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 48 (9)
International career‡
2007–2008 Slovakia U21 11 (0)
2008– Slovakia 106 (13)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 March 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 March 2024

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[edit]

Early career[edit]

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. Czech manager Michal Bílek, coaching Ružomberok in 2008, recommended Kucka for Sparta Praha. In January 2009, he has signed a three-year contract for Sparta. In 2009–10 season he won the champions.

Genoa[edit]

On 6 January 2011, he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract for €3.55 million transfer fee[3] with Genoa (later extended one more year to 30 June 2016).[3][4] He made his debut in the Coppa Italia match against Inter Milan on 12 January 2011. He was voted man of the match by Genoa fans after 1–1 draw against AC Milan on 6 February 2011. 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.[5] He scored his first goal for Genoa in a 2–1 away win against Lazio Rome on 18 September 2011.

On 31 August 2011, the last day of transfer window, Inter Milan and Genoa came to an agreement to swap co-ownerships of Juraj Kucka (€8 million) and Emiliano Viviano (€5 million). In June 2012 Kucka returned to Genoa where he spent 2011–12 season on loan for just €6.5 million, co-currently Samuele Longo returned to Inter for €7 million.[6][7]

AC Milan[edit]

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

Trabzonspor[edit]

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] He became a third Slovak player to join Trabzonspor in 2016–17 period, after Matúš Bero and Ján Ďurica. The trio was later joined by left-back Tomáš Hubočan, on a loan from Olympique Marseille. By the start of 2018–19 season, Kucka was the only remaining Slovak in the team. In total, Kucka scored three goals in 38 competitive games for Trabzonspor.

Parma[edit]

Kucka returned to Italy on 14 January 2019, when he joined Parma. He commented 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]

He 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 were at the 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]

He 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]

Parma completed the season 14th with 41 points, three points above the relegation zone. Kucka scored a total of four goals, connecting one each against Genoa, Chievo Verona and Sampdoria.

Watford[edit]

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 win away against Everton. [19]

Slovan Bratislava[edit]

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 to be managed by Vladimír Weiss under whom Kucka debuted in the Slovak national team and participated in 2010 FIFA World Cup.[21]

International career[edit]

A former Slovakia under-21 player, Kucka made his senior international debut in a friendly match against Liechtenstein on 19 November 2008,[22] replacing Branislav Obžera in the 53rd minute.[23]

Slovakia manager Vladimír Weiss called him up for the 2010 World Cup despite the fact that Kucka had not played in any qualification matches. He played in three games at the World Cup: against New Zealand, Italy and the Netherlands.[citation needed]

Kucka was called up to the Slovakia squads for the Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 tournaments.[16]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

As of match played 30 May 2022[24]
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
Career total 396 52 22 1 16 3 1 0 435 56
  1. ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana

International[edit]

As of match played 8 September 2023[24]
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 5 1
Total 100 12
As of match played 17 June 2023
Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kucka goal.[24]
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 Anton Malatinský Stadium, 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 Anton Malatinský Stadium, 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

Honours[edit]

Sparta Prague[25]

AC Milan

Individual

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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. ^ a b Genoa CFC SpA Report and Accounts on 31 December 2011 (in Italian)
  4. ^ "Kucka definitívne hráčom Janova, podpísal 4,5-ročnú zmluvu" (in Slovak). profutbal. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Only Kakha Kaladze did better than him according to the Italian sports newspaper la Gazzetta dello Sport, see Filippo Grimaldi, Marcello Pirovano, Carrarmato Kucka: che affare
  6. ^ Genoa CFC SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2012 (in Italian)
  7. ^ FC Internazionale Milano SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2012 (in Italian)
  8. ^ "MILANELLO: ARRIVATO JURAJ KUCKA" (in Italian). A.C. Milan. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  9. ^ Genoa C.F.C. S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2015, PDF purchased from CCIAA (in Italian)
  10. ^ A.C. Milan S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2015, PDF purchased from CCIAA (in Italian)
  11. ^ "Signing Agreement" (Press release) (in Turkish). Trabzonspor. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017 – via Turkish Public Disclosure Platform (KAP).
  12. ^ "Results or Ending of Transfer Meetings" (Press release) (in Turkish). Trabzonspor. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017 – via KAP.
  13. ^ "VIDEO Kucka má za sebou vydarený debut: Parma zdolala Udinese". Športky.sk (in Slovak). 19 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  14. ^ LiveScore, SofaScore com. "Juventus Parma live score, video stream and H2H results - SofaScore". www.sofascore.com. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  15. ^ s, SPORT SK, s r o & Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia a (16 February 2019). "VIDEO: Juraj Kucka dal hlavou pekný gól, Piatek vybavil výhru AC Miláno". Šport.sk. Retrieved 9 June 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ a b "Juraj Kucka: Watford sign Slovakia midfielder from Parma". 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.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  19. ^ Oscroft, Tim (23 October 2021). "Everton 2–5 Watford". bbc.co.uk. 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". www.skslovan.com (in Slovak). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  22. ^ Janigová, Peťa (11 November 2008). "Juraj Kucka v nominácii na priateľský zápas proti Lichtenštajnsku". timeout.webnode.sk (in Slovak).
  23. ^ "Futbalisti porazili Lichtenštajnsko 4:0". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. 19 November 2008.
  24. ^ a b c Juraj Kucka at Soccerway
  25. ^ "Slovakia - J. Kucka - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway".
  26. ^ "Jedenastka sezony..." Fortuna liga. 21 May 2023.

External links[edit]

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