MY LIFE, PART 59: Either you talk to Vrabec, or you go home

It didn’t take long and I was indeed directing Béda Vrabec. For the first time ever.

We were returning from a training camp in Germany, tired as oxen after a full day’s work in the fields. Barely alive, all we wanted to do was go to bed. But there was one more stop to make, a game against Most in preparation for the league.

My legs were shaking with exhaustion, I couldn’t even keep standing, much less run. And then came a moment when the determined opponent decided to attack from the right, with a vicious pass that went over our defenders’ heads. Béda was playing centre-back and underestimated the situation a little bit. I saw it well and knew exactly where the mistake was, because I had the best view from the goal-line. But I didn’t dare shout at Béda Vrabec. Mr Vrabec, who won six league titles with Sparta and I would cheer on him in front of the TV? No way.

I just shot him an innocent look, I felt too embarrassed to say anything. But his reaction shocked me, I can still hear his words.

He was still trying to catch his breath, but he didn’t wait: “Hey, dude, if you’re afraid to shout at me, you can just pack your things and go home!”

He gave me a dressing-down like no other. Nobody has ever scolded me like that, or that’s how it felt. I was embarrassed, but at the same time I felt completely awake, as if we were back at Žinkovy and it was him making the rounds to wake people up, hammering his fist on my door: “Wake up, Petr! Time to get up!”

And wake up I did. I understood that on the pitch, I am the master, and I can shout at anyone from the goal-line if I see a mistake being made.

Not that I can – I MUST!

When I see someone making a mistake, I shout, give advice, help my teammates solve the problem. Even if it means shouting orders at Béda Vrabec himself.

Béda Vrabec was a great motivation for us youngsters. Just watching him during practice one learned a lot. You could see the experience, the maturity emanating from his actions. He wasn’t stuck-up; he behaved more like a friend and protector. And so did Günter Bittengel.

What, you don’t know who Günter Bittengel is? I’ll tell you more about him (and not only him) in the next chapter.