Position: Midfielder
Born: 30.05.72
Club: Ceske Budejovice

Languishing in the depths of the Czech second division may not be the best place to prepare for a World Cup, but Karel Poborsky is hoping for one final last hurrah in Germany.

The World Cup will bring the final curtain down on Poborsky's glittering international career, which has seen him become the most capped Czech player in history with over 100 caps.

A technically sound and clever ball player with the ability to produce something magical to turn a game in a flash Poborsky may have a reputation of drifting in and out of games and no longer has the pace of his youth, but he can still be devastating when the mood takes him.

The veteran midfielder came to the world's attention at Euro 96 when he delivered a series of breathtaking performances and scored a stunning goal in the quarter-finals against Portugal.

A move to Manchester United for £3.5million followed but he never really produced the goods and was sold to Benfica in December 1997.

After regaining some of the form that had made him such a hot property Poborsky was lured away by Italian giants Lazio in 2001 but only lasted two seasons before returning to his homeland to play for Sparta Prague.

Despite being one of the key driving forces behind Sparta's Champions League campaigns, Poborsky fell out with the Czech giants earlier this year and was subsequently forced to see out the remainder of the season with second division side Ceske Budejovice.

Fortunately Poborsky still enjoys strong support from Czech national coach Karel Bruckner and this alliance will allow his final quest for a World Cup appearance to be accomplished.