Soccer in mourning: Luděk Mikloško has died at age 64

Luděk Mikloško has passed away. The legendary West Ham goalkeeper died at the age of 64 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. The English club signed him in 1998 following his outstanding performances with Baník Ostrava OKD, a club based in Ostrava, Silesia.

He played 373 games for West Ham, then in 1997 chose to move to QPR, where he ended his career in 2021. Here is the statement from the Hammers: “We are devastated by the passing of Luděk Mikloško. The former goalkeeper, beloved by Claret and Blue Army fans and affectionately nicknamed ‘Ludo,’ made 373 appearances for the club during his eight years as the starting goalkeeper, from 1990 to 1997.”

“In 1990, Lud’k was invited to a tryout by West Ham, which had been relegated to the Second Division and was in need of talented players to revive its promotion ambitions. The imposing goalkeeper was one of them and signed for 300,000 pounds. With the ever-changing geopolitical situation in the East, he had to wait two months before the British government issued him a work permit.”

Luděk’s last visit to West Ham was in December 2024, when he was the guest of honor at London Stadium for the match against Liverpool, after publicly announcing his decision to stop treatment in his battle against cancer.

In February of this year, Hammers fans staged a spectacular choreographed display in honor of the goalkeeper, who will forever hold a special place in the hearts of the West Ham family.