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MŠK Žilina

Full name	MŠK Žilina a.s.
Nickname(s)	Šošoni (The Shoshone) Žlto-Zelení (The Yellow-Greens)
Founded	20 June 1908; 116 years ago (1908-06-20) as Zsolnai Testgyakorlók Köre
Ground	Štadión pod Dubňom
Capacity	10,785
Owner	Jozef Antošík
President	Jozef Antošík
Head coach	Michal Ščasný
League	Slovak First Football League
2023–24	Slovak First Football League, 4th
Website	http://www.mskzilina.sk/
Home colours Away colours
Current season

MŠK Žilina (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈem ˈeʂ ˈkaː ˈʐilina])^{[wrong stress]} is a Slovak football club based in the town of Žilina, that is playing in the Slovak Superliga. Since the league inception in 1993, the club has won 7 titles and comes second in All-time table that makes them one of the most successful teams in the competition. The club and their supporters alike are nicknamed Šošoni (after the Shoshone Native American tribe) and play their home games in the Štadión pod Dubňom. Žilina won their most recent title in 2016-17 season.

The club was founded towards the end of 1908 under the Hungarian name Zsolnai Testgyakorlók Köre, and was officially registered on 20 June 1909. The club won its first Slovak championship (Zväzové majstrovstvá Slovenska) in 1928 followed by another in 1929.^{[citation needed]}

In total, Žilina played 30 out of 47 seasons^[1] in the Czechoslovak First League spanning from 1945 to 1993 and come 13th in all-time table.^[2] Their most successful was 1946–47 season, when they clinched 4th place.^{[citation needed]}

Many consider 1961 a milestone in club's history. Firstly, the team reached the final of the National Cup, where they lost to Dukla Prague, the eventual Czechoslovak champion. Despite the defeat, for the first time in its history the club, then known as Dynamo Žilina, broke into Europe to contest in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Notable 3–2 and 1–0 victories over Olympiacos moved them in quarter-finals, however the ambitious Slovak team was ultimately knocked out by the previous year's winner Fiorentina. Although Žilina grabbed a promising 3–2 victory at home, Fiorentina went through by winning the second leg 2–0.^{[citation needed]}

Quarter-Finals

21 February 1962

Dynamo Žilina	3–2	Fiorentina
Jakubčík 11', 63' Majerník 42'	Report	Milani 47' Dell'Angelo 85'

Žilina

27 February 1962

Fiorentina	2–0	Dynamo Žilina
Ferretti 38' Hamrin 40'	Report

Florence

Fiorentina won 4–3 on aggregate.

In the late 1960s the club was renamed TJ ZVL Žilina and participated in the Intertoto Cup for several years, winning the group in 1969 and coming 2nd a year later. In 1973–74 they reached the final of the Mitropa Cup but they were defeated by Tatabányai Bányász 5–2 on aggregate. Between 1972 and 1974, they finished 5th in the First Division of the Czechoslovak League for three years running, followed by relegation to the Second Division in the 1978–79 season. The club bounced back four years later and finished second in the Mitropa Cup.^{[citation needed]}

Following dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, MŠK Žilina has been playing in the Slovak Superliga for the total of 23 seasons with the exception of 1995–96 season after relegation to the Second Division.^{[citation needed]}

In the autumn of 2000, former Czechoslovakian defender Ladislav Jurkemik joined the club as a new manager. After his departure halfway through the 2001–02 season the club appointed Czech coach Leoš Kalvoda. During his short reign at the club he led them to win their first title. In the 2002–03 season, now under the management of Milan Lešický, the club succeeded in retaining the title.^{[citation needed]}

Ladislav Jurkemik was reappointed as a manager during the 2003–04 season. He led the defending champions to 10 priceless consecutive victories to clinch the third successive title though narrowly on a goal difference. After Slovan Bratislava, MŠK Žilina became only the second club to win three Slovakian titles. The team's performances in next two seasons faded while they lacked the quality they had been famous for during their winning campaigns. In pursuit of silverware numerous players were signed over next two years. In the span of only fourteen months, three managers; the reputable Karol Pecze, his successor Milan Nemec and eventually Marijan Vlak were in charge over the team. Since the results and performances never met the expectations, Vlak ended his reign immediately at the end of 2005–06 season after they failed to reach UEFA Cup spot only to finish fourth.^{[citation needed]}

They played in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, reaching the group stages where they beat Aston Villa 2–1 at Villa Park.^{[citation needed]}

Former Czechoslovakia and later Czech international Pavel Hapal was appointed new manager before 2009–10 campaign. In his first season, he led the team to win a league title, their fifth in nine years. Arguably the greatest success in their history came by making a debut in 2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage after eliminating Sparta Prague in play-off round. In the following season they completed their first ever double, while the 2012–13 season saw the team finishing 7th – their worst league position since 2000. However, as a defeated finalists of the Slovak Cup the club secured a place to contest in the 1st qualifying round of 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.^{[citation needed]}

• 1909 – Founded as Zsolnai Testgyakorlók Köre
• 1910 – Renamed ZsTS Zsolna
• 1919 – Renamed SK Žilina
• 1948 – Renamed Sokol Slovena Žilina
• 1953 – Renamed Jiskra Slovena Žilina
• 1956 – Renamed DSO Dynamo Žilina
• 1961 – First European qualification, 1961–62
• 1963 – Renamed Jednota Žilina
• 1967 – Renamed TJ ZVL Žilina
• 1990 – Renamed ŠK Žilina
• 1995 – Renamed MŠK Žilina

The following clubs are currently affiliated with MŠK Žilina:

• Tatran Liptovský Mikuláš (2012–present)^[3]
• MŠK Námestovo (TBA–present)^[4]
• Baník Prievidza (2013–present)^[4]
• JUPIE Futbalová škola Mareka Hamšíka (2016–present)^[5]
• MŠK Žilina Africa FC (2018–present)^[6]

MŠK Žilina supporters are called Žilinskí Šošoni (Žilina Shoshones), North Brigade and Žilinskí Fanatici (Žilina Fanatics). Žilina supporters maintain friendly relations with fans of Polish Góral Żywiec.^[7]

Štadión Pod Dubňom is their home stadium. It has a capacity of 10,785.^[8] It underwent a major renovation between 2006 and September 2009. Between 2014 and 2015 it was used as the home stadium of Slovakia.

source^[9]

Czechoslovakia

• Zväzové Majstrovstvá Slovenska (Slovak League) (1925–33)
  • Winners (2): 1927–28, 1928–29
• Czechoslovak Cup (1961–93)
  • Runners-up (1): 1961–62
• 1.SNL (1st Slovak National football league)
  • Winners (1): 1981–82

Slovakia

• Slovak Super Liga (1993–present)
  • Winners (7): 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2016–17
  • Runners-up (5): 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2019–20
  • 3rd place (1): 2010–11

• Slovak Cup
  • Winners (1): 2011–12
  • Runners-up (4): 2010–11, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2020–21
• Pribina Cup (Slovak Super Cup)
  • Winners (4): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2010–11

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  • Quarter-final (1): 1961–62
• Mitropa Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 1974, 1983
• UEFA Champions League
  • Group stage (1): 2010-11
• UEFA Europa League
  • Group stage (1): 2008–09

MŠK have produced numerous players who have gone on to represent the Slovak national football team. Over the last period there has been a steady increase of young players leaving Žilina after a few years of first team football and moving on to play football in leagues of a higher standard, with the German Bundesliga (Double best scorer Marek Mintál to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2003,^[10] another forwards Stanislav Šesták to VfL Bochum in 2009^[11] and Mário Breška to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2008,^[12] also right back Peter Pekarík to VfL Wolfsburg in 2009^[13]), Italian Serie A (Milan Škriniar to Sampdoria in 2016,^[14] Dávid Hancko to ACF Fiorentina in 2018^[15]), Spanish La Liga (Róbert Mazáň to Celta de Vigo in 2018^[16]), Turkish Süper Lig (William to Kayserispor in 2016),^[17] Dutch Eredivisie (Róbert Boženík to Feyenoord in 2020), Danish Superliga (Denis Vavro to F.C. Copenhagen in 2017, Dawid Kurminowski to AGK in 2021^[18]), Austrian Football Bundesliga (Admir Vladavić to Salzburg in 2009^[19] and 2013–14 best goalscorer Matej Jelić to Rapid Wien in 2015),^[20] Polish Ekstraklasa (Ján Mucha to Legia Warsaw in 2005,^[21] Róbert Jež to Górnik Zabrze in 2010^[22] and Vahan Bichakhchyan to Pogoń Szczecin in 2022^[23]). Russian Premier League (Tomáš Hubočan to Zenit in 2008).^[24] The top transfer was agreed in 2016 when 18 years old talented midfielder László Bénes joined German Mönchengladbach^[25] for a fee more than €5.0 million, which was the highest ever paid to a Slovak club.

Rank	Player	To	Fee	Year
1.	László Bénes	Mönchengladbach	€5.5 million*	2016[25]
2.	Róbert Boženík	Feyenoord	€4.6 million*	2020[26]
3.	Dávid Hancko	ACF Fiorentina	€4.5 million*	2018[27][28]
4.	Tomáš Hubočan	Zenit	€3.8 million	2008[29]
5.	Jakub Kiwior	Spezia	€2.0 million*	2021[30]
6.	Nikolas Špalek	Brescia	€1.5 million	2018[31]
	Denis Vavro	FC Copenhagen	€1.5 million*	2017[32]
	Samuel Mráz	Empoli F.C.	€1.5 million	2018[33]
9.	Róbert Mazáň	Celta de Vigo	€1.2 million*	2018[34]
	Milan Škriniar	Sampdoria	€1.2 million*	2016[35][36]
11.	Peter Pekarík	VfL Wolfsburg	€1.0 million*	2009[37]
	Peter Štyvar	Bristol City F.C.	€1.0 million*	2009[38]
	Dawid Kurminowski	Aarhus GF	€1.0 million*	2021[39]
	Timotej Jambor	FC Rapid București	€1.0 million	2024[40]
15.	Vahan Bichakhchyan	Pogoń Szczecin	€0.9 million*	2022[41]

*-unofficial fee

As of 30 August 2024^[42]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  SVK Jakub Badžgoň 4 DF  UKR Nikita Kelembet (on loan from Petržalka) 5 DF  SVK Tomáš Jaššo 6 MF  CMR Xavier Adang 8 FW  CMR Antoin Essomba 9 FW  CZE Denis Alijagić 10 FW  SVK Adrián Kaprálik 11 MF  GHA Samuel Gidi 14 FW  CIV Eric Bile 15 DF  SVK Tomáš Hubočan 16 FW  SVK Patrik Iľko

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 DF  CMR James Ndjeungoue 18 DF  MKD Andrej Stojchevski 19 DF  SVK Samuel Kopásek 20 DF  SVK Kristián Bari 22 GK  SVK Samuel Belaník 23 DF  SVK Ján Minárik 24 MF  SVK Samuel Ďatko 28 MF  SVK Samuel Javorček 29 FW  SVK Dávid Ďuriš 30 GK  SVK Ľubomír Belko 37 MF  SVK Mário Sauer 66 MF  SVK Miroslav Káčer TBA DF  SVK Peter Pekarík

For recent transfers, see List of Slovak football transfers summer 2024 .

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 25 DF  SVK Tomáš Nemčík (at Rosenborg BK until 31 Dec 2024) 27 DF  SVK Dominik Javorček (at Holstein Kiel until 30 June 2025)

No. Pos. Nation Player 3 DF  SVK Patrik Leitner (at MFK Chrudim until 30 June 2025)

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Michal Ščasný
Assistant Coach	Martin Kuciak
Goalkeepers Coach	Miloš Volešák
Team Manager	Vladimír Leitner
Sports Director	Karol Belaník
Team Leader	Marián Varga
Conditioning Coach	Vladimír Perexta
Conditioning & Rehabilitation Coach	Milan Ťapay
Doctor	Jaroslav Hanulák
Doctor	Karol Šafek
Physiotherapist	Tomáš Lintner
Masseur	Marko Kopas
Masseur	Enriko Petrík
Video Technician	Juraj Jacko
Video Analyst	Martin Praženica

^{[citation needed]}

Slovak League only (1993–present)

Season	Division (Name)	Pos./Teams	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Slovak Cup	Europe		Top Scorer (Goals)
1993–94	1st (Mars Superliga)	5/(12)	32	11	11	10	50	42	33	3.R			Ivan Šefčík (13) Ľubomír Zuziak (13)
1994–95	1st(Mars Superliga)	12/(12)	32	9	3	20	37	53	30	1.R
1995–96	2nd (1.Liga)	2/(16) (P)	30	17	5	8	57	27	56	2.R
1996–97	1st (Mars Superliga)	9/(16)	30	11	4	15	30	34	37	2.R
1997–98	1st (Mars Superliga)	7/(16)	30	11	9	10	23	25	42	1.R	UI	Group stage (9), 4th	Ladislav Meszároš (5)
1998–99	1st (Mars Superliga)	6/(16)	30	15	3	12	36	42	48	2.R			Marek Mintál (11)
1999–00	1st (Mars Superliga)	8/(16)	30	12	5	13	39	37	41	1.R	UI	2.R ( Metz)	Marek Mintál (12)
2000–01	1st (Mars Superliga)	5/(10)	36	11	12	13	41	46	45	2.R			Ľubomír Reiter (12)
2001–02	1st (Mars Superliga)	1/(10)	36	21	6	9	62	39	69	Semi-finals			Marek Mintál (21)
2002–03	1st (Slovak Super Liga)	1/(10)	36	21	7	8	69	31	70	Semi-finals	CL	Q2 ( Basel)	Marek Mintál (20)
2003–04	1st (Corgoň Liga)	1/(10)	36	17	13	6	62	35	64	Quarter-finals	CL UC	Q3 ( Chelsea) 1R ( FC Utrecht)	Marek Bažík (11)
2004–05	1st (Corgoň Liga)	2/(10)	36	19	8	9	73	34	65	Semi-finals	CL	Q2 ( D.București)	Ivan Bartoš (18)
2005–06	1st (Corgoň Liga)	4/(10)	36	18	6	12	69	44	60	2.R	UC	Q2 ( Austria Wien)	Stanislav Šesták (17)
2006–07	1st (Corgoň Liga)	1/(12)	28	22	3	3	80	17	69	Quarter-finals			Stanislav Šesták (15)
2007–08	1st (Corgoň Liga)	2/(12)	33	22	4	4	75	30	73	Semi-finals	CL	Q2 ( Slavia Prague)	Peter Štyvar (15)
2008–09	1st (Corgoň Liga)	2/(12)	33	18	8	7	56	26	62	Quarter-finals	UC	Group stage (F), 4th	Adauto (11)
2009–10	1st (Corgoň Liga)	1/(12)	33	23	4	6	59	17	73	3.R	EL	P-O ( FK Partizan)	Ivan Lietava (13)
2010–11	1st (Corgoň Liga)	3/(12)	33	14	12	7	47	28	54	Runners-up	CL	Group stage (F), 4th	Tomáš Majtán (11) Tomáš Oravec (11)
2011–12	1st (Corgoň Liga)	1/(12)	33	19	10	4	57	27	67	Winner	EL	Q2 ( KR)	Róbert Pich (10)
2012–13	1st (Corgoň Liga)	7/(12)	33	9	15	9	37	28	42	Runners-up	CL	Q2 ( I.K.Shmona)	Róbert Pich (11)
2013–14	1st (Corgoň Liga)	9/(12)	33	11	7	15	49	50	40	Quarter-finals	EL	Q3 ( HNK Rijeka)	Róbert Pich (7)
2014–15	1st (Fortuna Liga)	2/(12)	33	20	9	4	68	25	69	5.R			Matej Jelić (19)
2015–16	1st (Fortuna Liga)	5/(12)	33	14	6	13	58	46	48	Semi-finals	EL	P-O ( Athletic Bilbao)	Nermin Haskić (8)
2016–17	1st (Fortuna Liga)	1/(12)	30	23	4	3	82	25	73	Quarter-finals			Filip Hlohovský (20)
2017–18	1st (Fortuna Liga)	4/(12)	31	17	2	12	61	48	53	Semi–finals	CL	Q2 ( Copenhagen)	Samuel Mráz (21)
2018–19	1st (Fortuna Liga)	4/(12)	32	16	6	10	56	44	54	Runners-up			Róbert Boženík (13)
2019–20	1st (Fortuna Liga)	2/(12)	27	15	6	6	48	25	51	1/8 Fin			Ján Bernát (9)
2020–21	1st (Fortuna Liga)	4/(12)	32	15	7	10	73	52	52	Runners-up	EL	Q1 ( New Saints)	Dawid Kurminowski (20)
2021–22	1st (Fortuna Liga)	6/(12)	32	8	10	14	43	52	34	Quarter-finals	ECL	P–O ( FK Jablonec)	Vahan Bichakhchyan (6)
2022–23	1st (Fortuna Liga)	6/(12)	32	11	6	15	49	53	39	Fourth round			Adrián Kaprálik (10)
2023–24	1st (Fortuna Liga)	4/(12)	32	16	7	9	54	45	47	Third round	ECL	Q2 ( K.A.A. Gent)	Dávid Ďuriš (9)

Updated 20 July 2023

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1961–62	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1. Round		Olympiacos	1–0	3–2	4–2
		Quarter-finals		Fiorentina	3–2	0–2	3–4
1967	Intertoto Cup	Group B8		Fortuna Düsseldorf	0–2	0–1
				LASK Linz	0–0	1–1
				Vejle BK	1–1	1–2
1969	Intertoto Cup	Group 4		Örebro SK	4–1	0–3
				NEC	2–1	1–1
				AC Bellinzona	3–0	2–1
1970	Intertoto Cup	Group A4		MVV Maastricht	3–3	3–4
				Örebro SK	4–0	0–1
				KSV Waregem	3–1	3–0
1972	Intertoto Cup	Group 6		Eintracht Braunschweig	1–1	0–5
				Landskrona BoIS	1–0	2–2
				Vejle BK	3–1	4–2
1974	Mitropa Cup	Group B		FK Sarajevo	4–0	3–3
				Videoton	5–1	1–3
		Final		Tatabányai Bányász	2–3	0–2	2–5
1983	Mitropa Cup	Group		Hellas Verona	4–0	1–1
				Vasas	3–1	0–2
				Galenika Zemun	2–0	0–2
1997	UEFA Intertoto Cup	Group 9		Austria Wien	3–1	–
				Rapid Bucharest	–	0–2
				Olympique Lyon	0–5	–
				Odra Wodzisław	–	0–0
1999	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1. Round		Herfølge Boldklub	2–0	2–0	4–0
		2. Round		Metz	2–1	0–3	2–4
2002–03	UEFA Champions League	2. Round		Basel	1–1	0–3	1–4
2003–04	UEFA Champions League	2. Round		Maccabi Tel Aviv	1–0	1–1	2–1
		3. Round		Chelsea	0–2	0–3	0–5
2003–04	UEFA Cup	1. Round		Utrecht	0–4	0–2	0–6
2004–05	UEFA Champions League	2. Round		Dinamo Bucharest	0–1	0–1	0–2
2005–06	UEFA Cup	1. Round		Baku	3–1	0–1	3–2
		2. Round		Austria Wien	1–2	2–2	3–4
2007–08	UEFA Champions League	1. Round		F91 Dudelange	5–4	2–1	7–5
		2. Round		Slavia Prague	0–0	0–0	0–0 (3–4 p)
2008–09	UEFA Cup	1. Round		MTZ-RIPO Minsk	1–0	2–2	3–2
		2. Round		Slovan Liberec	2–1	2–1	4–2
		3. Round		Levski Sofia	1–1	1–0	2–1
		Group F		Hamburg	1–2	–
				Ajax Amsterdam	–	0–1
				Slavia Prague	0–0	–
				Aston Villa	–	2–1
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	2. Round		Dacia Chişinău	2–0	1–0	3–0
		3. Round		Hajduk Split	1–1	1–0	2–1
		Play-off Round		Partizan Belgrade	0–2	1–1	1–3
2010–11	UEFA Champions League	2. Round		Birkirkara	3–0	0–1	3–1
		3. Round		Litex Lovech	3–1	1–1	4–2
		Play-off Round		Sparta Prague	1–0	2–0	3–0
		Group F		Chelsea	1–4	1–2
				Olympique Marseille	0–7	0–1
				Spartak Moscow	1–2	0–3
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	2. Round		KR Reykjavík	2–0	0–3	2–3
2012–13	UEFA Champions League	2. Round		Ironi Kiryat Shmona	1–0	0–2	1–2
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	1. Round		Torpedo Kutaisi	3–3	3–0	6–3
		2. Round		Olimpija Ljubljana	2–0	1–3	3–3 (a.)
		3. Round		Rijeka	1–1	1–2	2–3
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	1. Round		Glentoran	3–0	4–1	7–1
		2. Round		Dacia Chișinău	4–2	2–1	6–3
		3. Round		Vorskla Poltava	2–0	1–3 (a.e.t.)	3–3 (a.)
		Play-off round		Athletic Bilbao	3–2	0–1	3–3 (a.)
2017–18	UEFA Champions League	2. Round		Copenhagen	1–3	2–1	3–4
2020–21	UEFA Europa League	1. Round		The New Saints	—	1–3 (a.e.t.)	—
2021–22	UEFA Europa Conference League	1. Round		Dila Gori	5–1	1–2	6–3
		2. Round		Apollon Limassol	2–2	3–1	5–3
		3. Round		Tobol	5−0	1–0	6−0
		Play-off round		Jablonec	0–3	1–5	1–8
2023–24	UEFA Europa Conference League	1. Round		FCI Levadia	2–1	2–1	4–2
		2. Round		Gent	2–5	1–5	3–10

^{[citation needed]}

#	Nat.	Name	Goals
1		Jozef Bielek	86
		Štefan Slezák
2		Marek Mintál	76
3		Stanislav Šesták	49
4		Michal Škvarka	43
5		Dávid Ďuriš	36
6		Róbert Jež	35

Players whose name is listed in bold are still active.

Slovak League Top scorer since 1993–94

Year	Winner	G
1954–55	Emil Pažický	191
2001–02	Marek Mintál	21
2002–03	Marek Mintál	201
2002–03	Martin Fabuš	201
2014–15	Matej Jelić	191
2016–17	Filip Hlohovský	201
2017–18	Samuel Mráz	21
2020–21	Dawid Kurminowski	19

¹Shared award

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for MŠK.

Past (and present) players who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles can be found here.

^{[citation needed]}