When Jan Laštůvka learned at the end of last season that Baník was no longer counting on him in goal, he was surprised. Even so, he remains at the Ostrava club, currently as an assistant for the youth coaching staff. But he hasn’t said a definitive “no” to a professional career either. He also enjoyed the summer season with Třinec hockey players at the Třinec Penalty King competition.
In Oldřichovice near Třinec, you caught the final of the local penalty competition on Wednesday. How did you enjoy it?
I arrived earlier and saw that mostly people were having a good time. The fans also saw the Třinec hockey players in action, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I went to take penalties after a few months of not being in goal at all, so the falls hurt, but that’s to be expected. It was the first time I participated in such an event.
Filip Maksič, a third-league football player from Třinec, became the penalty king, who converted all 18 of his penalties, but otherwise it was a player from lower competitions. Do you think you made them nervous with your arrival?
I think a little yes. I mainly dazzled them with my distinctive jersey, it was already getting quite dark. (laughter) There was probably some nervousness among the shooters, but some of them behaved coolly and cleaned it up to the sticks. It surprised me.
Some Třinec hockey players also took part in the event, after a football match against the fan club. However, none of them reached the finals against you.
Maybe I’m glad for that. I would still get a goal from one of them and they would eat me up. (laughter) But no, I met some of them, I watch hockey and I like it. I even go play sometimes.
In the video that went out as an invitation to the competition, you warned the shooters not to try the “doll” on you. That otherwise you will drive them off the field. Do the goalkeepers take it as a kind of humiliation?
We goalkeepers don’t like it very much. It’s a little cheesy, but if the players give it, why not. They just want to score, no matter what. In the goal, we also want to catch it with our hands, feet, navel, and head. It does not matter.
Let’s move on to your career. You left Baník as a goalkeeper after last season. Is coaching a new challenge for you now?
I will help with the education of young goalkeepers in the youth. I am happy that I can work for Baník and in this way give back to him that he once gave me a chance and that I could win the title with him. But I’m not drawing any other conclusions yet, I haven’t said a definite no to playing football yet.
Really? Did you have any Premier League offers in the summer?
Not from the first league. Now I let everything go through my head so that I don’t rush and then have to come back by accident. If I announce the end of winter, and there will be peace.
How did you take the end in Baník? At the end of this season, you also had a touching farewell before the match against Slovácko.
It was awfully fast and unexpected. Unfortunately, in football or even in life, you count on something, but something else comes your way. I’m happy with what the fans have prepared for me. They proved that they are the best in the country. I appreciate it immensely, even though we haven’t been giving them much joy lately. I hope they will continue to support the club through thick and thin.
The entry into the current season for Baník did not go well again, a week ago they managed to win at least for the first time against Hradec Králové.
There are a lot of new players, it’s always going around. Time, time, time. But nobody can give you that in sports, especially not in Ostrava. I was at the match with Hradec, I cheered. It can be a big boost. But nothing is won yet. Now Slavia away, two home games. It is necessary to master them.
They circle back to penalties. In your CV we can find Andrés Iniesta’s or Steven Gerrard’s penalty kicks saved. How do you value it?
I appreciate Iniesta more. I even made fun of it when someone teased me. I always referred him to YouTube to watch me take the Iniesta penalty. I was lucky in Shakhtar against Barcelona, in the Champions League. I kicked Gerrard’s penalty in the English league, but he knocked the ball into the net.
Champions League with Shakhtar, Premier League at Fulham. Are these the strongest moments of your career in retrospect?
It happened to me gradually. I was lucky to be able to play in Baník. We won the title when nobody expected it. In the 2003/04 season, Bazale was always sold out from the third round. Later, I got the chance to play in the Champions League, which I dreamed of. In retrospect, you can tell yourself if you could have done something better. But I wouldn’t change anything.
2023-08-19 09:00:44
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