Vlk on Jorge Costa’s death: “It shook me to the core” | OneFootball

Almost four decades later, Vlk acknowledges that Vitkovice’s impressive performances in Europe—where he played alongside Kadlec—especially against FC Porto, ultimately paved the way for his signing with Antas. He was part of the squad that won the Czech championship in 1985/86, an unprecedented title that has never been matched since.

“I have many memories of those games. I’m sure Artur Jorge noticed me and appreciated my performances. I did very well in those matches against FC Porto. And, in fact, I find it incredible that my transfer happened when I hadn’t played for ten months, having missed the 1990 World Cup due to a serious knee injury,” he says, reflecting on his time there—happy, but marked by some setbacks.

“It was all simply fantastic! But it was also a very difficult period for me, because I didn’t speak the language and after a month of training, I suffered another serious injury, which made my start at FC Porto quite complicated,” he recalls, softening the misfortunes with his most gratifying memories. “I loved that stadium [Antas], my teammates, the fans, the atmosphere we had. I fulfilled my childhood dreams. What spoils this picture a bit are the injuries, which prevented me from playing as regularly as I wanted,” Vlk emphasizes, who also experienced the intense personality of Pinto da Costa.

“He was someone tremendous and important to me. He gave me the opportunity to play for three years at a club that had recently been European champion. A fantastic club. I will never forget him,” he says, moved by the recent death of Jorge Costa, a player who rose to the first team. “He was a very promising young man, with a great future, which he went on to fulfill. He was a great player and spread his joy and spirit to everyone. His death shocked me deeply!” laments the former full-back.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.