Petr Kouba

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Petr Kouba

| image = Petr Kouba.jpg

| caption = Kouba in 1996

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|1|28|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Prague, Czechoslovakia

| height = 1.85 m

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 = 1982–1983 | youthclubs1 = FC Bohemians Praha

| youthyears2 = 1983–1985 | youthclubs2 = Slavoj Vyšehrad

| youthyears3 = 1985–1988 | youthclubs3 = FC Bohemians Praha

| years1 = 1988–1990 | clubs1 = FC Bohemians Praha| caps1 = 54 | goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1991–1996 | clubs2 = Sparta Prague| caps2 = 152 | goals2 = 1

| years3 = 1996–1997 | clubs3 = Deportivo La Coruña | caps3 = 4 | goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1997–1998 | clubs4 = 1. FC Kaiserslautern | caps4 = 0 | goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1998–1999 | clubs5 = Viktoria Žižkov | caps5 = 23 | goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1999–2001 | clubs6 = Deportivo La Coruña | caps6 = 2 | goals6 = 0

| years7 = 2001–2002 | clubs7 = FK Jablonec | caps7 = 19 | goals7 = 0

| years8 = 2002–2005 | clubs8 = Sparta Prague | caps8 = 3 | goals8 = 0

| totalcaps = 257 | totalgoals = 1

| nationalyears1 = 1991–1993 | nationalteam1 = Czechoslovakia | nationalcaps1 = 14 | nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 1994–1998 | nationalteam2 = Czech Republic | nationalcaps2 = 26 | nationalgoals2 = 0

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

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

}}

Petr Kouba (born 28 January 1969) is a Czech former professional football goalkeeper as well as assistant coach for the Czech under-20 and under-21 national teams. He played for Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic, played a total of 40 matches between 1991 and 1998.{{Cite web|first=Jiří|last=Slavík|title=Petr Kouba {{!}} International Appearances|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/kouba-intl.html|website=RSSSF|date=30 November 2003}}

Biography

The son of fellow goalkeeper Pavel Kouba, Kouba became interested in football after his father took him to a proper club when he was 12 years old.{{Cite news|first=Jan|last=Švéd|title=Sladký příběh s hořkým koncem Petra Kouby, brankářské hvězdy 90. let|url=https://www.idnes.cz/fotbal/prvni-liga/petr-kouba-anketa-nejlepsi-brankar-20-let-gambrinus-ligy.A130415_145417_fot_dsouteze_sv|newspaper=Mladá fronta Dnes|publisher=Mafra|date=17 April 2013|access-date=5 March 2025|language=cs}} Kouba also played rugby until the age of 15.{{Cite web|first=Luděk|last=Madl|title=Ve Španělsku Kouba slavil titul, byť jako náhradník. V neděli bude hostem přenosu Televize Seznam|url=https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/ve-spanelsku-kouba-slavil-titul-byt-jako-nahradnik-v-nedeli-bude-hostem-prenosu-televize-seznam-65390|website=Seznam Zprávy|date=1 February 2019|access-date=5 March 2025|language=cs}} He began his playing career with Bohemians and Sparta Prague,{{Cite web|title=Počty startů hráčů v I. Československé lize: K|url=http://web.telecom.cz/kopeckyf/CZ_SK/LIGAHRKK.htm|url-status=dead|website=JFK-Fotbal|access-date=19 January 2010|language=cs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413210418/http://web.telecom.cz/kopeckyf/CZ_SK/LIGAHRKK.htm|archive-date=13 April 2009}} scoring a goal from a penalty kick for the latter club in a national league match against SK České Budějovice in the 1994–95 season.{{Cite news|first=Michal|last=Hořejší|title=Útočníci závidí. Brankář dal sto gólů|url=http://sportreport.lidovky.cz/video-utocnici-zavidi-brankar-dal-100-golu-fd6-/ln-fotbal-zahranici.asp?c=A110329_113742_ln-fotbal-zahranici_ant|newspaper=Lidové noviny|publisher=Mafra|date=29 March 2011|access-date=18 March 2012|language=cs}}

Kouba participated in UEFA Euro 1996, where the Czech Republic was runner-up.{{Cite web|first=Václav|last=Rokyta|title=Vícemistr Evropy z roku 1996 a brankář, který za Spartu vychytal Barcelonu. Petr Kouba slaví 50. narozeniny|url=https://www.irozhlas.cz/sport/fotbal/petr-kouba-brankar-50-narozeniny-vicemistr-evropy-deportivo-de-la-coruna-fc_1901282312_and|website=Czech Radio|date=28 January 2019|access-date=5 March 2025|language=cs}} On 27 March 2004, he retired from football after Sparta Prague lost 0–2 against 1. FC Slovácko, resulting in the dismissal of coach Jiří Kotrba. Upon ending his playing career, Kouba became a goalkeeper coach for the Czech Republic national football team in 2022.{{Cite web|first1=Jakub|last1=Štěpánek|first2=Lucie|last2=Černá|title=Petr Kouba: Stříbrný hoch a sparťanská legenda|url=https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/podcasty-dobojovano-2-stribrny-hoch-a-spartanska-legenda-40384734|website=Novinky.cz|publisher=Borgis|date=23 January 2022|access-date=5 March 2025|language=cs}}