Juraj Kucka

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Juraj Kucka
Kucka playing for Slovakia in 2014
Personal information
Full name Juraj Kucka[1]
Date of birth (1987-02-26) 26 February 1987
Place of birth Bojnice, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Midfielder
Youth career
2001–2002 Prievidza
2002–2004 Junior Radvaň
2004–2006 ŽP Šport Podbrezová
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 ŽP Šport Podbrezová 42 (3)
2007–2008 Ružomberok 48 (9)
2009–2011 Sparta Prague 45 (11)
2011–2015 Genoa 122 (9)
2015–2017 AC Milan 59 (4)
2017–2019 Trabzonspor 33 (3)
2019–2022 Parma 72 (17)
2021–2022 → Watford (loan) 26 (1)
2022–2025 Slovan Bratislava 58 (9)
2025–2026 Baník Prievidza 7 (2)
International career‡
2007–2008 Slovakia U21 11 (0)
2008–2024 Slovakia 112 (14)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:00, 8 June 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:30, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

Juraj Kucka (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈjuraj ˈkutska]; born 26 February 1987), also known by his nickname Kuco (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈkutsɔ]), is retired Slovak footballer who last played as a midfielder for Slovak club Baník Prievidza.[2]

Club career

Early career

Kucka made his Corgoň Liga debut for Ružomberok on 11 March 2007. He played six games in his first season. Overall, Kucka played 49 games and scored eight goals for Ružomberok.

Czech manager Michal Bílek, who managed Ružomberok in 2008, recommended Kucka to sign for AC Sparta Prague. The footballer eventually signed a three-year contract for said club in January 2009. Kucka later scored a goal on his league debut against FC Vysočina Jihlava.[3]

Genoa

In January 2011, Kucka joined Italian side Genoa for a fee of around €3.6 million,[4] signing a contract for 4.5 years.[5] He made his debut in the 3–2 Coppa Italia loss against Inter Milan on 12 January 2011, playing the whole match.[5][6] La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote of him, after five appearances, that he was the club's second-best player behind Kakha Kaladze.[7] He scored his first goal for Genoa in a 2–1 away victory against Lazio on 18 September 2011.[8]

AC Milan

On 28 August 2015, Kucka was signed by AC Milan[9] for €3 million transfer fee. However, Milan also paid an unknown parties an additional €1 million. He made his league debut on 29 August 2015 in a 2–1 home victory against Empoli,[10] and scored his first Milan goal on 9 January 2016 to equalize against AS Roma in a 1–1 draw.[11]

Trabzonspor

On 7 July 2017, Kucka was signed by Trabzonspor on a three-year contract worth €2.25 million a season,[12] for a transfer fee of €5 million.[13]

Parma

Kucka joined Parma upon returning to Italy on 14 January 2019, stating that he intended to score more goals in Parma and improve from where he left off, when he left Italy a year and a half ago.[2]

Kucka debuted for Parma in his first opportunity, when he came on as a substitute for Alessandro Deiola in the 73rd minute of a Serie A away fixture against Udinese. Parma won the game 2–1 by goals of Roberto Inglese and Gervinho.[14]

In his third appearance for Parma, Kucka got his first two assists with the side. On 2 February, he assisted Barillà in the 64th minute and Ivorian international Gervinho in the 74th minute. Parma had managed to upset Juventus away, who was on top of the league table, by coming back from a two-goal margin twice to tie the game 3–3. Kucka played 86 minutes of the game.[15]

Kucka scored his first goal after the return to Italy in his fifth match, on 16 February 2019 against Cagliari after an assist from Massimo Gobbi, setting the score to 1–0 for Parma. However, two second-half goals by Leonardo Pavoletti meant Parma lost the game 2–1.[16]

Watford

On 6 August 2021, it was announced that Kucka had signed for newly promoted Premier League club Watford.[17] Parma confirmed on the same day that the transfer is a season-long loan.[18]

On 14 August 2021, he made his Watford debut in their league opener against Aston Villa, where Watford won 3–2.[19] He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–2 victory away against Everton.[20]

Slovan Bratislava

Following Watford's relegation from the Premier League,[21] Kucka signed a two-year contract with reigning Slovak champions of the past four seasons Slovan Bratislava, where he was coached by Vladimír Weiss under whom Kucka debuted in the Slovak national team and participated in 2010 FIFA World Cup.[22] On 23 July 2022, Kucka marked his league debut with his first goal in a 4–0 victory against AS Trenčín.[23]

On 26 November 2024, Kucka captained Slovan in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League game against his former side AC Milan, with Davide Calabria, the only former teammate of his still at the club, as the opposing captain. He received a warm welcome and some chants of homage from the travelling Milan fans.[24]

International career

A former Slovakia under-21 player, Kucka made his senior international debut in a friendly match against Liechtenstein on 19 November 2008, replacing Branislav Obžera in the 53rd minute.[25] He scored his first international against Austria in 2011.[26]

Slovakia manager Vladimír Weiss called him up for the 2010 World Cup despite the fact that Kucka had not played in any qualification matches.[27] He played in all three group stage matches against New Zealand, Italy and the Netherlands.[28]

Kucka was called up to the Slovakia squads for the Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 tournaments.[17] In 2023, he played his 100th match during a UEFA Euro 2024 qualification against Portugal which saw the Slovaks losing 0–1.[29]

On 10 March 2025, Kucka announced end of his international career due to health problems.[30]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 May 2025[31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ružomberok 2006–07 Slovak Super Liga 60———60
2007–08 Slovak Super Liga 245———245
2008–09 Slovak Super Liga 183———183
Total 488———488
Sparta Prague 2008–09 Czech First League 123———123
2009–10 Czech First League 205205[a]1—276
2010–11 Czech First League 133—11[b]2—245
Total 451120163—6314
Genoa 2010–11 Serie A 17010——180
2011–12 Serie A 26210——272
2012–13 Serie A 33320——353
2013–14 Serie A 11210——122
2014–15 Serie A 34200——342
2015–16 Serie A 1000——10
Total 122950——1279
AC Milan 2015–16 Serie A 29150——341
2016–17 Serie A 30321—1[c]0334
Total 59471—10675
Trabzonspor 2017–18 Süper Lig 25330——283
2018–19 Süper Lig 8020——100
Total 33350——383
Parma 2018–19 Serie A 18400——184
2019–20 Serie A 26620——286
2020–21 Serie A 28700——287
Total 721720——7417
Watford (loan) 2021–22 Premier League 26110——271
Slovan Bratislava 2022–23 Slovak First League 2867015[d]2—508
2023–24 Slovak First League 2332014[e]2—395
2024–25 Slovak First League 501011[f]0—170
Total 569100404—10613
Career total 452613215671054169
  1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  4. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA EUropa League, nine appearances and two goals in UEFA Conference League
  5. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League, eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Conference League
  6. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 8 September 2024[31]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Slovakia 200810
200940
201090
201161
201260
201391
201442
201560
201692
201730
201871
201982
202071
2021110
202251
202392
202481
Total11214
Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kucka goal.[31]
List of international goals scored by Juraj Kucka
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 August 2011Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria17 Austria1–02–1Friendly
2 15 November 2013Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, Poland35 Poland1–02–0Friendly
3 9 October 2014Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia37 Spain1–02–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
4 15 November 2014Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia39 Macedonia1–02–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
5 29 May 2016WWK Arena, Augsburg, Germany46 Germany3–13–1Friendly
6 11 November 2016Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia54 Lithuania2–04–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 16 November 201864 Ukraine2–04–12018–19 UEFA Nations League B
8 11 June 2019Bakcell Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan67 Azerbaijan2–05–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
9 10 October 2019Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia70 Wales1–11–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
10 12 November 2020Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland77 Northern Ireland1–02–1 (a.e.t.)UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
11 17 November 2022City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro95 Montenegro2–02–2Friendly
12 17 June 2023Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland98 Iceland1–02–1UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
13 16 November 2023Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia103 Iceland1–04–2UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
14 9 June 2024Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia107 Wales1–04–0Friendly

Honours

Sparta Prague[31]

AC Milan

Individual

See also

References

  1. "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. "Oficiálne: Juraj Kucka sa vracia do Serie A!". Šport7.sk (in Slovak). 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  3. "Plácnul si s Novotným a hned dal gól. Sparťan Kucka prožil povedený debut" [He played with Novotný and immediately scored a goal. Spartan Kucka had a successful debut]. Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech). Mafra. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  4. Carminati, Nadia (11 January 2011). "Genoa capture Kucka". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  5. "Kucka debutoval proti Interu Miláno, Janov však prehral" (in Slovak). TASR. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  6. "Genoa, ecco Kucka: "La Serie A? Non mi fa paura"". Sky Sport Italy (in Italian). 13 January 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  7. "Che affare il carrarmato Kucka L'uomo in più del nuovo Genoa". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011.
  8. Harsányi, Ladislav (19 September 2011). "Kucka: Dostal som chuť na ďalšie góly". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  9. "Milanello: Arrivato Juraj Kucka". A.C. Milan (in Italian). 28 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  10. "Kucka absolvoval v AC Miláno víťaznú premiéru: Krásne emócie" [Kucka had a winning debut in AC Milan: Beautiful emotions]. Denník N (in Slovak). Petit Press. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  11. "Primo gol di Kucka con la maglia del Milan" [Kucka's first goal in AC Milan jersey]. Spazio Milan (in Italian). 9 January 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  12. "Signing Agreement". Trabzonspor (Press release) (in Turkish). 7 July 2017 – via Turkish Public Disclosure Platform.
  13. "Results or Ending of Transfer Meetings". Trabzonspor (Press release) (in Turkish). 7 July 2017 – via KAP.
  14. "Kucka má za sebou vydarený debut: Parma zdolala Udinese" [Kucka had a successful debut: Parma defeated Udinese.]. Športky (in Slovak). 19 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  15. "Juventus Parma live score, video stream and H2H results". SofaScore. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  16. "Video: Juraj Kucka dal hlavou pekný gól, Piatek vybavil výhru AC Miláno" [Video: Juraj Kucka scored a nice header, Piątek secured AC Milan's win.]. Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). 16 February 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  17. "Juraj Kucka: Watford sign Slovakia midfielder from Parma". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 August 2021.
  18. "Juraj Kucka loaned to Watford". Parma. 6 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  19. Thomason, Ellie (14 August 2021). "Watford 3–2 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  20. Oscroft, Tim (23 October 2021). "Everton 2–5 Watford". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  21. Aarons, Ed (7 May 2022). "Watford and Hodgson relegated after Zaha gives Crystal Palace victory". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  22. "Slovan podpísal s Jurajom Kuckom dvojročný kontrakt". SK Slovan Bratislava (in Slovak). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  23. "Juraj Kucka strelil prvý gól za Slovan Bratislava". hetrik.sk (in Slovak). 23 July 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  24. "Kucka: "The fans' greeting? I didn't expect it. I was surprised and happy"". 27 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  25. "Futbalisti porazili Lichtenštajnsko 4–0". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. 19 November 2008.
  26. Magáth, Tomáš (10 August 2011). "Slovensko vyhralo v Rakúsku 2–1". Šport Noviny (in Slovak). TV JOJ. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  27. "MS 2010: Kucka verí, že sa dostane aj do užšieho kádra 23 hráčov". sport7.dnes24.sk (in Slovak). 12 May 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  28. "MS 2010: Kucka: "Je to pre všetkých veľmi dobrá skúsenosť"". sport7.dnes24.sk (in Slovak). 28 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  29. "36-ročný Juraj Kucka v reprezentácii? Veľavravná reakcia trénera Calzonu k dlhoročnej opore". Hetrik (in Slovak). 11 September 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  30. "Slovenský fotbalista Kucka ukončil reprezentační kariéru". Sport.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Czech News Agency. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  31. Juraj Kucka at Soccerway
  32. "Jedenastka sezony..." Fortuna liga (in Slovak). 21 May 2023.