Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Ludek Miklosko Dies Aged 64 After Cancer Battle, West Ham Says
Luděk Mikloško dies at 64 after a long cancer battle. Made nearly 400 West Ham appearances between 1990 and 1998.
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8 of 10 outlets skipped it: he withdrew from cancer treatment in December 2024.
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Miklosko dies at 64
Former West Ham goalkeeper and coach Ludek Miklosko has died at the age of 64 after a battle with cancer, the club said.
“Former West Ham, QPR and Czech Republic goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko has died at the age of 64.”
West Ham said it would mark his memory with a period of appreciation before kick-off in their Carabao Cup third-round match at Fulham on Tuesday.
Miklosko, who joined West Ham from Banik Ostrava, made nearly 400 appearances for the Hammers between 1990 and 1997 and later played for QPR.
The Czech Republic keeper helped West Ham win promotion to the top division in 1991 and 1993 and later returned as a goalkeeping coach.
In December 2024, Miklosko announced his decision to withdraw from further cancer treatment, according to the club and the reports.
Tributes and the United link
West Ham’s statement described Miklosko as “Rest in peace Ludek, our beloved, inspirational goalkeeper and gentle giant of a man,” and his son Martin Miklosko said the family was “heartbroken at his loss”.
Sky News highlighted that Miklosko “famously denied Man Utd league title” by producing a series of saves as Manchester United were held to a draw on the final day of the season in May 1995.
The BBC said Miklosko withdrew from cancer treatment in December 2024, three years after his diagnosis, and then returned days later to West Ham’s London Stadium for a Premier League match against Liverpool.
The Guardian added that Miklosko joined West Ham from Baník Ostrava in 1990 for £300,000 after a trial and left in 1998 having made 373 appearances.
ESPN also noted West Ham would hold a period of appreciation at Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Fulham and said the Hammers’ next home Championship match against QPR on Oct. 9 would be dedicated to Miklosko’s memory.
What West Ham will do
West Ham said it would dedicate its next home Championship match, against QPR on 9 October, to Miklosko, who made 57 league appearances for QPR between 1998 and 2001 before retiring.
“They will also dedicate their next home Championship match, against QPR on 9 October, to Miklosko”
The BBC reported that West Ham also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in Miklosko’s first full season, when he won the club’s Hammer of the Year award.
The Independent said Miklosko earned international honours representing Czechoslovakia at the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy and concluded his professional playing career at QPR.
The Guardian reported that Miklosko played 40 times for Czechoslovakia and twice for Czechia in an international career that began in 1982, and that he said in 2024 he was withdrawing from cancer treatment.
Across the coverage, West Ham’s tributes and the planned match dedications frame Miklosko’s legacy as both a former goalkeeper and coach, with the club’s “gentle giant” description repeated in its official messaging.