David Rozehnal

David Rozehnal (born 5 July 1980) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He played for a host of European clubs, making over 400 appearances in a career spanning almost two decades, and retired from the professional game in April 2018. Internationally Rozehnal made 60 appearances for the Czech Republic, appearing in three major tournaments: Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008.

Early life Rozehnal was born in Šternberk and raised in Kožušany. He comes from a sports family, his father was a second-league football player, his mother played competitive handball. His father then trained amateur club Sokol Kožušany, where Rozehnal started with football.

Club career

Sigma Olomouc Rozehnal joined the senior team at Sigma Olomouc in 1999 from the Sigma Olomouc B youth team. He finished as a runner-up in the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and he was also part of the Sigma Olomouc team which finished in third place in 2000–01.

Club Brugge In 2003, Rozehnal joined Belgian club Club Brugge. Shortly after joining the club he was part of the side which defeated AC Milan at the San Siro in the UEFA Champions League. He won the Belgian Cup in his first season with Brugge and the Belgian League in the 2004–05 season.

Paris Saint-Germain

Rozehnal signed for Paris Saint-Germain in June 2005. His form resulted in reported interest from Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United and Sevilla. Sources close to the defender confirmed that he would prefer a move to Newcastle.

Newcastle United On 22 June 2007, Rozehnal's agent confirmed that a "definite agreement" had been reached for the player to join Newcastle United. Rozehnal underwent a medical check on 25 June and Newcastle confirmed the transfer had been completed on 29 June for a fee of £2.9 million, with the player signing a four-year contract.

Lazio On 31 January 2008, Rozehnal left Newcastle for Lazio on loan until the end of the 2007–08 Serie A despite having only signed in June 2007. After only playing seven times for Lazio during his loan spell, it remained unclear if they wanted to sign him permanently. On 9 June 2008, Lazio officially announced they had signed Rozehnal on a permanent basis, with Newcastle recouping the full £2.9 million which they initially paid for the defender.

Later career and retirement

After only one year in Italy, Rozehnal left Lazio on 29 July 2009 for German club Hamburger SV, signing a contract until 30 June 2012. Due to a poor season with several costly errors by Rozehnal, he was removed from the first team and asked to find a new club.

On 31 August 2010, Hamburg confirmed that Rozehnal had left for French side Lille on loan, with the German club still paying part of his salary. He made a permanent move to Lille in June 2011, signing a contract until 2014.

Rozehnal retired from professional football on 4 April 2018 and joined Sokol Kožušany alongside his brother, Marek. He made his debut for the club the following weekend.

International career Rozehnal was part of the Czech Republic national youth football team which won the UEFA U-21 Championships in 2002. In 2004, Rozehnal made his debut for the Czech Republic in a 2–2 friendly draw against Italy on 18 February 2004. He went on to play for his country at Euro 2004, He scored his only international goal in his 57th appearance for his country, finding the net in a 3–1 friendly win against Belgium.

Personal life Rozehnal is married to Petra with two children. Their first child, Luka, was born on 3 October 2007.

Career statistics

International +Appearances and goals by national team and year

Paris Saint-Germain Coupe de France: 2005–06

Lazio Coppa Italia: 2008–09

Lille Ligue 1: 2010–11 Coupe de France: 2010–11

Czech Republic U21 UEFA U-21 Championships: 2002