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Juraj Kucka

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Juraj Kucka
Kucka playing for Slovakia in 2014
Personal information
Full name Juraj Kucka[1]
Date of birth (1987-02-26) 26 February 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Bojnice, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Slovan Bratislava
Number 33
Youth career
2001–2002 Prievidza
2002–2004 Junior Radvaň
2004–2006 ŽP Šport Podbrezová
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 ŽP Šport Podbrezová 42 (3)
2007–2008 Ružomberok 48 (9)
2009–2011 Sparta Prague 45 (11)
2011–2015 Genoa 122 (9)
2015–2017 AC Milan 59 (4)
2017–2019 Trabzonspor 33 (3)
2019–2022 Parma 72 (17)
2021–2022 → Watford (loan) 26 (1)
2022– Slovan Bratislava 52 (9)
International career‡
2007–2008 Slovakia U21 11 (0)
2008– Slovakia 112 (14)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:30, 9 September 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:30, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

Juraj Kucka (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈjuraj ˈkutska]; born 26 February 1987), also known by his nickname Kuco (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈkutsɔ]), is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Slovak club Slovan Bratislava and the Slovakia national team.[2]

Club career

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Early career

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Kucka made his Corgoň Liga debut for Ružomberok on 11 March 2007. He played six games in his first season. Overall, Kucka played 49 games and scored eight goals for Ružomberok.[citation needed]

Czech manager Michal Bílek, who managed Ružomberok in 2008, recommended Kucka to sign for AC Sparta Prague. The footballer eventually signed a three-year contract for said club in January 2009. Kucka later scored a goal on his league debut against FC Vysočina Jihlava.[3]

Genoa

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On 6 January 2011, Kucka signed a four-and-a-half-year contract for €3.55 million transfer fee with Genoa, later extended one more year to 30 June 2016.[4] He made his debut in the Coppa Italia match against Inter Milan on 12 January 2011[5] before being voted man of the match by Genoa fans after a 1–1 draw against AC Milan on 6 February 2011.[citation needed] Kucka proved immediately to fit fine in the squad, showing a remarkable physical strength and good technical skills, resulting the second best player of Genoa.[6] He scored his first goal for Genoa in a 2–1 away victory against Lazio on 18 September 2011.[7]

AC Milan

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On 28 August 2015, Kucka was signed by AC Milan[8] for €3 million transfer fee. However, Milan also paid an unknown parties an additional €1 million. He made his league debut on 29 August 2015 in a 2–1 home victory against Empoli,[9] and scored his first Milan goal on 9 January 2016 to equalize against AS Roma in a 1–1 draw.[10]

Trabzonspor

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On 7 July 2017, Kucka was signed by Trabzonspor on a three-year contract worth €2.25 million a season,[11] for a transfer fee of €5 million.[12]

Parma

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Kucka joined Parma upon returning to Italy on 14 January 2019, stating that he intended to score more goals in Parma and improve from where he left off, when he left Italy a year and a half ago.[2]

Kucka debuted for Parma in his first opportunity, when he came on as a substitute for Alessandro Deiola in the 73rd minute of a Serie A away fixture against Udinese. Parma won the game 2–1 by goals of Roberto Inglese and Gervinho.[13]

In his third appearance for Parma, Kucka got his first two assists with the side. On 2 February, he assisted Barillà in the 64th minute and Ivorian international Gervinho in the 74th minute. Parma had managed to upset Juventus away, who was on top of the league table, by coming back from a two-goal margin twice to tie the game 3–3. Kucka played 86 minutes of the game.[14]

Kucka scored his first goal after the return to Italy in his fifth match, on 16 February 2019 against Cagliari after an assist from Massimo Gobbi, setting the score to 1–0 for Parma. However, two second-half goals by Leonardo Pavoletti meant Parma lost the game 2–1.[15]

Watford

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On 6 August 2021, it was announced that Kucka had signed for newly promoted Premier League club Watford.[16] Parma confirmed on the same day that the transfer is a season-long loan.[17] On 14 August 2021, he made his Watford debut in their league opener against Aston Villa, where Watford won 3–2.[18] He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–2 victory away against Everton. [19]

Slovan Bratislava

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Following Watford's relegation from the Premier League,[20] Kucka signed a two-year contract with reigning Slovak champions of the past four seasons Slovan Bratislava, where he was coached by Vladimír Weiss under whom Kucka debuted in the Slovak national team and participated in 2010 FIFA World Cup.[21] On 23 July 2022, Kucka marked his league debut with his first goal in a 4–0 victory against AS Trenčín.[22]

International career

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A former Slovakia under-21 player, Kucka made his senior international debut in a friendly match against Liechtenstein on 19 November 2008, replacing Branislav Obžera in the 53rd minute.[23] He scored his first international against Austria in 2011.[24]

Slovakia manager Vladimír Weiss called him up for the 2010 World Cup despite the fact that Kucka had not played in any qualification matches.[25] He played in all three group stage matches against New Zealand, Italy and the Netherlands.[26]

Kucka was called up to the Slovakia squads for the Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 tournaments.[16] In 2023, he played his 100th match during a UEFA Euro 2024 qualification against Portugal which saw the Slovaks losing 0—1.[27]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 21 April 2024[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ružomberok 2006–07 Slovak Super Liga 6 0 — — — 6 0
2007–08 Slovak Super Liga 24 5 — — — 24 5
2008–09 Slovak Super Liga 18 3 — — — 18 3
Total 48 8 — — — 48 8
Sparta Prague 2008–09 Czech First League 12 3 — — — 12 3
2009–10 Czech First League 20 5 2 0 5 1 — 27 6
2010–11 Czech First League 13 3 — 11 2 — 24 5
Total 45 11 2 0 16 3 — 63 14
Genoa 2010–11 Serie A 17 0 1 0 — — 18 0
2011–12 Serie A 26 2 1 0 — — 27 2
2012–13 Serie A 33 3 2 0 — — 35 3
2013–14 Serie A 11 2 1 0 — — 12 2
2014–15 Serie A 34 2 0 0 — — 34 2
2015–16 Serie A 1 0 0 0 — — 1 0
Total 122 9 5 0 — — 127 9
AC Milan 2015–16 Serie A 29 1 5 0 — — 34 1
2016–17 Serie A 30 3 2 1 — 1[a] 0 33 4
Total 59 4 7 1 — 1 0 67 5
Trabzonspor 2017–18 Süper Lig 25 3 3 0 — — 28 3
2018–19 Süper Lig 8 0 2 0 — — 10 0
Total 33 3 5 0 — — 38 3
Parma 2018–19 Serie A 18 4 0 0 — — 18 4
2019–20 Serie A 26 6 2 0 — — 28 6
2020–21 Serie A 28 7 0 0 — — 28 7
Total 72 17 2 0 — — 74 17
Watford (loan) 2021–22 Premier League 26 1 1 0 — — 27 1
Slovan Bratislava 2022–23 Slovak First League 28 6 7 0 15 2 — 50 8
2023–24 Slovak First League 23 3 2 0 14 2 — 39 5
Total 51 9 9 0 29 4 — 89 13
Career total 447 61 31 1 45 7 1 0 524 69
  1. ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana

International

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As of match played 8 September 2024[28]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Slovakia 2008 1 0
2009 4 0
2010 9 0
2011 6 1
2012 6 0
2013 9 1
2014 4 2
2015 6 0
2016 9 2
2017 3 0
2018 7 1
2019 8 2
2020 7 1
2021 11 0
2022 5 1
2023 9 2
2024 8 1
Total 112 14
Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kucka goal.[28]
List of international goals scored by Juraj Kucka
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 August 2011 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria 17  Austria 1–0 2–1 Friendly
2 15 November 2013 Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, Poland 35  Poland 1–0 2–0 Friendly
3 9 October 2014 Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia 37  Spain 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
4 15 November 2014 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia 39  Macedonia 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
5 29 May 2016 WWK Arena, Augsburg, Germany 46  Germany 3–1 3–1 Friendly
6 11 November 2016 Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia 54  Lithuania 2–0 4–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 16 November 2018 64  Ukraine 2–0 4–1 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B
8 11 June 2019 Bakcell Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan 67  Azerbaijan 2–0 5–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
9 10 October 2019 Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia 70  Wales 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
10 12 November 2020 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 77  Northern Ireland 1–0 2–1 (a.e.t.) UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
11 17 November 2022 City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro 95  Montenegro 2–0 2–2 Friendly
12 17 June 2023 Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland 98  Iceland 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
13 16 November 2023 Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia 103  Iceland 1–0 4–2 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
14 9 June 2024 Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia 107  Wales 1–0 4–0 Friendly

Honours

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Sparta Prague[28]

AC Milan

Individual

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Oficiálne: Juraj Kucka sa vracia do Serie A!". Šport7.sk (in Slovak). 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Plácnul si s Novotným a hned dal gól. Sparťan Kucka prožil povedený debut" [He played with Novotný and immediately scored a goal. Spartan Kucka had a successful debut]. Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech). Mafra. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Kucka definitívne hráčom Janova, podpísal 4,5-ročnú zmluvu". Profutbal (in Slovak). 6 January 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Genoa, ecco Kucka: "La Serie A? Non mi fa paura"". Sky Sport Italy (in Italian). 13 January 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Che affare il carrarmato Kucka L'uomo in più del nuovo Genoa". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011.
  7. ^ Harsányi, Ladislav (19 September 2011). "Kucka: Dostal som chuť na ďalšie góly". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Milanello: Arrivato Juraj Kucka". A.C. Milan (in Italian). 28 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Kucka absolvoval v AC Miláno víťaznú premiéru: Krásne emócie" [Kucka had a winning debut in AC Milan: Beautiful emotions]. Denník N (in Slovak). Petit Press. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Primo gol di Kucka con la maglia del Milan" [Kucka's first goal in AC Milan jersey]. Spazio Milan (in Italian). 9 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Signing Agreement". Trabzonspor (Press release) (in Turkish). 7 July 2017 – via Turkish Public Disclosure Platform.
  12. ^ "Results or Ending of Transfer Meetings". Trabzonspor (Press release) (in Turkish). 7 July 2017 – via KAP.
  13. ^ "Kucka má za sebou vydarený debut: Parma zdolala Udinese". Športky (in Slovak). 19 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Juventus Parma live score, video stream and H2H results". SofaScore. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Video: Juraj Kucka dal hlavou pekný gól, Piatek vybavil výhru AC Miláno". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). 16 February 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Juraj Kucka: Watford sign Slovakia midfielder from Parma". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 August 2021.
  17. ^ "Juraj Kucka loaned to Watford". Parma. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  18. ^ Thomason, Ellie (14 August 2021). "Watford 3–2 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  19. ^ Oscroft, Tim (23 October 2021). "Everton 2–5 Watford". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Watford and Hodgson relegated after Zaha gives Crystal Palace victory". The Guardian. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Slovan podpísal s Jurajom Kuckom dvojročný kontrakt". SK Slovan Bratislava (in Slovak). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Juraj Kucka strelil prvý gól za Slovan Bratislava". hetrik.sk (in Slovak). 23 July 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Futbalisti porazili Lichtenštajnsko 4–0". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. 19 November 2008.
  24. ^ Magáth, Tomáš (10 August 2011). "Slovensko vyhralo v Rakúsku 2–1". Šport Noviny (in Slovak). TV JOJ. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  25. ^ "MS 2010: Kucka verí, že sa dostane aj do užšieho kádra 23 hráčov". sport7.dnes24.sk (in Slovak). 12 May 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  26. ^ "MS 2010: Kucka: "Je to pre všetkých veľmi dobrá skúsenosť"". sport7.dnes24.sk (in Slovak). 28 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  27. ^ "36-ročný Juraj Kucka v reprezentácii? Veľavravná reakcia trénera Calzonu k dlhoročnej opore". WS (in Slovak). 11 September 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  28. ^ a b c d Juraj Kucka at Soccerway
  29. ^ "Jedenastka sezony..." Fortuna liga (in Slovak). 21 May 2023.
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