West Ham United are mourning the loss of Ludek Miklosko, the towering Czech goalkeeper who became one of the club's most cherished figures, following his death at the age of 64 after a battle with cancer.
Miklosko was diagnosed with cancer in 2021 and announced in December last year that he had decided to stop treatment. Days later, he made an emotional return to the London Stadium for a Premier League match against Liverpool, where he received a rousing ovation from supporters who never stopped singing his name long after his playing days ended.
Born in Prostejov, Czechoslovakia, Miklosko arrived in English football in February 1990 when he signed for West Ham from Banik Ostrava for around £300,000. He became the first player to move from Czechoslovakia to England following the collapse of communism, a journey that was far from smooth. He waited two months for a work permit, training alone in the meantime, and then-manager Lou Macari, who had travelled to Prague to complete the deal, resigned the day after Miklosko's arrival without ever seeing him play. Billy Bonds took charge instead, and the goalkeeper settled in with help from team-mates Ian Bishop and Trevor Morley, who ferried him to and from training while he found his feet in a new country with barely any English and no car.
Despite the unusual start, Miklosko quickly became first-choice keeper and a firm favourite among the Boleyn Ground faithful. He was named West Ham's Hammer of the Year as the club won promotion to the top flight in 1991, and went on to make 373 appearances over eight years, helping the team reach both FA Cup and League Cup semi-finals along the way.
His most iconic performance came on the final day of the 1994-95 season, when his heroics against Manchester United denied the Red Devils a third straight league title. West Ham held United to a 1-1 draw, with Miklosko repelling efforts from Mark Hughes, Lee Sharpe and Andy Cole, in what United manager Alex Ferguson later called a