He very quickly got to the top, to the Dukla championship team, in whose jersey he spent 13 seasons. Ján Geleta ranks among the greatest legends of Czechoslovak football, in 1967 he also became the king of domestic turf. “I became popular, but it also had a dark side. The frequent celebrations brought me to my knees and broke me mentally,” recalls the former great midfielder, who celebrates his 80th birthday today.
As a boy you aspired to be a blacksmith after your father, you trained as a shoemaker and finally dedicated your life to football. You probably didn’t imagine that yourself, did you?
Exactly, I just wanted to have fun with football, but apparently the referees had a different opinion. I took my first steps with a ball in Partizánské, became a professional athlete in Dukla and retired as a lieutenant colonel. However, I still want to emphasize that I have never made a science out of football. In the morning, Dad used to expel worms from the body of a pine tree, and I was also close to this life wisdom. Sometimes a valuable victory was celebrated until the morning, then it was straight to training, and coach Jaroslav Vejvoda immediately recognized my sleepless night. And so, more than once, instead of bonuses, I was left with only the joy of football.
Do you still remember your beginnings in Dukla?
This period cannot be forgotten. I came to Dukla at the time of its greatest glory. She reigned in the domestic league, formed the basis of the silver team from the World Cup in Chile and triumphed on memorable tours to America. So, logically, there was no place for me in this great team. However, at the Spartakiad tournament against Honvéd Budapest, the coach gave me an opportunity and I hope I passed the test. However, the path to “A” was very difficult, I wanted to leave, but the Duke reserve coach Bohumil Musil convinced me to stay.
When was the turn to your golden days?
Unexpectedly early. Already in the spring of 1964, I received a surprising invitation to the national team and was immediately lucky for two excellent matches – 0:0 in Florence with Italy and a 4:3 victory in Ludwigshafen over Germany. In addition, I was honored to be nominated for the European team against Scandinavia. In the fall, I brought home a silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics. We managed the most difficult match against the GDR in the semi-final 2:1, but we lacked better luck in the final against Hungary. However, even second place after a 1:2 defeat was of considerable value.
Ján Geleta (80)
– He was born on September 13, 1943 in Motešice, Slovakia.
– He came to Dukla in 1962. At first, he didn’t even fit into the basic lineup of its “B” team. Within a single year, however, he found his way not only to the then championship first team, in which he spent thirteen seasons, but also to the national team, whose shirt he wore in 19 matches. He ended his career in 1977 in Motorlet.
– Elected football king of Czechoslovakia in 1967.
You wore the Dukla jersey until 1975, i.e. 13 seasons. Which memories do you consider unforgettable?
There are many of them. My teammates were, for example, Masopust, Pluskal and Novák, legends of Czechoslovak football. In recent years, I also played with the regulars of the national team – Nehoda, Vízek, Štambacher and Gajdůšek. In 1964 and 1966, I celebrated championship titles at Juliska.
And in Europe?
Of the Champions Cup, the exceptional double-header with Borussia Dortmund in 1964 is worth mentioning. It was played on a frozen field in Eden, and we lost 0:4 in unsuitable shoes. A 3:1 victory on German soil was no longer enough for us to advance. The campaign of Dukla in the year 1966/1967 was wonderful. After victories over Anderlecht and Ajax Amsterdam, we were only eliminated in the semi-finals after the results of 1:3 and 0:0 by the later winner Celtic Glasgow.
What did it mean for you to win the Footballer of the Year 1967 poll?
It was of course very pleasant. After all, a number of excellent footballers were left behind, for example Viktor, Popluhár, Lála, Adamec, Kuna, Masopust and other football greats of the sixties. I became popular, but it also had a dark side. The frequent celebrations brought me to my knees and broke me mentally. Injuries were also reported during the violation of the rules of life.
Was there a financial reward for this primate?
No, but there were real prizes. I received a camera that I still have in a non-functional condition somewhere in the attic. And then a manual sewing machine, which my wife and I still use occasionally.
In the 1970s, Slovak clubs began to dominate Czechoslovak football, and Dukla, on the other hand, did not do very well. What was it?
Yes, I remember that in 1971 we finished thirteenth, in the relegation zone. The older players were leaving and the newcomers didn’t want to play against their parent clubs. The conditions in the civilian units have improved and they have even leapfrogged us financially. I still tried to do my best, but the years could not be stopped and I had to say goodbye to the yellow and red jersey.
Where did your next journey lead?
For two years I still helped the divisional Motorlet, trained students on Juliska and was also a constant of the old guard. I then had a fruit and vegetable shop in Prague for eight years. However, at the beginning of the new millennium, my life was greatly affected by the passed-on Lyme disease. I couldn’t walk, my legs were cramping, and I ended up in the hospital after an inflammation of the nervous system. A long-term but successful treatment took place. The blocked blood vessels in my right leg sent me to surgery even after that, but after this operation I felt like a young man again for many years.
As top athletes, you then had significantly worse conditions than today’s footballers…
Today’s football is about something completely different than the conditions under which we played it. As a representative in Dukla, I already had a monthly salary of 1,240 crowns and the bonus for winning a league match was 180 crowns. But the door to the world was not closed. I have been to Chile five times, Japan twice, I got to know life in Vietnam, Egypt, Hong Kong and Morocco, and the only European countries I was not in was the Soviet Union. However, I didn’t want to stay anywhere, I would miss home. In addition, life was not bad here either, although some things were quite difficult to obtain. However, we were financially secure and had various benefits. Worse was the busyness of time, so in this respect I made the family quite poor.
Today you live in Křivsoudov, twenty kilometers from Vlašimi in Central Bohemia. Are you happy here?
I was originally interested in our house for recreational purposes in 1971. After numerous modifications and repairs, my wife and I settled in it permanently in 2001. I retired as an official in the army with a salary of 8,000 crowns. However, I didn’t want to just rest and do nothing, so in a pleasant environment and on a nice playground, I contributed to the physical education of Křivsoudov children. It wasn’t just about football, it was more about versatility. I became a kind of gym teacher, but I didn’t know anyone, rather we all laughed often.
But you probably didn’t laugh much three years ago when you had heart surgery. Is it beating already?
Yes, I’m fine again.
You are surely still interested in elite football. What would you say to the address of Dukla and the representation?
Football is still the focus of my attention. As for Dukla, thanks to coach Petar Rada, her performance has improved and I would very much like her to return to the first league. Otherwise, I’m probably not the only one who expected more from the national team, especially in the last game against Albania. However, I don’t like the big talk that often accompanies his journey to the European Championship. After all, it is a sport, and in it, individuals and teams that were not counted on in the paper predictions are often successful. I believe that even after this stumble, Jarda Šilhavé’s men will fight their way to the championship.
2023-09-13 13:48:41
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