Milan Baroš Farewell Match: Date, Guests & Career Highlights

Milan Baroš, the celebrated Czech footballer and a key member of Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League-winning team, will officially retire from professional play with a farewell match in Ostrava on September 26th, his longtime club Baník Ostrava announced Monday.

The match, to be held at the Městský stadion in Vítkovice, will serve as a tribute to Baroš’s illustrious career, which spanned over two decades and included stints at several prominent European clubs. Baroš stated, “I’ve had this in my head for years, since the end of my career. I wasn’t able to say goodbye as I wanted due to Covid restrictions. Now I can,” according to a statement released by Baník Ostrava.

Organizers have invited a host of Baroš’s former teammates to participate in the celebratory match. Confirmed attendees include former Liverpool teammates Steven Gerrard, Emile Heskey, and Djibril Cissé, as well as Jerzy Dudek. Additional invitees from across Baroš’s career include Emmanuel Eboué, Czech national team colleagues Jan Koller, Tomáš Rosický, Petr Čech, Karel Poborský, and Vladimír Šmicer.

Baroš concluded his professional career in 2020, returning to Baník Ostrava for a fourth spell after battling Achilles tendon problems. He is the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the Czech national team with 41 goals, trailing only Jan Koller. He notably finished as the top scorer at the 2004 UEFA European Championship with five goals.

Beyond his success with Liverpool, Baroš also secured league titles with Lyon in France’s Ligue 1 (2007) and Galatasaray in Turkey’s Süper Lig (2012), and the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008. He also played for Aston Villa, Antalyaspor, Mladá Boleslav, and Slovan Liberec throughout his career.

Tickets for the farewell match will proceed on sale Tuesday at 8:00 AM local time through the Ticketlive network, according to a post on Baník Ostrava’s official Twitter account.