Vladimír Weiss (footballer, born 1989)

1.1. Family background

Weiss is part of a unique footballing lineage, being a third-generation professional footballer. His father, also named Vladimír Weiss, earned 31 international caps for Slovakia and was the first manager to lead Slovakia to a FIFA World Cup finals. He currently manages ŠK Slovan Bratislava, where his son plays. Weiss's grandfather, also named Vladimír Weiss (1939-2018), played for the Czechoslovakia national team.

1.2. Youth career and early development

Weiss was a product of the Manchester City academy, where he was a key member of the team that won the 2008 FA Youth Cup. On 16 April 2008, he scored a free-kick in the second leg of the final against Chelsea, contributing to a 3-1 victory (4-2 on aggregate). His performances in the youth setup marked him as a promising talent.

2.1. Manchester City

Weiss made his first-team debut for Manchester City on 24 May 2009, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute for Stephen Ireland in the final game of the 2008-09 season, which was a 1-0 victory against Bolton Wanderers. On 19 August 2009, he played a full match against FC Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy, where his bold dribbling contributed to a 1-0 victory for Manchester City. After the match, manager Mark Hughes praised Weiss, stating he was the "best player" on the field. On 28 October 2009, he made a substitute appearance against Scunthorpe United in the Football League Cup and assisted a goal by Carlos Tevez. He scored his first senior goal on 2 December 2009, as a substitute in a 3-0 League Cup victory against Arsenal. On 17 December 2009, he signed a new contract, extending his stay with the club until 2012.

2.2. Pescara

On 2 August 2012, newly-promoted Serie A club Pescara announced the permanent signing of Weiss from Manchester City on a one-year contract with an option for a further year. He made his Serie A debut in a match against Inter Milan. On 26 September, he scored his first goal for Pescara in a 1-0 victory against Palermo.

2.3. Olympiacos

After rejecting multiple offers from clubs in Italy, Spain, England, and Russia, Weiss transferred to Greek champions Olympiacos on 28 June 2013, signing a three-year deal. He expressed his enthusiasm for joining, stating, "I chose Olympiacos because it's a great club with great history, their playing in the Champions League and I know they have Crazy fans! Fanatics with the team. I like to play in front of crazy fans because I'm a little crazy too. I also know that Olympiacos has lofty goals, and if I stay many years with the club, I want to win titles."

Weiss scored his first goal for Olympiacos on 1 September 2013 in a league match against Levadiakos. On 17 September 2013, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 4-1 home defeat against Paris Saint-Germain. This goal was voted by ESPN as the UEFA Champions League's best goal of Matchday 1, noted for his run past four defenders, including a nutmeg on Marquinhos, before scoring with a deflection. He also won the Super League Greece title with Olympiacos in the 2013-14 season.

2.4. Qatar

Weiss continued his career in the Qatar Stars League, playing for two different clubs.

2.5. Slovan Bratislava

After a goalless draw in a derby match against Spartak Trnava on 16 February 2020, Slovan Bratislava CEO Ivan Kmotrík announced that Weiss had joined the leading team of the Fortuna Liga. In the weeks prior, Weiss had been training with Železiarne Podbrezová in the 2. Liga to recover from a prolonged injury. The suspension of the Fortuna Liga due to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed Weiss to undergo a necessary surgery and participate in complete training sessions before the league's recommencement.

On 19 May 2021, Weiss scored the winning goal for Slovan Bratislava in the 2021 Slovak Cup Final, securing a second straight domestic double for the club, though he was subsequently sent off in the match. He has been a key player in Slovan Bratislava's domestic success, winning the Slovak First Football League in the 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 seasons, and the Slovak Cup in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

3.1. Senior debut and World Cup participation

Weiss debuted for Slovakia on 12 August 2009 in a 1-1 friendly draw against Iceland, replacing Róbert Vittek in the 63rd minute. He was included in Slovakia's 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. His father, Vladimír Weiss Sr., was the national team coach at the time.

Weiss played in three of his country's four games in South Africa, accumulating 270 minutes on the field. He impressed in the first match against New Zealand, a 1-1 draw. He also featured in the second group game against Paraguay, which Slovakia lost 2-0. He played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the last 16. On 8 October 2010, he scored his first international goal against Armenia in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualification match.

3.2. UEFA European Championship appearances

Weiss scored the opening goal in Slovakia's Euro 2016 victory against Russia on 15 June 2016, in a 2-1 win. This made him the first player to score at the Euros while playing for a non-European club.

On 18 May 2021, Weiss was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Slovakia at the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. He appeared as a substitute in the group stage games against Sweden and Spain.

3.3. Retirement and return to national team

On 21 November 2018, Weiss announced his retirement from the national team at the age of 28 following an altercation with newly appointed national team coach Pavel Hapal. Weiss was reportedly angry after being left on the bench for Nations League matches against Ukraine and the Czech Republic. During the latter match, he notably stormed off into the locker room mid-match following Hapal's last substitution.

This incident, alongside other players violating team rules, led to the resignation of national team coach Ján Kozák on 14 October 2018. Kozák cited his inability to work with the squad under such conditions, as about a third of the squad was involved. The President of the Slovak Football Association, Ján Kováčik, punished the implicated players by withholding any financial rewards for future national team nominations and performances during the upcoming qualification cycle. Weiss later expressed his sincere apologies for damaging the reputation of Slovak football and acknowledged the negative perception of the incident.

In February 2020, it was reported that Weiss had met with Hapal and apologized, discussing Weiss's future career prospects after his release from Al Gharafa. Following the meeting, Hapal confirmed he would consider Weiss for national team nominations, provided he found a club and performed adequately. Weiss subsequently returned to the national team under new coach Štefan Tarkovič in March 2021, ending a hiatus of two years and four months, and was then selected for the Euro 2020 squad.

4.1. Early incidents

In September 2012, after a qualifying game against Lithuania in Vilnius (1-1 draw), Weiss, along with Marek Hamšík, Miroslav Stoch, and Karim Guédé, were fined and cautioned for visiting a nightclub. The incident was initially kept low-profile by coaches Stanislav Griga and Michal Hipp.

On 2 January 2015, Weiss was involved in a conflict at a fast-food restaurant with former Slovak national team player Filip Šebo and several other individuals. Later that year in October, Weiss was implicated in an incident where the Slovak Football Association had to pay compensation to a Hilton Hotel in Luxembourg City for damaged property following celebrations for qualifying for UEFA Euro 2016. The incident required police cautioning at 4 AM.

On 2 October 2016, police in Bratislava stopped a Mercedes G owned by Weiss, which had 11 people on board. Weiss refused an alcohol test and spent 32 hours at a police station. Slovak national team coach Ján Kozák subsequently banned him for two matches. Despite criminal charges being presented against him by the police, the public prosecutor ultimately found that Weiss did not commit the acts of which he was accused, and he was not prosecuted or tried.

4.2. 2018 national team incident

On the night of 13 October 2018, following Slovakia's 1-2 loss to the Czech Republic in a UEFA Nations League fixture, Weiss and six other players-Martin Dúbravka, Michal Šulla, Milan Škriniar, Norbert Gyömbér, Ľubomír Šatka, and Stanislav Lobotka-violated the national team's code of conduct. They left the hotel, missed bedtime, and violated the wellness policy, which governs regeneration and rehabilitation. They were allegedly discovered by coach Ján Kozák at midnight and admitted to the incident, apologizing the following day.

In response, Kozák resigned from the national team on the afternoon of 14 October, later explaining in a press conference on 18 October that his decision was due to his inability to work with the squad under such conditions. He noted that about a third of the squad was involved, including players crucial for the future of Slovak football, with Weiss among them. The President of the Slovak Football Association, Ján Kováčik, punished the players by withholding any financial rewards for future national team nominations and performances during the upcoming qualification cycle. When asked about his conduct, Weiss reportedly stated that he did not know why he had acted that way.

On 19 October, the Slovak Football Association published statements from the implicated players, expressing their remorse and accepting guilt. Weiss issued his statement the following day, offering sincere apologies for damaging the reputation of Slovak football, acknowledging the negative perception of the incident, accepting the consequences, and committing to rebuilding trust. He also extended apologies to Kozák and thanked him for his contributions.

6.1. Club

6.2. International goals

Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Weiss goal.

7.1. Club

Rangers

• Scottish Premier League: 2010-11
• Scottish League Cup: 2010-11

Olympiacos

• Super League Greece: 2013-14

Lekhwiya

• Qatar Stars League: 2013-14, 2014-15

Slovan Bratislava

• Slovak First Football League: 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22
• Slovak Cup: 2019-20, 2020-21

7.2. Individual

• Slovak First Football League Player of the Season: 2021-22, 2022-23
• Slovak Super Liga Team of the Season: 2021-22, 2022-23
• Slovak Super Liga Player of the Month: March 2022
• Slovak Super Liga Goal of the Month: April 2023