The poet laureate of Czechoslovakia

A strapping figure with a moustache and roguish smile, Antonin Panenka was dubbed the "poet" by a French journalist for the courageous and beautiful way in which he converted a deciding penalty in the final of the 1976 European Championships in Belgrade.

Following a final score of 2-2, both sets of players from Czechoslovakia and West Germany went about their penalty shoot-out duties in impeccable fashion, until the fourth round of attempts at which Uli Hoeness missed.

Up stepped Panenka, but instead of blasting the ball into the back of the net, as it appeared he might do, he coolly feigned and tapped the ball straight in the middle of the goal, leaving German goalkeeper Sepp Maier stranded helpless on the ground. Replays of this audacious and decisive goal were repeated on television around the world.

Club level success too

Panenka was the Czechoslovak national side's undisputed leader.

He imposed his superiority on the pitch thanks to excellent technique and an ability to dictate and adapt the rhythm of a game. In addition he was deadly at free kicks.

But he also enjoyed a golden era at club level too, though he had to leave Bohemians of Prague to do so. He joined Austrian outfit Rapid Vienna in 1981 where he won two Championships, a domestic Cup and helped the club reach their first European final where they were beaten by Everton in the 1985 Cup Winners' Cup.

Voted Czechoslovakia's player of the year in 1980, he made his own special contribution to numerous national squad exploits, such as a third place finish in the European Championships in Italy in 1980, and qualification for the World Cup in Spain in 1982, where he scored two goals.

He is currently employed as the assistant coach at his beloved Bohemians of Prague and reportedly takes part in 12 different sports on a regular basis.