Remember him?

This goalkeeping ace was with the Hammers from 1990 in a playing capacity, and won the Hammer of the Year award in his first season.  Ludek, or ‘Ludo’ as the fans will remember him, made a massive 374 appearances for West Ham and helped the Irons return to the top flight.

He’ll also be remembered for his great shot-stopping which, on the last day of the 1994-95 season, prevented Manchester United from winning the league. This won him the hearts of not just West Ham fans, but also those of Blackburn Rovers who were triumphant champions.

In 1998, Ludek moved on from the Hammers to QPR, and retired as a player in 2001 due to injury. During his footballing career, Miklosko also made 42 international appearances for the Czech Republic. When he retired, he rejoined West Ham in a coaching role.

But Ludo left West Ham in March 2010, and the official statement gave no reason for this, stating that ‘With respect to all parties involved, the club will be making no further comment until the terms of his departure are confirmed.’ But more was ever said on the matter.

But where is Ludo now? And why have West Ham fans never been told the reason for his sudden departure from the club? At the time, there were rumours that poor health was what made the choice for Ludek to leave the Hammers, but nothing was ever confirmed.

It does seem strange that he would suddenly leave the team that he was associated with for 20 years, especially as Marek Stech said that Miklosko was like a ‘second father’ to him. If you know anything about what Ludo’s doing now, or have any insider knowledge about why he left the club, please leave a comment or tweet me at @alwaysintune.

If you’d like to remember the good times we had with Ludo, here’s the song about him we all know and love. And, as my dad has just told me a little trivia fact about it, you can have that too. In fact, the place Miklosko is from is closer to London than Moscow. But of course, that wouldn’t rhyme would it? All together now…

My name is Ludek Miklosko,

I come from near Moscow,

I play for a team called West Ham,

And the people I meet,

When I walk down the street,

Say “Hey big fella – what’s your name?”,

My name is…

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