Baník Legends

The book LEGENDS OF BANÍK reconstructs the club's history through memories. It features twenty-two interviews with the most prominent living figures of the Ostrava-based club, FC Baník Ostrava. You can look forward to players who experienced football at the old Stará Střelnice stadium, such as František Valošek and Zdeněk Kosňovský, as well as the legends who were there for the club's most successful era and played a significant part in winning titles – Libor Radimec, Rostislav Vojáček, Pavol Michálik, Václav Daněk, Petr Němec, Lubomír Knapp, Zdeněk Rygel, and Verner Lička. Naturally, space is also given to the players associated with the club's most recent title – Radek Slončík, René Bolf, Radoslav Látal, and Marek Heinz. A special place is reserved for the personalities who spread Baník's reputation beyond our country's borders – Luděk Mikloško, Karel Kula, Tomáš Galásek, Marek Jankulovski, and Václav Svěrkoš. The author also considered it important to interview Martin Lukeš, who always lived and breathed for Baník, and it was impossible to overlook a personality with the reputation of an international star who had and still has Baník in his heart – Milan Baroš. The only legend interviewed who is still an active player in professional football is goalkeeper Jan Laštůvka. In the book, you will find more than three hundred previously unpublished photographs. This work is part of the LEGENDS OF BANÍK project triad, which also includes a song and a music video of the same name. “I idolised Václav Daněk, Luděk Mikloško, and Karel Kula as a child, so I was glad to revive these memories and learn new details about them. I’m thankful for this book. Baník, its greatest legends, and its amazing fans deserve it.” PETR SVĚCENÝ, leading Czech commentator, editor, presenter, and head of the O2 TV Sport football editorial team. “This is an extraordinary and profound work, presented in an immensely human way. I believe it will touch the heart of every reader.” JAN PODROUŽEK, football expert and head of the football department at the Sport daily. “This is the best sports-themed book I have ever read. Interviewing personalities who have been interviewed many times before and captivating their fans again, enriching them with new information, is incredibly difficult. Martin Kajzar succeeded through thorough preparation, high journalistic professionalism, and also an exceptional knowledge of the environment, because he himself is a die-hard Baník fan.” VLADIMÍR KOLÁŘ, an icon of Ostrava sports journalism, who has worked for more than forty-five years in the editorial offices of Československý sport, Sport, and Právo.