Biography
Who is Róbert Vittek?
Early football career
Róbert Vittek started his path with the youth squad at Slovan Bratislava in 1999. He moved into the first team during the 1999–2000 season. While playing as a youth, he reached a preliminary agreement with Real Madrid, but an injury prevented the transfer to Spain. At age 19, he scored 19 goals for his hometown club.
Before he moved to the German league, he participated in a trial with Birmingham City. Although the English club wanted to sign him, the deal did not happen. He eventually moved to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2003 when they were in the 2. Bundesliga. He helped that team earn promotion to the Bundesliga for the 2004–05 season.
Success at 1. FC Nürnberg
During the 2005–06 season, Róbert Vittek had a highly productive period under coach Hans Meyer. He scored 16 goals in the final 16 matches of that campaign. He became the first player in Bundesliga history to score six goals across two consecutive matches. This scoring run helped his team climb from near relegation to an eighth place finish.
He set a club record by scoring six consecutive goals without another player scoring in between. His performances during this time made him a target for several European clubs. While Dynamo Kyiv offered 10 million euros for his services in 2006, Nürnberg chose to reject the bid. He also received the Slovak Footballer of the Year award in December 2006.
Time in France and Turkey
In 2008, he moved to the French club Lille for a fee of 5.5 million euros. He signed a contract that lasted until 2012 and helped the team reach fifth place. This result allowed the club to qualify for the UEFA Europa League. He scored his first goal for Lille during a victory over Saint-Étienne.
Róbert Vittek later moved to Turkey to join MKE Ankaragücü on a loan deal in early 2010. He scored his first goal for them against İstanbul BB and later recorded a brace against Kayserispor. After his loan ended, the club purchased him permanently. He also had a stint with Trabzonspor starting in September 2011, where he made his Champions League debut against Inter Milan.
Return to Slovan Bratislava
He returned to his home club, ŠK Slovan Bratislava, in September 2013. During the 2013–14 season, he scored 12 league goals as the team won the title. He also performed well in European competition, scoring a hat-trick against University College Dublin in a Europa League qualifying match. He matched this feat by scoring three goals against FC Krasnodar in a different round.
Róbert Vittek eventually left Slovan Bratislava in July 2016 after being offered a management position. He then joined the Hungarian side Debreceni VSC for the rest of the 2016–17 season. His career as a professional forward included various clubs across Europe and Turkey.
Birthday and age
Róbert Vittek was born on April 1, 1982, which makes Róbert 44 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Róbert shares the date with 19 other famous people.
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