1. Overview
Ľubomír Luhový is a Slovak former football player who primarily played as a forward. After his playing career, he transitioned into managerial and administrative roles, serving as a coach for several clubs and as a sporting director for Třinec. His career highlights include being a top goalscorer in both the Czechoslovak First League and the Slovak Superliga, and playing for national teams of both Czechoslovakia and Slovakia.
2. Early life and family
Ľubomír Luhový was born on March 31, 1967, in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. He is the younger brother of former Czechoslovak international footballer Milan Luhový. During his time playing in Japan, he was known by the nickname ルルLuluJapanese, which was used to distinguish him from his brother, Milan Luhový.
3. Playing career
Ľubomír Luhový had an extensive playing career spanning over 15 years, primarily as a forward for various clubs across Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, France, Japan, and Austria. He also represented his country at the international level for both Czechoslovakia and Slovakia.
3.1. Club career
Luhový began his professional club career in 1985 with Matador Púchov, where he made 12 appearances and scored 2 goals in the 1985-86 season. He then moved to Internacional Slovnaft Bratislava in the same season, playing 5 matches in the Czechoslovak First League.
From 1986 to 1988, Luhový played for FK Dukla Banská Bystrica, making 3 appearances in the 1986-87 season and 12 appearances with 3 goals in the 1987-88 season, all in the Czechoslovak First League, totaling 15 appearances and 3 goals for the club. He returned to Internacional Slovnaft Bratislava for the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. During this period, he played 23 matches and scored 5 goals in 1988-89, followed by an impressive 30 appearances and 20 goals in 1989-90, where he became the top goalscorer of the Czechoslovak First League. His combined record for this stint was 53 appearances and 25 goals.
In 1990, Luhový moved to France to join FC Martigues in Division 2. He played 31 matches and scored 16 goals in the 1990-91 season, and 33 matches with 17 goals in the 1991-92 season, accumulating 64 appearances and 33 goals during his time there.
He rejoined Inter Slovnaft Bratislava in 1992, playing 28 matches and scoring 17 goals in the Czechoslovak First League during the 1992-93 season. Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, he continued with the club in the newly formed Slovak Superliga, making 16 appearances and scoring 12 goals in the 1993-94 season. His combined record for this period was 44 appearances and 29 goals.
In 1994, Luhový signed with Urawa Reds in the J1 League in Japan. Despite suffering a bone fracture before the season, which delayed his debut, he made an impactful start. In his debut match on June 4 against Bellmare Hiratsuka, he scored with his first touch. He also achieved a hat-trick on September 21 against Shimizu S-Pulse, though the match ultimately ended in a 5-4 loss after extra time. He played 16 matches and scored 8 goals for Urawa Reds.
After his stint in Japan, Luhový returned to Inter Slovnaft Bratislava for another period from 1994 to 1997. He played 9 matches and scored 3 goals in 1994-95, 27 matches and 10 goals in 1995-96, and 10 matches with 9 goals in 1996-97, all in the Slovak Superliga, contributing 46 appearances and 22 goals.
He then moved to FC Spartak Trnava for the 1997-98 season, where he made 24 appearances and scored 17 goals in the Slovak Superliga, earning him the top goalscorer title for the league that season. From 1998 to 2000, Luhový played for Grazer AK in the Austrian Bundesliga, making 21 appearances and scoring 3 goals in the 1998-99 season, with no appearances in the 1999-2000 season. He also played for FC Kärnten in 2000. His final recorded club was Artmedia Petržalka in 2000-01, where he played 6 matches and scored 1 goal. He also had stints with SV Wienerfeld (2003-2004, 2005-2006) and SC Apetlon (2004-2005) in Austria.
3.2. International career
Ľubomír Luhový represented the Czechoslovakia national team twice between 1990 and 1993, without scoring any goals. Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, he went on to make nine appearances for the Slovakia national team between 1995 and 1998, also without scoring.
4. Managerial and administrative career
After retiring as a player, Ľubomír Luhový transitioned into coaching and administrative roles in football. He began his managerial career with FC Nitra in 2003, initially serving as an assistant coach.
In 2006, he took on a coaching role at MŠK Iskra Petržalka, staying with the club until 2009. He then coached FK Moldava nad Bodvou in 2009. From 2010 to 2012, he managed FK Inter Bratislava, a club where he had spent a significant part of his playing career.
On October 7, 2010, Luhový joined Fotbal Třinec in the Czech 2. Liga. He was promoted to first-team coach in April 2012, at which point Třinec finished 13th in the league table. Following this, Luhový remained with the club but moved into a new administrative position as its sporting director. In 2012, he also coached FC Petržalka 1898. His last known coaching role was with TJ OFC Gabčíkovo from 2013 to 2015.
5. Honours
- Czechoslovak First League top goalscorer: 1989-90 (20 goals)
- Slovak Superliga top goalscorer: 1997-98 (17 goals)
6. Personal life
Ľubomír Luhový was married to Beáta Luhová for 25 years. The couple divorced in 2013.
7. Career statistics
7.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| Matador Púchov | 1985-86 | 12 | 2 | |
| Internacional Slovnaft Bratislava | 1985-86 | Czechoslovak First League | 5 | 0 |
| Dukla Banská Bystrica | 1986-87 | Czechoslovak First League | 3 | 0 |
| 1987-88 | 12 | 3 | ||
| Total | 15 | 3 | ||
| Internacional Slovnaft Bratislava | 1988-89 | Czechoslovak First League | 23 | 5 |
| 1989-90 | 30 | 20 | ||
| Total | 53 | 25 | ||
| Martigues | 1990-91 | Division 2 | 31 | 16 |
| 1991-92 | 33 | 17 | ||
| Total | 64 | 33 | ||
| Inter Slovnaft Bratislava | 1992-93 | Czechoslovak First League | 28 | 17 |
| 1993-94 | Slovak Superliga | 16 | 12 | |
| Total | 44 | 29 | ||
| Urawa Reds | 1994 | J1 League | 16 | 8 |
| Inter Slovnaft Bratislava | 1994-95 | Slovak Superliga | 9 | 3 |
| 1995-96 | 27 | 10 | ||
| 1996-97 | 10 | 9 | ||
| Total | 46 | 22 | ||
| Spartak Trnava | 1997-98 | Slovak Superliga | 24 | 17 |
| Grazer AK | 1998-99 | Bundesliga | 21 | 3 |
| 1999-2000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 21 | 3 | ||
| Artmedia Petržalka | 2000-01 | 6 | 1 | |
| Career total | 306 | 143 | ||
7.2. International statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czechoslovakia | 1990 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
| Slovakia | 1995 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | |