FlashFocus: Legendary Slovak coach Vladimir Weiss looking to make an impact in Europe

To focus on the life of each of them individually would require the publication of a book series. However, what resonates through the sporting world these days is the exploits of the middle man, the 59-year-old coach. The former midfielder has added another valuable entry to his coaching calling card. He has managed to lead a second Slovak club to the main stage of the Champions League. It is far from the only career milestone he can boast.

Weiss has already enjoyed success as a player. Following in his father's footsteps, he donned the Czechoslovakia jersey and he made history on February 2nd, 1994.

His goal against the United Arab Emirates was the first in the modern era of the independent national team of Slovakia.

After hanging up his boots, he switched to coaching and continues to leave a phenomenal mark.

A miracle with Petrzalka

He ended his active playing career with Petrzalka, where he proudly wore the captain's armband. During the last few seasons, he was on the roster as a player-coach. Then after two years, he became the manager of the city district of Bratislava.

At that time, few people trusted the young helmsman. After all, he was still just getting his feet wet in the managerial world. Moreover, he was leading a team consisting overwhelmingly of home-grown footballers without much experience on the international scene.

In the autumn of 2005, however, the picturesque organisation from the Slovak capital managed a sporting miracle. They broke through to the group stage of the most prestigious club competition on the old continent after defeating Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty and Celtic, before winning a memorable penalty shootout against Partizan Belgrade.

In the group stage with Inter, Porto and Rangers they were only a step away from getting out of the group after going down to the final match.

Yet everything could have been different. In that game, the Bratislava team gave a spirited performance against Portuguese giants Porto. After the final whistle, they could rightly feel aggrieved. 

Pepe had a handball in the box, which should have been followed by a penalty kick. However, German referee Markus Merk overlooked this moment. The match ended in a goalless draw.

Slovakia's Mourinho

After a season-long stint at Russia's Saturn Ramenskoye, Vladimir Weiss returned to Petrzalka in 2007. He won his fourth trophy on the right bank of the Danube. Scottish club Hearts were very interested in his services.

In Vilnius, he had negotiations with the Lithuanian owner Vladimir Romanov, but no agreement was reached in the end. However, the Bratislava native became the eighth coach of the Slovak national team in July 2008.

He had a difficult mission ahead of him: to qualify for the World Cup. The national team had an excellent start before losing 2-0 to Slovenia.

Therefore, it had to be the Poland game that was the decider. The fairy tale of participation in sunny South Africa came true on the snow-flooded lawn after all.

The euphoria of joy erupted after an own goal by the unfortunate goalkeeper Seweryn Gancarczyk.

The debut appearance at the World Cup brought an opening draw with New Zealand. The opponents equalised with about 30 seconds to go. After the 2-0 loss to Paraguay, nervousness started to build in the Slovak camp.

Ahead of the crucial confrontation with the favoured Italy, Weiss did not mince his words. The distinguished professional had everything thoroughly thought out. 

Before the decisive battle, he brought attention to himself, following the example of the iconic Jose Mourinho. 

The plan worked. The team, led by captain Marek Hamsik, shocked the world by sending the 2006 World Cup champions home after a 3-2 triumph. They also put in a good performance in the quarter-final against the Netherlands, but a narrow 2-1 defeat spelt the end.

Kick-starting a breakthrough era in Georgia

Georgia have improved a lot in the last few years and made a very impressive appearance at the recent European Championships, where they were definitely a team that weren't there to just make up the numbers. 

Football in these parts has undergone significant progress in recent times, with Vladimir Weiss being at the forefront of it.

Before him, five foreign coaches have tried to raise the level of the sport on the Black Sea. However, they would only surpass the Slovak in the number of matches as manager if they combined together. 

He ended his four years with a rare record of 16 wins, 15 draws and 16 losses.

For the first time, he called up players to the national team who are now breaking local records. Although he failed to meet his goal of qualifying for the finals, he was not far from it. In the final qualifier for EURO 2020, the Georgians narrowly lost 1-0 to North Macedonia.

A big dream vanished. Nevertheless, Weiss would later leave the country with his head held high. As he said himself, this place has grown close to his heart and he will always consider it his second home.

He also seems to have found favour with many of his players. He renewed his cooperation with several of them after some time in Slovakia when he signed for Slovan Bratislava.

Giorgi Chakvetadze's performances in Bratislava earned him a move to Watford. Jaba Kankava developed a reputation as an all-round player, making him a huge favourite with the fans. Last but not least, Guram Kashia. The defensive star is a mainstay not only of Slovan but also of the Georgian national team, where he wears the captain's armband.

European cream of the crop back in Slovakia

Vladimir Weiss returned to the club in the Slovak capital in May 2021. Under his guidance, the Belasi have dominated, winning the domestic competition four times, capturing the cup once and missing out on the group stage of the European Conference League twice.

"I dream of the Champions League, of Real Madrid or Barcelona coming here one day. I'm not saying right away, it's maybe a longer journey. It's a big challenge for people to see big clubs and world-class players playing in this stadium," he said shortly after his arrival.

After a few setbacks, he didn't give up and he finally succeeded in fulfilling his promise. After more than two decades, the opportunity to take on star-studded Manchester City or traditional bastions like Bayern Munich and AC Milan is a reward for the hard work done in recent years.

The icing on the cake is that Weiss can enjoy everything with his son. The player is one of the leaders on and off the pitch, which means his father can count on him. Being family, they both display similar personality traits.

They are explosive, willing to sacrifice the maximum and there is a strong bond between them. They will also go down in the history of Slovan Bratislava together. The coach and captain who brought the European cream of the crop back to Slovakia.