Jan Koller, former Czech 11-a-side superstar joins the National Beach Soccer team
Competitveness never dies. As long as there is a will to play, and for a National team, every single professional athlete will tell you they would want nothing more than that, to compete. Jan Koller had that option and made the most of it over the weekend. He played in one of two friendly mathes that the Czech Republic played against Slovakia, he scored and his team won 5-2. Without him, the Czechs lost the second match 5-3.
Koller was instrumental in the success of the Czech National Football team early in his career but had retired from the sport and national spotlight for good in 2011. Or so he thought. The legendary striker was presented with an opportunity and knew he wanted to do it, in fact, he said, ?Of course when you hear the national anthem playing, you take everything more seriously. I am very happy that this was my first match and that we won.? He went on to say that he has always wanted to be playing sports and at the highest level possible.
The 6 foot 7 soccer star, who has always been known for his imposing build said, “I think I can better enjoy my stature in Beach Soccer.? That was certainly the case in the first match. It was a battle controlled by the Czech Republic but when a strike by Slovakia brought them back within 2 goals, Koller used his size and appropriate nickname of Dinosaur, to hammer home a header that put the Czechs up 4-1. The second friendly was very different as Slovakia used three players to score their five goals in the 5-3 win.
