Vratislav Greško

Infobox Football biography
playername = Vratislav Greško
fullname = Vratislav Greško
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1977|7|24
cityofbirth = Tajov
countryofbirth = Czechoslovakia
height = height|meters=1.83
position = Left Back
currentclub = Bayer 04 Leverkusen
clubnumber = 17
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1995–1997 1997–1999 1999–2000 2000–2002 2002 2003 2003–2006 2006–2007 2007–
clubs = FK Dukla Banská Bystrica FK Inter Bratislava Bayer 04 Leverkusen Internazionale Parma → Blackburn Rovers (loan) Blackburn Rovers 1. FC Nuremberg Bayer 04 Leverkusen
caps(goals) = 08 (0) 51 (5) 15 (0) 41 (0) 05 (0) 40 (2) 15 (1) 16 (0)
nationalyears = 2000–2007
nationalteam = Slovakia
nationalcaps(goals) = 34 (2)
pcupdate = March 14 2008
ntupdate = February 20 2008

Vratislav Greško (born July 24, 1977 in Tajov) is a Slovak football player who is currently playing for the German team Bayer 04 Leverkusen. His preferred position is left-back, although he has also been used as a left-sided midfielder or defender during his career. He is an attacking full-back widely known for his crossing.

Club career

Initially a player at Bayer Leverkusen for the start of the 2000-01 season, he moved to Internazionale, signed a four-year contract, but only stayed for eighteen months between November 2000 and July 2002, for whom he made 41 league appearances. He most famously made a mistake at last match of 2001-02 season.

Out of favour at his next club, Parma, he made just two full appearances during the 2002-03 season.

Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers manager Graeme Souness was looking for left-sided defensive cover. [cite web|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/profile?id=9434&cc=5739|title=Vratislav Gresko profile|publisher=ESPNsoccernet | accessdate = 2008-03-14] Gresko, who initially played on loan to Blackburn for four months (January-May 2003) was given a full contract in August.

During the 2004-05 campaign, he suffered cruciate ligament damage in December which led to him not playing for the rest of the season. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/4062795.stm|title=Gresko will seek specialist help |publisher=BBC Sport|date=2004-12-16 | accessdate = 2008-03-14] He then did not make a single appearance during the 2005-06 season, and was released when his contract expired in July.

In July 2007 he signed as a free agent with Bayer Leverkusen. [cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=556005.html|title=Greško Goes Back to Leverkusen|publisher=uefa.com|date=2007-06-27 | accessdate = 2008-03-14] He returned to the club after six years and signed a 2-year contract. [cite web|url=http://www.profutbal.sk/clanok50458.htm|title=Greško už aj zmluvne na dva roky v Leverkusene|language=Slovak|date=2007-07-04|publisher=profutbal.sk | accessdate = 2008-03-14]

International career

Greško has appeared 32 times for the Slovak national team, scoring 2 goals. [cite web | url = http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/slow-recintlp.html | title = Slovakia - Record International Players | accessdate = 2008-03-14 | date = 2008-03-06| work = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation] Scored his first goal in the A-team on May 14, 2002 in the friendly against Uzbekistan. [cite web|url=http://mesto.sk/prispevky_velke/presov/slovenskouzbekist1021398540.phtml|title=Slovensko - Uzbekistan 4:1 v medzištátnom zápase|publisher=presov.mesto.sk|date=2002-05-14|language=Slovak| accessdate = 2008-03-14]

References

External links

* [http://archivio.inter.it/cgi-bin/giocatori-scheda?codice=G0711&L=en Inter Archive]
* [http://www.national-football-teams.com/php/spieler.php?id=6346 national-football-teams.com]
* [http://www.leverkusen.com/whoiswho/whoiswho.php4?view=Gresko_V Leverkusen who's who]