www.milanbaros.cz

He is healthy obstinate, extraordinary wild and he has unbelievable speed. When he uses his capability’s he will play like he never did before. The opponent must keep his concentration, not even for one second can he loose sight from this danger… Milan Baros!

Do you wonder where he get’s the extraordinary vitality and speed? He is born with it! Just the fact that he was born is excellent. Bad weather, Wednesday the 28th of October 1981. It’s half past 2 in the early morning. The just born football star saw his first light from this world in an ambulance at a lightened up crossing Valasske Mezirici. The driver of the ambulance didn’t knew at the moment, how the passengers in the back got situated in his ambulance. The only identification for that moment was: a boy, 4.60 kg and 53 cm long. Last name Baros. The screaming from the baby and the sound of the ambulance was like an announcement to the world; here am I and you got something to delight yourself to.

Little Milan grew up and lived in a house in Vigantice with his parents Radka and Milan, his older sister Renata, his grandmother and grandfather an his uncle Zdenek. The house built between lots of green, on one site a grass field and a creek, on the other site the neighbour’s garden. Neighbour Lada Fojtášek often closed his eyes when little Baros was looking for a hole in the fence with his ball under his arm. The grass field of the neighbour was the ideal place for Milan to hide from his mother when she called him for lunch. Food wasn’t important, but making goals was. And when they finally found him at the neighbours, shortly after you could find him with a piece of bread in his hand kicking the ball against the garage. His parents were always looking for him at the fields, at the neighbours but the result was always the same! Milan was with his best friend –his football-. Before the first time he ever had to go to school he already played at FC Vigantice. First stadium, cindery football field, in the beautiful nature of Valasska. In stead of a stand, benches that were almost felling apart. In stead of an anthem a chicken screaming, it was just ideal.

Little Milan became a good forward of Vigantice. Early on the talented pupil was noticed in Rožnov pod Radhoštim and at 9 years old it was the first step of his career. 3 successive years he improved his condition at Rožnov TJ. His dad already noticed that there is a lot more in the young one hiding. His dad also played football like his brother and their dad – Milan’s grandfather. It was obvious that Milan needed professional and qualitative support, so that he develops his talent more. So Milan Baros was introduced in the year 1993 at the age of 12 at the Ostrava stadium "Bazaly".

Eight years in the shirt of Banik Ostrava. Eight years of hard working. The training switches to a match and from the gym to the stadium. That just went around each week. The longer Milan played the more he was noticed by other people. The coaches of the national youth team also noticed him. His first match for the national youth team was on the 25th of September 1996 in Austria in a city called Vitis. It’s a friendly match of the national youth ‘15‘. His first goal in his national shirt was on the 28th of May 1997 in the friendly match in Ostrozska Nova Ves and he scored in the Hungarian goal. In the year 2000 the career of Milan goes in an up tempo! Milan was picked out to play 3 matches for the Czech national team. First he played in Slovakia the final of the euros till 21 year. He helped his team to get the silver medal. Almost immediately after the results he goes to the final preparations for the almost leaving team till 18 year, they are going to Germany for the euros till 18 years. Two months later he starts at the Olympic Games in Sydney. In the year of 2001 he get’s his once in a lifetime opportunity to go to club he dreamed of; Liverpool FC. After the unpleasant waiting because of the bureaucratic battle about work agreements, Milan waited long for his big transfer. After signing his contract for 5 years in august 2001 he still had to play a few matches for Banik Ostrava, but he already was a Liverpool player. Till December he had a hard time of waiting. He had to wait how the diplomatic proceeding between the English big club and the authority’s were going to end about his work agreement. Czech league matches were in the shadow because of that news. On one hand Milan Baros was one of the top goal scorers on the other hand he wasn’t playing like he thought he would be he couldn’t even join one match because of unsporting behaviour. During the match with Žižkov coach Jarabinský mentioned him as the worse player of the field. It was Milan’s last match for the Czech league, he was already somewhere else with his thoughts. He didn’t perceive what happened around him and he was under a lot of pressure.

Milan will never forget about the Christmas time in the year 2001. Three nights before Christmas evening he got his best Christmas gift ever. It was from the British authority’s that had proved that he could play in England for Liverpool fc. Immediately after this news he went from Vigantice to Ostrava to pack his belongings. The Christmas tournament in Hranic he wouldn’t play anymore. At Saturday the 22nd of December the English big club putted Milan a hotel room. The first program was clear; he had to take a good sleep and take a good rest from his trip to England. His first training is late in the morning with his new team mates, and at 17.00 hours central European time he would probably put on his first Liverpool shirt. And perhaps he would play at the great Anfield road against one of the best clubs of the premiership; Arsenal. Everything turns out to be different. The training was only with the reserve players, the match he watched from the stand and his club lost from Arsenal. The day before Christmas everything was still strange for Milan. In the morning he first met his team mates. In the afternoon Milan was officially announced as a player of Liverpool fc, and he got his shirt with number 5 on it. Then it turned into the evening and he felt really lonely. He couldn’t stop thinking about his home, about the Christmas tree and about his family joined together for Christmas diner, luckily there exists a phone. After a long conversation with his mom he got his confidence back a little.. You wanted it this way? Yes I want. Then you have to hold on to it! His wonderful mother had to cry a little after Milan went to sleep. The first match Milan played for Liverpool was at January 16th 2002. He was only on the bench. Milan told everybody about his good qualities. After the last match Banik Ostrava - Zizkov Praha six long weeks went by.. His premier in his Liverpool shirt for the a-team of Liverpool was finally at the 13th of March 2002. In front of 90 thousand during a champions league match at the stadium Nou Camp in Barcelona Milan was brought into the game at the 74th minute this is the way he entered the „big“ football world. After that Milan got a better mood after winning a golden medal in Basil at the euros till 21 years. In England a new season started but Milan still wasn’t in the main line-up. His time still had to come!

Saturday the 14th of September 2002 coach Houlier announced the line-up 2 hours before the match. After nine months of waiting, Milan saw for the time his name on the line-up list. On his premier he did it his way! He scored 2 beautiful goals against Bolton and he showed to the country why he came to England! The British press celebrated Milan. A premier like this you won’t see very often, it really was worth the waiting and hard working!