Football icon Pavel Nedvěd takes charge of Czech national team
Juventus and Czechia legend Pavel Nedvěd has taken the wheel at the senior and U21 national teams in the role of general manager. The 2003 Ballon d’Or winner has accepted the Czech Football Federation’s offer, after leaving his most recent role as sporting director of Saudi club Al Shabab.
Pavel Nedvěd collected 91 caps for Czechia before hanging up his boots in 2009. After unanimous approval from the Football Federation’s executive board, he is now returning to join the backroom staff, and is optimistic about the direction of the national team project:
“I met with the Federation several times. Their attitude was very pleasant in that they had a clear vision for my role. It’s a role that I enjoy, that’s fulfilling, one in which I can contribute to Czech football, and I will do all I can to help.”
The appointment comes off the back of Czechia’s crushing 5:1 defeat to Croatia in the World Cup qualifiers. Stanislav Hrabě, chairman of the Football Federation’s History and Statistics office, says Nedvěd evokes “natural respect”, and could provide a boost to performance both on and off the pitch:
“He knows very well what happens in the locker room. He’s always been a leader, and was always able to keep the team around him in check. So even with his authority alone, he can lift the spirit of the national team.”
Hrabě notes that a football personality of Nedvěd’s stature is hard to come by, especially among the ranks of the Czech Football Federation. He also explains what exactly the task of the former Sparta Prague, Lazio Rome, and Juventus player will involve:
“The position is fairly clear-cut. He will lead the team in a managerial and organizational role, so that everything works as it should, and the players have the right conditions to perform. It’s an indispensable position in most football federations around the world.”
Nedvěd arrives with a wealth of managerial experience. Between 2015 and 2022, he served as vice-chairman of the board of directors at his former club, Italian giants Juventus. In 2022, the entire Juventus board resigned after the club was found to have committed capital gain violations.
Nedvěd himself was cleared of all charges in 2024. The same year, he joined Saudi club Al Shabab as he shrugged off the Czech Federation’s initial offer to become the national team’s general manager. A few months later, he came back on his decision. Previous general manager Tomáš Hübschman will continue working with Nedvěd, his former national teammate, in an alternate role.
Both will hope for a successful qualifying campaign of the national team to next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Czechia’s last appearance at a World Cup was in 2006, failing to qualify from the group stage. Nedvěd played all three games, even captaining the squad in a 2:0 loss to eventual World champions Italy.
In a decorated career, peaking with the 2003 Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best footballer, Nedvěd also became Czech player of the year on six occasions, and received the presidential Medal of Merit in 2015.
