Marek Jankulovski

At 47 years old, Marek Jankulovski has this physical status:

Marek Jankulovski (born 9 May 1977) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a defender. His most notable achievements include winning the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan and being voted the 2007 Czech Footballer of the Year. He earned 77 caps for the Czech Republic, and represented them at three UEFA European Championships, the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

A quick, tenacious, and hardworking player, Jankulovski was well known for his versatility, being able to play anywhere on the left side, and was used as a full-back, as a wing-back, and as a winger throughout his career. He was also known for his ability to cross the ball, as well as his considerable technical ability and energetic attacking runs down the left flank.

Personal life

His father, Pando Jankulovski, is a Macedonian who emigrated to Czechoslovakia from Yugoslavia, while mother is Czech. In addition to speaking Czech, Jankulovski speaks Italian. He is married to Jana Jankulovska and they have two daughters, Karolína and Kristýna.

In May 2006, Jankulovski was accused of placing bets through an illegal bookmaker, along with three other players; which Betting was not illegal for Italian players until November 2005. The investigation lasted until June 2007 when he was cleared of all charges facing against him. In May 2009, Jankulovski was accused of placing bets through an illegal bookmaker, along with three other players once again. The investigation lasted until July 2010 when he was cleared of all charges facing against him. In January 2016, Jankulovski was named as one of several players accused of tax evasion.

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Club career

After joining from NH Ostrava, Jankulovski began his career with Bank Ostrava. As the club finished in third place in the league in 1994, he made a leap into the first team. Jankulovski came out, playing in the attacking midfield position until being called back to the team's first squad and establishing himself.

Jankulovski started the season off well, scoring two goals against Chmel Blany and Sigma Olomouc. In a 4–1 victory over Sigma Olomouc on February 27, Jankulovski scored his third goal of the season. Scores were followed by scoring twice. Drnovice defeated Drnovice 3-1, a 3–1 victory. In the 1999-2000 season, he went on to score three goals. Jankulovski made 27 appearances and scoring eight times in all competitions after the 1999–2000 season; his appearance at Bank Ostrava drew interest from foreign clubs. Jankulovski made a total of 110 league appearances and scoring fifteen times during his time with Bank Ostrava by the time he departed from the club.

Following his participation in the UEFA Euro 2000, Napoli began talks about signing Jankulovski. The move was confirmed the next day, and he was given a number fifteen shirt. It was revealed that compatriot Zden k Zeman pleaded for the player to join the club. "I had heard of Zeman's methods in my region," Jankulovski said of his compatriot boss, Zeman. I had been preparing myself to suffer. After doing many kilometers of running in a few days, I am still in pieces. It's a different recipe than what I was used to."

In a 1–1 draw against Lecce on November 1, 2000, he made his debut for Napoli, starting the whole game. In a 2–1 loss to Vicenza, the team was unable to score his first goal for the club. la Repubblica praised his results after the match. Jankulovski did not play time after joining Napoli, but mainly from the reserve bench. In a 6–2 victory over Reggina on December 16, 2000, he scored his second goal for the club after coming on as a 75th-minute replacement. In an 0–0 draw against Perugia on March 18, 2001, Jankulovski received a straight red card in the 89th minute, having appeared as a 70th-minute replacement. He scored on his return after being suspended for one match against Bari on April 14, 2001, after coming on as an 83rd-minute replacement. However, Jankulovski was unable to help the team prevent relegation to Serie B from a job in Serie B. He made 20 appearances and scoring once in all competitions at the end of the 2000–01 season.

Despite the club's relegation, Jankulovski had been expected to remain at Napoli ahead of the 2001–02 season. In a 2–1 loss against Siena on August 12, 2001, he scored his first goal of the season. Jankulovski recovered his first-team spot after the 2001–02 season, playing either left midfield or central midfield. He was playing left-back by December and was still playing left-back. In the next two matches against Cosenza and Pistoye between 9 December 2001 and December 2001, Jankulovski scored two goals. In a 1–1 draw against Cagliari on February 24, 2002, after missing two matches due to injuries, he scored his return. Jankulovski scored two more goals against Palermo and Siena in 2001-02. Despite being injured throughout the 2001–02 season, he went on to make 33 appearances in all sports, scoring six times.

Jankulovski joined Udinese in a €3.5 million contract and was loaned back to Napoli on February 1, 2002. He had been linked to West Ham United's Premier League move.

In a 1-1 draw against Parma in the season's first game, Jankulovski made his debut for the team, starting as a 58th-minute replacement. Since joining Udinese, he quickly became a first-team regular, shifting in left-back or midfield for the next five games. Jankulovski returned to the first team after being sidelined for a month in a 2–1 win over Empoli on December 8, 2002. He continued to help Udinese keep three clean sheets between 18 December 2002 and January 2003. Despite being sidelined from the 2002–03 season, Jankulovski continued to play either left-back or in midfield, winning his first-team spot. In a 3–2 loss to Parma on February 2, 2003, he scored his first goal for the club. In a 2–1 win over Piacenza, Ryan scored his second goal of the season. In a 3–2 victory over Como on April 19, 2003, Jankulovski scored his third goal of the season. In two matches against Perugia and Lazio in the remaining two matches of the 2002–03 season, he scored two goals in two matches. In all competitions, Jankulovski made 29 appearances and scored five times during the 2002–03 season.

Jankulovski's performances at Serie A during the 2003-2004 season attracted attention from clubs across Serie A, but he ended up staying at Udinese. Jankulovski's first-team appearance in the first 12 matches of the season saw him bounce back to his first-team position, whether left-back or in midfield. He appeared on both legs of the UEFA Cup's first round against Austria Salzburg, who lost 3–2 on aggregate. In a 4–1 loss to Juventus on November 9, 2003, Jankulovski scored his first goal of the season. As Udinese defeated Bologna 4–0 aggregate, he scored in both legs of the Coppa Italia last 16 against Bologna. In a 1–1 draw against Roma on January 25, Jankulovski's fourth goal of the season came on the 25th January 2004. In February, he scored two more goals against Bologna and Ancona. In May, Jankulovski scored two more goals, helping the team qualify for the UEFA Cup next season. Despite missing two games during the 2003-2004 season, the player went on to make 38 appearances and scoring eight times in all competitions.

Jankulovski was tagged in the summer of 2004 with a transfer to Juventus and CSKA Moscow. He ended up staying at Udinese after denying a transfer to CSKA Moscow and instead opting to join another Serie A club. Jankulovski played in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first round on September 16, 2004, but after missing the opening game of the season due to injury, the game was delayed until the end. In a 4–0 loss against Parma three days later, he scored his first goal of the season on September 19th. However, Jankulovski was fined a single point for unsportsmanlike conduct in the 80th minute, a week later against Brescia on September 26, 2004. He received another red card for his unsportsmanlike behavior in the UEFA Cup first round on September 30, 2004, but the club lost 1–0 after a 3–2 loss on aggregate. Jankulovski recalled from a one-match suspension against Inter Milan on October 17, 2004, when Udinese lost 3-1. He signed a three-day deal with the club on October 20, 2004, extending his deal until June 2008. Following his release from suspension, Jankulovski regained his first-team spot, playing at both right midfield and left midfield. In a 4-3 victory over Lecce on Saturday, he scored twice, scoring an equalizer and converting the penalty to score the game's winning goal. Jankulovski scored an own goal in a 3–1 loss in a match against AC Milan on January 16, 2005. In a 3–0 victory over Chievo on February 2, 2005, he made amends for his mistakes by scoring his fourth goal of the season. Jankulovski returned to the starting lineup against Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, kicking up one of the goals in a 4–1 victory. Udinese defeated Udinese 5–4 on aggregate. He regained his first squad spot after this, leading off the club's first seven games. This went on until Jankulovski sustained an ankle injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2004–05 season. He made 37 appearances and scored four times in all competitions from 2004-2005.

Jankulovski was announced as an AC Milan player in June 2005 after signing for an undisclosed sum from Udinese. Since December 2004, the club has been keen on signing the player.

However, he could not return to action right away due to a fractured ankle injury two months earlier and missed the club's pre-season tour. However, Jankulovski returned to Milan and made his Milan debut in a 1-1 draw against Ascoli in the season's first game. He suffered another injury that required him to miss a month. In a 2–0 win over Cagliari on October 16, 2005, Jankulovski returned to the first team from injury, replacing him as a 78th-minute substitute. In a 2–1 victory over Palermo, Filippo Inzaghi made his first appearance for the team and set up a winning goal. In a 1–0 victory over PSV Eindhoven on November 1, 2005, he made his UEFA Champions League debut as a second-half replacement. Following his return from injury, Jankulovski found himself in and out of the starting lineup, due to the competitions he faced. In a 3–1 victory over Messina on April 22, 2006, he scored his first goal for Milan. In a 2–0 victory over Livorno, Inzaghi scored another goal, which was followed by his victory in Inzaghi's 2–0 victory over Livorno. Jankulovski made 28 appearances and scoring once in all competitions during the 2005–06 season.

Jankulovski's future at Milan was in doubt going into the 2006-07 season due to a lack of first team opportunities. However, he made it clear that he intends to remain at the club. Jankulovski began the season strong in 2006, assisting the club in keeping six straight clean sheets between the 13th and the first October 2006. In a 1–0 victory over Ascoli on 20 September 20, Jankulovski scored his first goal of the season, scoring the game's first goal. In a 1–0 victory over Chievo on October 25, he scored his second goal of the season, assassinating his sole goal of the game. Jankulovski made a name for himself at left-back during the 2006–07 season. He made Milan's best players from the start of his move with Massimo Oddo, and the team's best players were heavily relied upon when the club ran out of traditional wingers. In a 2–1 victory over Livorno on Tuesday, Jankulovski scored from 25 yards, which turns out to be a winning goal. He signed a new deal with Milan less than a year ago, and he will remain with the Milan team until 2011. Jankulovski helped the club maintain three clean sheets between April 28th, 2007-May 6, 2007, including a 3–0 victory over Manchester United in the club's second leg of the UEFA Champions League that brought the team to the final. He played for left-back in the final of the UEFA Champions League against Liverpool on May 23, 2007 starting at left-back and contributing to Milan's 2–1 victory. "I can't even describe how I feel after the match," Jankulovski said. It's stunning. You could say it was random, but we suspected we could do it anyway. It helped us, we were ahead of the half and we knew Liverpool had to open the game. This was confirmed, and we've now scored our second goal. They were also better in the first half. I wasn't on the team at the time, but the memories are still vivid. We've got it now, which is thankfully." "The crooked aspects of a Milan that travel under the radar are all his," La Repubblica said of his result. On the left wing, Bentez made an uncomfortable saucer for him, with Pennant walking and looking for comparison. Despite being sidelined on five occasions during the 2006–07 season, Jankulovski made fifty appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.

Jankulovski scored his second goal of Milan's victory with a volley following Andrea Pirlo's departure at the start of the 2007–08 season. In the first two months to the season, he regained his first-team position after being left-back. Following a 1–0 loss to Empoli on October 21, 2007, Jankulovski sustained a knee injury and was expected to miss anywhere between two and six months. He recovered from injury and made his return to the first team against Urawa Red Diamonds in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals in early December and helped the club keep a clean sheet to win 1–0 to advance to the final. Milan beat Boca Juniors 4–2 on December 16, 2007, despite being an unused replacement. However, Jankulovski's recovery was short-lived after he sustained a knee injury that kept him out for two months. In a 1–0 victory, he returned to the first team from injury against Siena on February tenaciously and started the whole game to keep the team clean. Despite suffering further injuries in the 2007–08 season, Jankulovski continued to be active in the first team. He made nineteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions at the end of the 2007–08 season. Following this, Jankulovski was named the 2007 Czech Player of the Year on May 28, 2008, with Petr ech coming in second place.

Jankulovski regained his first-team spot by playing left-back at the start of the 2008–09 season. In a 3–1 victory over FC Zürich on September 18, he scored his first goal of the season. In a 4–1 victory over Lazio on September 21, 2008, Jankulovski scored one of the goals three days later. He continued to help Milan maintain four clean sheets between September 28th and October 28, 2008. Jankulovski then helped the team maintain three clean sheets between the 22 March 2009 and the 11th of April 2009. Despite missing three games in the 2008–09 season, he went on to make 38 appearances in all competitions, scoring once. Following this, Jankulovski underwent an ankle reconstruction and recovered from his injury.

Jankulovski was a first-team regular for Milan in the team's first six games of the season, beginning at left-back in the team's first six matches of the season. However, he was kicked from the first squad and was demoted to the substitute bench as Luca Antonini took over the left-back position. However, Jankulovski sustained an ankle injury that kept him out for the remainder of the year. In a 5–2 victory over Genoa on January 6, 2010, he made his return to the first squad as a 76th-minute replacement. Milan were reported to have sold Jankulovski to Inter in exchange for Mancini during the winter transfer period due to a lack of first team opportunities. However, he refused to move to Milan's bitter rivals and later stated that betraying Milan was not an option, "I didn't give it a thought." He made five starts in the 2009–10 season after this. Despite being forced to miss more in the 2009-10 season, Jankulovski went on to make sixteen appearances in all competitions.

Despite being expected to be late to the pecking order, Jankulovski said he wanted to stay in Milan ahead of the 2011–11 season. Due to injuries, Jankulovski remained on the sidelines for the first four months of the season, and Antonini remained as the club's first-choice left-back. In a 3–1 victory over Palermo on November 10, 2010, he made his first appearance of the season, coming as a late replacement. However, Jankulovski's recovery was short-lived after he sustained another injury that kept him out for two months. In a 2–1 victory over Sampdoria in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, he made his first appearance in two months on January 26, 2011. Jankulovski declared that he planned to leave Milan at the end of the 2010–11 season and return to the Czech Republic to close his career four days later. Following Antonini's departure, Jankulovski made three starts for the club, playing at left-back. On 17 March 11, 2011, Jankulovski sustained a knee injury and was suspended in the 17th minute, when Milan lost 1–0. He had surgery on his knee prior to the game, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2010–11 season. Despite this, Jankulovski was a member of the Milan team that won the Serie A title for the first time since the 2003–04 season. He made eight appearances in all competitions following the 2010–11 season.

Jankulovski played football in the Czech Republic for the first time since leaving Bank Ostrava for Italy 11 years ago. On four separate interviews about returning to his hometown team one day, he said.

On October 15, 2011, he made his first appearance in 111 years against Hradec Králové, but he only played eight minutes after coming on as a replacement before suffering a knee injury and leaving the field in what was his last professional football match. Jankulovski resigned on February 20, 2012, owing to his inability to recover from his knee injury. He was invited to a farewell match arranged by the club a year ago and played in the tournament.

International career

Jankulovski travelled from the Czech Republic to the United Nations 2121 party. In a 2–1 victory over Mexico on 8 February 2000, he made his senior team debut in his first game, starting the entire game. Jankulovski was recalled in the squad for UEFA Euro 2000 in June 2000. In a 2–1 loss, he made his debut in the tournament against France on June 16, 2000, ending as a 62nd-minute substitute for Tomá Rosicky, resulting in the Czech Republic's withdrawal from the tournament. On June 20, 2000, Jankulovski made his second appearance in the tournament against Denmark, beginning as a 61st-minute replacement in a 2–0 victory.

Jankulovski made his first appearance for the national team in a 1–0 loss against Slovenia on August 16, 2000, after the conclusion of the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament. He was called up to the Czech Republic Olympics squad in the 2000 Summer Olympics a month later. In a 2–2 draw against the United States on September 13, 2000, Jankulovski scored in the tournament for the second time in the tournament. He appeared in the tournament twice before, as the Czech Republic was barred from the group stage. In a 3–1 loss to Iceland on September 1, 2001, Jankulovski scored his first goal for the national team. In a 3–2 victory over Malta, the Czech Republic's second goal was scored for his second goal. He then played in both legs of play-offs against Belgium after the national team lost 2–0 on aggragate.

Jankulovski helped the Czech Republic keep three straight clean sheets between March 27 and May 2002, despite failing to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In a 2–0 win over Moldova on October 12, 2002, he scored his third goal for the Czech Republic. In a 4–0 victory over Austria on 2 April 2003, Jankulovski scored his fourth goal for the national team. He was called up to the squad for UEFA Euro 2004 in June 2004. Jankulovski was the Czech Republic's first-choice left-back, and he helped the national team advance to the quarter-finals and the group stage. Nonetheless, he helped the Czech Republic secure third place in the tournament after losing 1–0 against Greece on 1 July 2004.

Jankulovski continued to keep four straight clean sheets between the national team and Belgium from September 9-10, 2005, following the conclusion of the UEFA Euro tournament. In a 4–0 victory over Andorra a month later, he scored his seventh goal for the Czech Republic. As the national team defeated Norway 2–0 to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, Jankulovski then played against Norway in both legs of play-offs. He was named in the Czech Republic squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in May 2006. Jankulovski continued to help the national team maintain four straight clean sheets between May 26, 2006 and June 6, 2006, including scoring once against Saudi Arabia and then against the United States in the first match of the group stage. In the upcoming two matches, Jankulovski was the Czech Republic's first-choice left-back, when the team was eliminated in the group stage.

Jankulovski continued to be the Czech Republic's first-choice left-back throughout UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, despite the World Cup's conclusion. He then scored two goals in two games against San Marino and Republic of Ireland between August 8th and September 2007. After defeating Germany on October 17th, the Czech Republic qualified for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying round. It was announced on May 14 that Jakulovski would be selected in the Czech Republic squad for UEFA Euro 2008, which will be held in the Czech Republic squad. He was the team's first-choice left-back through the tournament and played in all three games as the Czech Republic was eliminated in the group stage.

Jakulovski had a change of mind about retiring after UEFA Euro 2008, having previously speculated about ending his international career after this tournament. On August 11, he was called up to the national team. In a 2–2 draw against England nine days later, Jakulovski scored his twelfth goal for the Czech Republic. He then began to be the team's first-choice left-back for the next two years. In a 2–1 loss to Slovakia on April 1, 2009, Jakulovski scored his third goal for the Czech Republic. However, the national team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and the player announced his retirement from international football just after. During a nine-year international career, he earned 77 caps for the Czech Republic, scoring 12 goals in a nine-year international career.

Post playing career

Bank Ostrava announced Jankulovski as their consultant shortly after announcing his retirement from professional football. He also served as a pundit for the UEFA Champions League coverage.

Jankulovski was appointed as the club's sporting director on June 18, 2018 after expressing an interest in working for Bank Ostrava. He resigned as the club's sports director after two seasons in Bank Ostrava on July 13.

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