Viliam Schrojf

Viliam Schrojf
	Schrojf in 1962
Personal information
Date of birth	2 August 1931
Place of birth	Prague, Czechoslovakia
Date of death	1 September 2007 (aged 76)
Place of death	Bratislava, Slovakia
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team
1952–1954	Křídla vlasti Olomouc
1955–1965	Slovan Bratislava
1965–1966	Lokomotiva Košice
1967–1968	Slavia Melbourne
1969–1973	First Vienna FC
International career
1953–1965	Czechoslovakia
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Czechoslovakia
FIFA World Cup
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Viliam Schrojf (2 August 1931 – 1 September 2007) was a Slovak footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He received 39 caps for Czechoslovakia.

Career

Schrojf was a participant at the three consecutive World Cups 1954 FIFA World Cup, 1958 FIFA World Cup and at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, where Czechoslovakia surprised the world and went through to the final, losing to champions Brazil. The success of Czechoslovakia was largely attributed to Schrojf's superb performance. The final however proved to be a black day for Schrojf, with two Brazilian goals resulting from his mistakes. With his country leading 1–0, he expected a cross from Amarildo and left the goal, allowing the Brazilian to score from an acute angle. Halfway through the second half, with his side already 2–1 down, the sun got into his eyes and he failed to catch a simple ball properly, which landed directly at the feet of Vavá, who took the opportunity to become the first ever player to score in two different World Cup finals.

On club level, Schrojf played mostly for Slovan Bratislava and then for Lokomotiva Košice.

Death

On 2 September 2007, the Slovakian media reported that Schrojf had died the previous day, aged 76; the cause of death was not disclosed.^[2]

Honours

Slovan Bratislava

Czechoslovak First League: 1955
Czechoslovak Cup: 1961–62, 1962–63

Czechoslovakia

FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1962

Individual

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1962
FIFA World Cup Best Goalkeeper: 1962

References

^ "Viliam Schrojf - Player Profile - Football". Eurosport. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
^ "Slovakian goalkeeping legend dies". SuperSoccer.co.za. 2 September 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2007.