Oldrich Nejedly (Cze)

Oldrich Nejedly was a remarkably gifted player blessed with great vision. He never achieved star status, mainly due to the fact that he played a relatively unglamorous role as an inside left in a five-man Czechoslovakian attack. Yet he was a persistent threat in the international arena, scoring 29 times in 44 outings.

The 1934 Czechoslovakian team had a habit of concentrating their attacks down the left flank, relying on the skills of Nejedly and Antonin Puc, and it was this pair who scored the goals that secured a 2-1 victory over Romania in the round of 16. Nejedly also struck the winner in the quarter-final as the Czechs beat Switzerland 3-2.

His finest hour came in the semi-final, when he claimed his side’s first two goals in a 3-1 triumph over Germany that set up a meeting with the hosts in the Final. Unfortunately for Nejedly, the Italian defence kept him tightly shackled in the Final and it was the locals who ran out 2-1 winners. Nejedly also featured in the finals in France in 1938, scoring twice to take his total to six goals in World Cup football.