The Slovakian national football team, or The Falcons as they are sometimes called, are an interesting side to talk about, as there have been some brilliant Slovakian footballers over the years, and yet, the country has only made it to one World Cup since the dissolution of the Czechoslovakian football team.
Czechoslovakia made it to eight World Cups – coming second in two of them – and three European Championships – coming third twice and winning one. And so, when creating a list of the ten greatest Slovakian footballers, we had to include a few Slovakian stars who reached the pinnacle of their careers under the banner of Czechoslovakia – you’ve got to love geopolitics, right?
With that, here’s our list of arguably the ten greatest Slovakian footballers!
10 Martin Dubravka
Kicking off the list is Slovakia’s current number one goalkeeper, Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka. Now, it could’ve been Fulham’s Marek Rodak in here instead, as he was, for a while, claiming the number one spot in the national side, but since he lost the gloves at Fulham to Bernd Leno, Dubravka has become Slovakia’s number one.
In all, the Zilina-born shot-stopper has played for seven clubs – including a loan stint with the Magpies – with his most successful spell coming with the Magpies, where he has made 179 appearances. He was named Player of the Year at Newcastle for his contributions in the 2019/20 season.
At the international level, he has won 52 caps and looks to have – for now, anyway – cemented his place as the team’s number one.
9 Peter Pakarik
The second name on our list might be one unfamiliar to those who don’t watch much of the Bundesliga: Peter Pakarik. 38-year-old has had an incredibly long and successful career in the German top flight.
He made his way to the league via Wolfsburg in 2009 and played every game in the second half of the season, bar one, as the club won the first league title in their history. After another couple of years with the club, he would eventually join fellow Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, where he remained until his exit in 2024, 231 appearances and a second-division title later.
He has won 134 caps for the national side, playing in the 2010 World Cup and the European Championships in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
8 Martin Skrtel
Up next is someone many consider to be something of a Premier League cult hero, Martin Skrtel. The often intimidating centre-back has played for seven clubs across six countries in his career, but he will always be best remembered for his eight-year stint on Merseyside for Liverpool.
Skrtel joined the team in 2008 from Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg and ended up making 320 appearances for the Reds, scoring 18 goals and providing six assists in the process. His time with the club saw him win three Slovakian Footballer of the Year awards, one Liverpool Player of the Year award and one League Cup in 2012.
On the international scene, he was a vital member of the team that played at the 2010 World Cup and the one that made it to the 2016 European Championships. In all, he won 104 caps for his country and scored six goals.
7 Stanislav Lobotka
Another player who’s still playing, and if anything, is still firmly in his prime years at the age of 30, Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka. Before the club’s remarkable league title in 2022/23, Lobotka might’ve been a name relatively unfamiliar to many fans outside of Napoli, but not anymore.
The 5 foot 6 midfielder was a central pillar to the team’s hardworking and tenacious midfield, well and truly establishing himself as one of Europe’s premier central midfielders and following in the footsteps of national icon Marek Hamsik.
He has also won 67 caps for the national side, having made his debut just a few months after the country’s involvement at Euro 2016.
6 Milan Skriniar
The next name on the list has been one of the best defenders in Europe for over half a decade now and is showing no signs of slowing down, Milan Skriniar. Despite playing for three clubs beforehand, it was his time with Italian giants Inter Milan that truly caught Europe’s attention.
In total, he made 246 appearances for I Nerazzurri, scored 11 goals, provided five assists, and never once got a straight red card. During his time with the club, he won one Scudetto, two Italian Cups, two Italian Super Cups, and was voted Slovakian Footballer of the Year four times.
On the international scene, Skriniar has won 79 caps since his debut in 2016, while featuring at three major tournaments.
5 Marián Masný
Born on the 13th of August 1950 in the Slovakian village of Rybany, Marián Masný has to go down as one the country’s greatest ever footballers for both his exploits at international level and club level.
In all, he earned 81 caps for Czechoslovakia between 1974 and 1982, scoring 20 goals and playing a vital role in helping the side emerge from the 1976 European Championships as champions.
The team beat West Germany on penalties in the final after the match ended 2-2, with Masný stepping up first and scoring to set the tone.
Masný would spend the majority of his club career in his home country, ending up with two league titles and two national cups. He may have been at his best before a lot of fans were even watching the game, but he is still certainly deserving of a place on this list.
4 Peter Dubovsky
Peter Dubovsky was a player who could’ve gone on to further cement himself as one of Slovakia’s all-time greats were it not for his unfortunate death in 2000, aged just 28. The Bratislava-born forward was a real talent during his early years playing for Slovan Bratislava, and Real Madrid must’ve thought the same.
Los Blancos signed Dubovsky in 1993 off the back of his 59 goals in 94 appearances for the Slovakian side. However, while he wasn’t a flop in Madrid, nor was he a runaway success, after two years, he moved on to fellow La Liga side Real Oviedo, where he would make 120 appearances before his untimely death.
Alongside a club career many dream of, he was also excellent for the national team, earning 14 caps for Czechoslovakia and 33 for Slovakia. He was the country’s top scorer with 14 at the time of his passing and would remain so until it was broken in 2003 by Szilard Nemeth.
3 Jozef Adamec
Another of Slovakia’s greats from the past, Jozef Adamec, enjoyed an incredibly successful domestic career in his home country and shone for Czechoslovakia whenever he was called upon.
In all, Adamec won 44 caps for his homeland, scored 14 goals, and was part of the legendary side that finished as runners-up in the 1962 edition of the World Cup. Another of his greatest moments for the national side came in a friendly against Brazil in 1968, a friendly Czechoslovakia won 3-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Adamec.
On a domestic front, the Vrbove-born forward never left his homeland, moving between four clubs over a 22 year spell, winning seven league titles, three cups and one Mitropa Cup.
He may not be a name all that well known outside of Czechia or Slovakia, but Adamec was a genuine great of football in his time.
2 Jan Popluhar
The last of our old-school picks here and certainly one of the very best. Jan Popluhar was an extremely talented Slovak defender with a career spanning three decades from 1955 to 1979. While he spent the majority of that career in his homeland with sides like Slovan Bratislava, Ruda Hvezda Brno, and Zbrojovka Brno, he also enjoyed a fruitful two-season spell with French giants Lyon from 1969 to 1970.
He was also a vital member of the national side that made it to the 1958 and 1962 World Cups – finishing as runners-up on both occasions – and the 1960 European Championships, where they placed third.
He was named the UEFA Slovak Golden Player in 2003 and was named in the World Soccer World XI on three occasions: 1962, 1963, and 1968.
1 Marek Hamsik
Come on, who else was it really going to be in top spot? When you ask the modern football fan to name a Slovakian footballer, we would be willing to bet that the vast majority answer with the same name: Marek Hamsik.
Hamsik was undoubtedly one of Europe’s greatest cult heroes in the 2010s for how much he gave to Napoli, becoming both talisman and captain for the side during his 12-year stint with the Italians.
In all, he made 520 appearances for I Partenopei, scored 121 goals, provided 103 assists and even earned himself two red cards for good measure. He might’ve left Naples without a league title to his name, but he did help the club win two Italian Cups, an Italian Super Cup, and he played in the Champions League 36 times.
So intertwined is Hamsik with the Napoli of the 2000s and 2010s that former teammate and Chelsea player Dalla Bona likened the situation to Steven Gerrard and Liverpool, saying:
“He is a legend for Napoli. He is a big legend. He is like Steven Gerrard in Liverpool. He is parallel to Gerrard, he is a top player and a leader. I played against Gerrard and with Hamsik.
“He had offers but he never wanted to change clubs. Napoli became a very big team with him.”
It wasn’t just about club football for Hamsik, though, as he also holds the record for most caps for Slovakia – 138 – and the most goals – 26. He also played a crucial role in getting the national side to the 2010 World Cup, where he would be captain, and the 2016 and 2020 Euros, where he would remain captain.
Ultimately, Hamsik will go down as not just one of the greatest Slovakian footballers of all time but one of Europe’s best footballers of all time.
And there you have it, Slovakia’s top ten footballers of all time.
