Ludek Miklosko, who has died aged 64, was one of West Ham United’s finest goalkeepers; he will be recalled most vividly for two performances which helped to deny Manchester United a league title.
The first came in April 1992 when Miklosko kept a clean sheet at Upton Park against a Manchester United side seeking their first title in 25 years. After a 1-0 defeat, the Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, claimed it was “obscene” and “almost criminal” that West Ham, who had already been relegated, should have raised their game to hand the advantage to the eventual winners, Leeds United.
If that defeat was not completely decisive – Manchester United still had two fixtures remaining – the encounter at Upton Park on May 14 1995 was. On the final day of the season, Manchester United could claim the Premier League title if Blackburn Rovers lost at Liverpool and they beat West Ham.
At Anfield, Liverpool fulfilled their part of the bargain, overcoming Blackburn 2-1. Then Miklosko’s heroics in the West Ham goal ensured Manchester United could only draw. This time, Ferguson was more sanguine, recording in his diary that although United had seemed certain to win, “their goalkeeper made three fabulous saves. It just wasn’t to be, but I loved it.”
Ludek Miklosko was born on December 9 1961 in Prostejov, a textile town in Moravia, which was then part of Czechoslovakia. At the age of 20 he signed for the Czechoslovak champions, Banik Ostrava, making 211 appearances for the club.
In December 1989 West Ham, then in the Second Division, paid Banik £300,000 for Miklosko. Although he joined the club for training, where he impressed with his levels of fitness, there was a considerable delay in obtaining a work permit which led to him returning to Czechoslovakia, whose “Velvet Revolution” had just cast off the chains of Communist rule.
The West Ham manager, Lou Macari, was with Miklosko at the Prague Hilton when the application was granted. Macari recalled: “When it came through, he was jumping up and down and kissing me. That news changed his life. He deserved everything he got out of the game.” This included 40 internationals for his country.
Accompanied by his wife, Ivana, and his seven-year-old son, Martin, Miklosko travelled to London to fulfil a difficult brief, replacing West Ham’s exceptional keeper, Phil Parkes, who had been first choice at Upton Park for the previous 11 years, while Macari, the man who had signed him, resigned as West Ham manager before he could play a game.
Miklosko flourished under Macari’s successor, Billy Bonds, playing a major role in West Ham wining promotion to the First Division in 1991. In 46 games, the 6ft 5in keeper conceded just 34 goals, 13 fewer than any other side in the division. Although they lasted only a single season in the top flight, West Ham won promotion again in 1993 and stayed in the Premier League for the remainder of his time at Upton Park.
The fans adored him and Miklosko became the subject of a song that for reasons of rhyme insisted that he “came from near Moscow” – although Prostejov is actually closer to London. The chant continued to be sung long after “Ludo”, as he was always called, had played his final game for West Ham, in December 1997, scoring an own goal in a 2-0 defeat at Derby County. He spent three years with Queens Park Rangers before coming back to West Ham as a goalkeeping coach, where he worked until 2010.
He returned to his homeland, working as an agent for young footballers and then as Banik Ostrava’s sporting director. He developed stomach cancer but in 2024 he declined further chemotherapy stating he wanted to concentrate on football. “I have two football teams in my heart, Banik Ostrava and West Ham United,” he said. “Their fans are similar; hard-working people, loyal and passionate.”
Ludek Miklosko, born December 9 1961, died September 14 2026