West Ham lose Ludo

Ludek Miklosko has died at 64 after a long illness. The club called him a cult hero and a gentle giant, and the tributes started arriving within hours.

126 clean sheets

Across eight years in the West Ham goal he kept 126 clean sheets. For a club that rarely had money for defenders, that number did a lot of heavy lifting.

The night he denied United

His signature afternoon came in 1995, a run of saves that kept Manchester United out and cost them the title. Hammers fans have replayed it ever since.

A £300,000 bargain

West Ham signed him from Banik Ostrava for £300,000. Eight seasons and hundreds of games later, it looked like one of the cheapest good decisions the club ever made.

He came back to coach

Playing career done, Miklosko returned to West Ham as goalkeeper coach. He spent years passing on what he knew to the keepers who followed him.

The song never stopped

Long after he stopped playing, supporters kept singing his name at matches. Few players at any club hold a terrace that long after retiring.

Silence before training

West Ham's squad stood for a moment of silence before training on Monday, the day the news broke.

Tribute against Fulham

The club will honour him before Wednesday's Carabao Cup third round tie with Fulham, the first home crowd to gather since his death.

QPR will mark it too

A second tribute is planned for next month's Championship fixture against Queens Park Rangers, the club where he spent the last three years of his playing career.

The club's words

West Ham's statement on Monday was short and direct, and it used the phrase the fans had used for decades.

“Rest in peace Ludek, our beloved, inspirational goalkeeper and gentle giant of a man”

373 games in claret

He made 373 appearances for West Ham before moving to QPR, a total that puts him among the club's most-used goalkeepers.

42 caps and Italia 90

Miklosko won 42 international caps and played for Czechoslovakia at the 1990 World Cup, a tournament that carried a country that no longer exists.

Diagnosed in 2021

His cancer was diagnosed in 2021. He kept going through treatment for years while the club and its supporters followed every update.

He chose to stop treatment

Three years after the diagnosis he announced he was withdrawing from further treatment. He made the decision publicly, on his own terms.

His son broke the news

Martin Miklosko announced his father's death on behalf of the family, thanking everyone who had sent messages during the illness.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of my Dad Ludek, following a brave and courageous battle with cancer.”

Messages that carried him

The family said the notes from old team-mates and supporters were a real comfort, not just a nice gesture.

“gave him the strength to not give up and keep fighting for as long as he could”

No longer suffering

Alongside the grief, his son said the family takes comfort in knowing the fight is over and his father is at peace.

“he is now at peace and no longer suffering”

The club was family

Martin described West Ham and its supporters as part of the Miklosko family, not a former employer his dad happened to play for.

“The club, and its fans, were and always will be a part of our family”

What he loved most

The line that says everything about why the songs mattered so much to him, and why they will be sung again on Wednesday night.

“Dad simply loved West Ham United, and especially hearing his name sung loud and proud at every game.”