Jiří Němec (born 15 May 1966)[1] is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[2]
Biography
Němec made his professional club debut with České Budějovice in 1985.[3] He moved to German club Schalke 04 in 1993, being an integral part of its defence when it won the 1997 UEFA Cup Final against Inter Milan.[3] In 2001, Němec extended his contract with Schalke 04 until the end of 2001–02 Bundesliga.[4] Němec moved to Viktoria Žižkov in January 2004.[5] He retired from professional football at the age of 39 on 4 July 2005, citing lack of motivation.[6]
At international level, Němec played for Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, serving as captain of both teams.[7] He made a total of 84 appearances for the two teams, scoring one goal for the latter.[8] As a footballer of Czechoslovakia, Němec was part of the 1990 FIFA World Cup squad that reached quarterfinals, but did not play in any match.[9] He went on to play at both the UEFA Euro 1996 and 2000 as a Czech international.[10]
After ending his football career, Němec became head coach of the third-tier club SK Sokol Brozany in Litoměřice District, having been working with minor breaks since 2011.[11] He is married to his wife Martina with two children: a daughter named Nikola and son named Patrik.[12]
