Antonin Panenka barely flinches. It’s 20 minutes into the final day of the regular season in the Czech First League and his team, Bohemians 1905, are awarded a penalty. The urge to deploy a jovial elbow to the 74-year-old, whose name is more associated with penalties than any other footballer in history, is irresistible.
“Believe it or not, the Panenka penalty isn’t very popular in the Czech First League,” he explains to World Soccer, as the awarded spotkick is successfully dispatched into the bottom-left corner of the goal to put the hosts 2-0 in front. “I don’t believe I have ever seen one here. It’s never something that you should just do. If you don’t have it, don’t try it.”
Despite a language barrier, Panenka’s spirit and affable nature are translated through his beaming smile, sitting under his trademark moustache. It’s a special day for Bohemians and he is