40 Facts About Patrik Berger

Patrik Berger started his career in his own country with Slavia Prague and spent a season in Germany playing for Borussia Dortmund.

Patrik Berger moved to England in 1996, where he spent seven years with Liverpool, winning four trophies in his time there.

Patrik Berger spent the last two years of his career back in his native Czech Republic playing for Sparta Prague.

Internationally, Berger played in two major tournaments for the Czech Republic.

Patrik Berger played an important part in his nation's Euro 1996 campaign, scoring in the final as the Czech Republic finished runners-up to Germany.

Patrik Berger took a 17-month break from the national team between 1997 and 1998 after a dispute with manager Dusan Uhrin, returning to the setup following Uhrin's departure from the post.

Patrik Berger retired from the national team in 2002 at the age of 28 with a total of 44 senior international caps and 18 goals.

Capable of occupying midfield and forward positions, Patrik Berger became noted for his powerful strikes, surging runs, and strong left foot.

Patrik Berger was beset with injuries throughout his career and received specialist treatment in the United States.

Patrik Berger retired on 6 January 2010 due to knee injuries.

Patrik Berger married wife Jaroslava, and has two children, son Patrik and daughter Valentynka.

Patrik Berger gained a British passport in 2001 after having spent five years playing club football in England.

Patrik Berger began his footballing career as a youth player at Sparta Prague in 1989, securing a professional contract two years later with rivals Slavia Prague.

Patrik Berger scored four goals for Dortmund in the German top-flight.

Liverpool's interest in Patrik Berger was stimulated by the performances of the Czech Republic during Euro 1996, organised in England, where he scored a penalty in the final.

Patrik Berger was linked with a move away from Liverpool in May 1998, with Italian club Roma, the manager of which was his countryman Zdenek Zeman, and Portuguese club Benfica both mentioned as possible destinations.

Patrik Berger appeared in the 2001 FA Charity Shield, coming on as a substitute as Liverpool won the competition.

Patrik Berger then underwent knee surgery in August 2001, ruling him out of the 2001 UEFA Super Cup.

Patrik Berger had been confined to the bench for the duration of his final season when selected, limiting him to four appearances.

Patrik Berger left Liverpool, having scored 35 goals during his seven seasons with the club.

Patrik Berger scored the winning goal in Portsmouth's victory over his former club Liverpool in October 2003.

Patrik Berger underwent an operation upon his knee in February 2004, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.

Patrik Berger was one of a number of players including Steve Stone and Shaka Hislop whose contracts were due to expire in the summer.

In spite of Portsmouth having retained their Premier League status, Patrik Berger then joined Aston Villa on a two-year deal, citing manager David O'Leary as the main reason for choosing Villa.

Patrik Berger was hampered by injury during his early Villa career, making few league appearances.

Patrik Berger scored again on 5 May 2007 in the penultimate match of the season against Sheffield United.

On 28 May 2007, Patrik Berger agreed to sign a one-year contract extension with Aston Villa.

Patrik Berger then suffered a recurrence of the same injury and was ruled out for a further period of time.

On 6 May 2008, Patrik Berger was told he had played his last match for Aston Villa after urging captain Gareth Barry to move to Liverpool.

Patrik Berger was the club's top league goal scorer with six goals.

Patrik Berger continued playing football on an amateur basis in August 2010 for sixth-tier Czech Republic club Dolni Chabry.

Patrik Berger represented the youth teams of Czechoslovakia from the under-15 level, working his way up through under-16, under-17 and under-18 between 1988 and 1991.

Patrik Berger was part of the Czech Republic team who took part in Euro 1996, but Martin Frydek was preferred to Patrik Berger in the starting lineup for the first match against Germany.

Between 1997 and 1998, Patrik Berger boycotted the Czech national team due to a conflict with head coach Dusan Uhrin.

Patrik Berger returned to the national set-up after a 17-month absence following the appointment of Jozef Chovanec as Uhrin's replacement.

Patrik Berger made a notable return to the national team, scoring two goals from free kicks in a qualification match against Estonia.

The next major international tournament Patrik Berger took part in was Euro 2000.

Patrik Berger announced his retirement from international football in March 2002 at the age of 28.

Patrik Berger played mainly as an attacking midfielder, being known as a winger.

Patrik Berger became noted for his powerful strikes, surging runs, and strong left foot.