Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia3–05–01927–30 Central European Cup
122023 March 1930Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia1–12–2Friendly
132313 June 1930Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia2–02–0Friendly
142722 March 1931Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia1–23–31931–32 Central European Cup
152722 March 1931Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia3–33–31931–32 Central European Cup
163015 November 1931Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome, Italy1–12–21931–32 Central European Cup
173015 November 1931Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome, Italy2–22–21931–32 Central European Cup
183222 May 1932Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia1–11–11931–32 Central European Cup
193510 June 1933Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia3–04–0Friendly
203625 March 1934Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, France1–12–1Friendly
213731 May 1934Stadio Benito Mussolini, Turin, Italy1–13–21934 World Cup quarter-final
224221 February 1937Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia3–15–21936–38 Central European Cup

Honours

Club

;Slavia Prague
Czechoslovak First League:

International

;Czechoslovakia
World Cup:
Central European Cup:

Individual