Ladislav Maier

{{Short description|Czech footballer (born 1966)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ladislav Maier

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|1|4|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Boskovice, Czechoslovakia

| height = 1.86 m

| position = Goalkeeper

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 = 1972–1978

| youthclubs1 = Sokol Lažany

| youthyears2 = 1978–1988

| youthclubs2 = ČKD Blansko

| years1 = 1988–1989

| clubs1 = JZD Drnovice

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1990

| clubs2 = Zbrojovka Brno

| caps2 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1990–1991

| clubs3 = Gera Drnovice

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 1992–1998

| clubs4 = Slovan Liberec

| caps4 = 148

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1998–2005

| clubs5 = Rapid Wien

| caps5 = 161

| goals5 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1995–2001

| nationalteam1 = Czech Republic

| nationalcaps1 = 7

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Men's football}}

{{MedalCountry|{{fb|CZE}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|UEFA European Championship}}

{{Medal|RU|1996 England|}}

}}

Ladislav Maier (born 4 January 1966 in Boskovice) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

At club level, Maier helped Slovan Liberec win promotion to the Czech First League in 1993, going on to make 148 First League appearances for the club over the course of five seasons.{{cite web|url=https://www.idnes.cz/fotbal/prvni-liga/maier-se-stane-reditelem-v-liberci.A050712_121457_fotbal_no|title=Maier se stane ředitelem v Liberci|language=cs|work=idnes.cz|date=12 July 2005|access-date=29 December 2024}}{{Cite web|title=Ladislav Maier|url=http://www.gambrinusliga.cz/hrac/1-ladislav-maier.html|website=Fortuna Liga|access-date=19 April 2013|language=cs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227210458/http://www.gambrinusliga.cz/hrac/1-ladislav-maier.html|archive-date=27 February 2014}} He played seven matches for the Czech Republic between 1995 and 2001, being named in his nation's squad for Euro 1996 and Euro 2000, although he played at neither tournament.{{cite book|first=Luboš|last=Jeřábek|title=Český a československý fotbal – lexikon osobností a klubů|publisher=Grada Publishing|language=cs|year=2007|location=Prague, Czech Republic|isbn=978-80-247-1656-5|page=117}}

Maier played for Austrian club Rapid Wien, winning the 2004–05 Austrian Football Bundesliga there. Following seven years with the club, he concluded his playing career in 2005. After head coach Lothar Matthäus left Rapid in 2002 after leading the club to a record low finishing position of eighth, Maier called him "the biggest fool ever" and claimed that even the cleaners were pleased that Matthäus had left the club.{{Cite news|title=Lothar Matthäus|url=http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/408/29/|url-status=dead|newspaper=When Saturday Comes|date=28 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524000454/http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/408/29/|archive-date=24 May 2012}}