Antonín Panenka

Antonín Panenka (born 2 December 1948) is a Czech retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent most of his career at Czechoslovak club Bohemians Prague before having spells with various Austrian clubs including Rapid Wien. Panenka won UEFA Euro 1976 with Czechoslovakia and gained recognition for his winning penalty kick in the shoot-out of the final against West Germany, where he scored with a softly-chipped ball up the middle of the goal as the goalkeeper dived away. This style of penalty is now known as a panenka. In 1980, he won Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year and his team finished third at Euro 1980.

Club career
An attacking midfielder known for the quality of his passing and his free kicks, Panenka played for Bohemians Prague for most of his career, joining the club in 1967. He was named Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year in 1980. In 1981, Panenka left Bohemians for Austrian club Rapid Wien, where he won two Bundesliga titles and an Austrian Cup. In 1985, Rapid reached the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final; Panenka played as a substitute, but his side lost 3–1 to Everton. Later that year, Panenka moved to VSE St. Pölten and played two more seasons before moving into the lower leagues in Austria, playing from 1987 to 1989 for Slovan Vienna, from 1989 to 1991 for ASV Hohenau and from 1991 to 1993 for Kleinwiesendorf.

Panenka penalty
Panenka came to international prominence playing for Czechoslovakia at UEFA Euro 1976, where his country reached the final, facing West Germany. After extra time, the match finished 2–2, and so the first penalty shoot-out in a European Championship final ensued. The first seven kicks were converted until West Germany's fourth penalty taker, Uli Hoeneß, ballooned his shot over the bar. With the score 4–3, Panenka stepped up to take the fifth Czechoslovak penalty, to win the match under immense pressure. He feigned shooting to the side of the goal, causing German goalkeeper Sepp Maier to dive to his left, and then gently chipped the ball into the middle of the net. The sheer cheek of the goal led a watching French journalist to dub Panenka "a poet"; his winning kick is one of the most famous ever, making Panenka's name synonymous with that particular style of penalty kick.

Since 1976 there have been numerous attempts to emulate Panenka, both successfully and others unsuccessfully, at every level of the sporting pyramid across the world, including in critical match winning moments such as international cup finals.

Post-playing career
Following his career, Panenka worked as a president at former club Bohemians 1905. On 7 October 2020, the club confirmed that Panenka had been admitted to hospital and was in intensive care after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. By mid-October, Panenka's condition had improved and he was discharged to continue his recovery at home.

Honours
Rapid Wien
 * Austrian Bundesliga: 1981–82, 1982–83
 * Austrian Cup: 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85

Czechoslovakia
 * UEFA European Championship: 1976

Individual
 * UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1976
 * Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year: 1980
 * ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1980
 * European Cup Winners' Cup Top Scorer: 1984–85
 * Golden Foot Legends Award: 2014