1. Early Life and Youth Career
Libor Sionko was born on 1 February 1977 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). His football journey began in his hometown, where he developed his skills within local youth systems.
1.1. Youth Career
Sionko started playing for the youth teams of TJ Vítkovice from 1984 to 1986. He then continued his youth development at Baník Ostrava from 1986 to 1993, laying the foundational skills for his future professional career.
2. Club Career
Sionko's professional club career began in the Czech Republic before he moved abroad to play in Austria, Scotland, and Denmark, eventually returning to his home country to conclude his playing days.
2.1. Czech League Career
Sionko began his professional career with FC Baník Ostrava, playing for the club from 1993 to 1994 and again from 1997 to 1999, with spells at TZ Třinec (1994-1996) and VTJ Znojmo (1996-1997) in between. In 1999, he signed with Sparta Prague, where he enjoyed significant success. During his initial tenure with Sparta Prague from 1999 to 2004, he played successfully in the Czech First League and made notable progress in the UEFA Champions League, advancing from the group stage twice in the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 seasons. He contributed to Sparta Prague winning the Czech First League title in 1999-2000, 2000-01, and 2002-03, and the Czech Cup in 2003-04.
2.2. Career Abroad
Sionko's career abroad began in February 2004 when he left Sparta Prague due to contract problems and joined Austrian club Grazer AK. He played a crucial role in helping Grazer AK achieve their first-ever Austrian championship in the 2003-04 season, and also contributed to their Austrian Cup victory in the same year.
Following this success, he moved to Austria Wien. He was a key player in their successful run in the 2004-05 UEFA Cup, where the Viennese side reached the quarter-finals. In the 2005-06 season, Sionko was part of the Austria Wien team that secured a domestic double, winning both the Austrian Football Bundesliga and the Austrian Cup.
On 16 May 2006, Sionko completed a Bosman transfer to Scottish club Rangers on a three-year contract. He scored on his Scottish Premiership debut against Motherwell on 30 July 2006 in a 2-1 victory for Rangers. Despite a promising start, frequent injuries meant he was used intermittently by manager Paul Le Guen. He re-established himself in the team in December 2006, scoring against Hibernian and Aberdeen, contributing to an improvement in Rangers' form after a poor start to the season. He made 24 appearances for Rangers in his first season.
In the summer of 2007, Sionko signed a two-year contract with Danish champions F.C. Copenhagen. His debut for the club came on 4 August, where he assisted the single goal in a 1-0 away victory against AGF. His first goal for the club was scored in his second match, which was also his home debut at Parken Stadium, contributing to a 5-2 victory over Esbjerg fB. After initially starting some matches from the bench, he returned to the lineup on 23 September for his first New Firm Derby against Brøndby IF, assisting the decisive goal in F.C. Copenhagen's 1-0 win. He subsequently scored twice in a Danish Cup match against FC Fredericia and once against Lyngby Boldklub, being named man of the match in both games. Sionko expressed his comfort in Copenhagen, calling it his second home. He was part of the F.C. Copenhagen team that won the Danish Superliga and the Danish Cup in the 2008-09 season.
2.3. Later Career and Retirement
By the autumn of 2009, Sionko was rarely used in F.C. Copenhagen's first team. In January 2010, he was released from his contract and subsequently signed with his former club, AC Sparta Prague. He signed a contract with the Czech club until June 2012. After his contract with Sparta Prague expired, Sionko was unable to find a new club and announced his retirement from professional football on 27 August 2012.
Overall, Libor Sionko made 343 club appearances, scoring 68 goals throughout his professional career.
3. International Career
Libor Sionko represented the Czech Republic at various youth levels, including Under 17, Under 18, Under 20, and Under 21, where he earned 19 caps and scored 7 goals. He also played in two unofficial friendly tournaments in May 1998.
3.1. Senior Team Debut and Activity
Sionko earned his first full cap for the Czech Republic national football team in a friendly match against Poland on 24 April 1999. He was capped 41 times by the Czech Republic national team, scoring 8 goals. For a significant period, he often served as a substitute due to the presence of Karel Poborský, who occupied his preferred position as a right winger. He played sporadically for the national team until 2010.
3.2. Major Tournament Appearances
Sionko participated in three major international tournaments for the Czech Republic.
3.2.1. 2000 Summer Olympics
Sionko played in all three group stage matches for the Czech Republic at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The Czech team drew with the United States and Camerron, but lost to Kuwait. As a result, they were eliminated at the group stage, finishing at the bottom of their group.
3.2.2. 2006 FIFA World Cup
Sionko was called up to the Czech national team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany as a replacement for the injured Vladimír Šmicer. He made his FIFA World Cup debut as a late substitute against Ghana on 17 June 2006, a match which Ghana won 2-0. The Czechs were ultimately knocked out in the group stage of the competition.
3.2.3. UEFA Euro 2008
Sionko was included in the Czech Republic squad for UEFA Euro 2008. On 11 June, he scored for the Czech Republic in their second group stage game against Portugal. After Deco opened the scoring for Portugal in the 8th minute, Sionko equalized in the 17th minute. However, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma added two more goals in the second half, leading to a 1-3 defeat for the Czechs. This result sent Portugal through to the quarter-finals. The Czech Republic then faced Turkey in their final group A match, a decisive encounter. Despite leading by two goals, the Czechs conceded three goals in the final 15 minutes of the match, losing 2-3 and finishing third in Group A, which led to their elimination from the tournament.
4. International Goals
Scores and results list the Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sionko goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2003 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice, Czech Republic | Canada | 4-0 | 5-1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 September 2006 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | Slovakia | 1-0 | 3-0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 3 | 2-0 | |||||
| 4 | 17 October 2007 | Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany | Germany | 1-0 | 3-0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 5 | 30 May 2008 | Letná, Prague, Czech Republic | Scotland | 1-0 | 3-1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 3-1 | |||||
| 7 | 11 June 2008 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland | Portugal | 1-1 | 1-3 | UEFA Euro 2008 |
| 8 | 15 October 2008 | Na Stínadlech, Teplice, Czech Republic | Slovenia | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying |
5. Honours
Libor Sionko achieved several team and individual honours throughout his professional career.
- Austrian Football Bundesliga
- Winner: 2003-04 (with Grazer AK), 2005-06 (with FK Austria Wien)
- Austrian Cup
- Winner: 2003-04 (with Grazer AK), 2004-05 (with FK Austria Wien), 2005-06 (with FK Austria Wien)
- Danish Superliga
- Winner: 2008-09 (with F.C. Copenhagen)
- Danish Cup
- Winner: 2008-09 (with F.C. Copenhagen)
- Czech First League
- Winner: 1999-2000 (with AC Sparta Prague), 2000-01 (with AC Sparta Prague), 2002-03 (with AC Sparta Prague)
- Czech Cup
- Winner: 2003-04 (with AC Sparta Prague)
- Individual
- FC Copenhagen Player of the Year: 2007-08