Milan Baroš is an interesting player; he has a superb record for his country scoring 41 goals in 93 games, however most in his native Czech Republic would argue Jan Koller was a more important player for the Bohemian nation. This trend continues in his club career, during the 2005 Champions League final he was subbed off on the 85th minute for Djibril Cisse after Liverpool’s famous comeback was complete and Cisse would score a penalty in the shootout; writing his own name in Liverpool folklore despite being on for only 35 minutes.
That substitution can represent the 33 year-olds entire career; always a player that helped a team to glory but never to take part in it when glory came. Breaking into the first team of mid table Czech First division side FC Baník Ostrava goals came hard to come by, however after struggling in his first two years at Baníček he scored 11 goals in 15 games during the first half of the clubs 2001-02 campaign. After that glut of goals, the Czech news agency called him “the brightest star in Czech football”; enough for Liverpool to start sniffing around the young player. His move to Anfield was potentially scuppered by work permit issues, the former communist state was not a member of the EU yet which would have allowed for him to move without it. The work permit difficulties meant it took two months for Baroš to make his Liverpool debut away to Barcelona (oddly enough like Aaron Hughes). However, Baroš’s debut was less remarkable being on for just 16 minutes in a goalless draw.
Baroš made his mark in his Premier League debut, though scoring twice against Bolton Wanderers; a side that was notoriously tricky to break down under Sam Allardyce. Baros came on as a substitute during the 2003 Worthington Cup final, before being subbed himself a minute before the trophy went back to The Kop, once again being absent at the final whistle despite doing a solid job splitting The United defence. After early signs of brilliance in his first season Baros suffered a nasty ankle break, and all of a sudden it just stopped. Perhaps it was that injury that killed his potential at the tender age of 22, but Baros went from the first choice to partnering Michael Owen; to struggling to get into a team whose attacking line-up consisted of Emile Heskey, El Hajj Diouf and Florent Sinama Pongolle. Although when Rafa Benitez took the helm a new lease of life was found for the forward as a Champions League specialist. Milan missed just 1 game in Liverpool’s entire Champions League campaign, yet his two goals were scored in ties were the outcomes were already determined. Nonetheless, he remained a crucial player for Liverpool right up to his substitution in the final.
Villa Move
After the miracle of Istanbul the writing started to look on the wall for Baroš’s time at Liverpool; he only played two games in his last season as Rafa’s Spanish acquisitions of Garcia and Morientes now firmly took his place; it’s after this season that Baroš’s time at The Villans began. When he signed for David O’Leary’s team there was great expectations on the number 10; his presence looked to bolster even further an attacking lineup that consisted of Juan Pablo Angel and Kevin Phillips. not to mention his fellow countryman Patrick Burger supplying killer balls for all three to get onto. The BBC quoted that: “for the first time in years Villa will have a front line that will score goals in abundance”. As we mentioned when looking back at Aaron Hughes last week, things didn’t turn out that way. However, Baroš was the solace in a disappointing season. It took him 10 minutes to score his first goal for his new club against Blackburn Rovers. The then 24-year-old almost single-handedly turned a potential Carling Cup shock against Wycombe Wanderers into our biggest win in 40 years. Perhaps the most clear memory of his time at us will be the infamous Boxing Day match at Goodison Park. It was a game where Baros became Mr.
Controversy after openly admitting to handling the ball before chipping Nigel Martyn to open the scoring, before giving the Everton fans a finger on the lips. Toffee frustrations brewed after Baroš provided a brilliant assist to Angel; before reaching boiling point when he scored his second goal and subsequently becoming a target for Everton missiles. His finest hour came in The Second City Derby though, first opening the scoring with a poacher’s goal Miroslav Klose would have been proud of; before rounding off the game with a well struck finish in the bottom left corner. Baroš two goals against the Blues secured our safety and confined them to relegation. It could be argued that it was his crowning achievement: but there’s no glory in surviving relegation.
Moving On
However, like at his time at Liverpool all of a sudden that talent just stopped. This time it was a managerial change, Martin O’Neill didn’t have as much patience as Hollier did selling him on to Lyon in January. The same trend applies there; Baroš joined the French champions and scored four goals in 12 games, however he was absent for Lyon lifting the cup after being suspended for an alleged racist gesture against Stéphane Mbia, and once again the talent just stopped. Baroš then moved on to Portsmouth were he helped the team to the FA cup final. Ironically this time it was Baros who came on in the last minutes of the game; it was one of the few occasions Baros lifted a trophy that he helped win.
But during the trophy parade he was mysteriously absent. This trend continues at his final club of note Galatasaray, once again he scored crucial goals, against Samsunspor he scored the winner to keep Gala’s eight-game winning streak alive, and scored against Manisaspor to essentially give the Istanbul club the league title; but once again that talent just…stopped. Baros would return to where it all began at FC Baník Ostrava with a return to Turkey in between. Milan Baroš is the mysterious stranger of modern football; if he was in Game of Thrones he would be in the Night’s Watch. He doesn’t take glory, doesn’t celebrate plaudits, takes no lands or titles. Rather, he just gets on with the game he loved playing. If he was a cricketer he would be Freddie Flintoff. Future generations will look at Baros and think what the fuss was all about, indeed 142 goals in 427 appearances isn’t legendary, nowadays it’s the bare minimum.
However, like Flintoff’s performances in an England shirt every one of those goals and every play he made was more important that the last. Without his contributions Liverpool wouldn’t have been “The Kings of Europe”, the Czech Republic would have crashed out in the group stages of Euro 2004 and most important of all we would have been playing Championship football.
