National team caps and goals correct as of August 23, 2007. * Appearances (Goals)
Jan Koller (born March 30, 1973 in Smetanova Lhota, Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia) is a Czech football player, who currently stars as a striker for the Czech Republic national team and the Ligue 1 club AS Monaco. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for either the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovakia, with 48 goals in 75 caps as of February 8, 2007.
Koller has an impressive physical presence (height: 2.02 m, nearly 6'8" and weight 100 kg, about 220 pounds). Borussia Dortmund's physio refused to comment on this phenomenon. Koller started his football training as a goalkeeper, but was converted to striker by the time he started his professional career. His training as a keeper saw some use in the 2002-03 season. In one Bundesliga match at Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund's keeper Jens Lehmann was sent off about midway through the second half, and Koller moved from striker to keeper after he had already scored once in the first half. He kept a clean sheet for the rest of the match against good opportunities by Michael Ballack and others, and was named the Bundesliga's top keeper of the week for his performance. Nevertheless Dortmund lost this important match.
He was bought from Anderlecht in 2001. He also played for Lokeren and finished the 1998-99 season as Jupiler League topscorer for that club. Playing at Anderlecht, he also won the Belgian Golden Shoe.
Koller suffered a minor thigh injury during a World Cup game against the United States on June 12, 2006, not long after the opening goal he scored. His injury was a major blow for the Czech Republic, who lost their next 2 matches without him. Koller moved to French side AS Monaco on a free transfer in June 2006. However, as of 2007, Koller is unsettled at Monaco. Birmingham City and Portsmouth are said to be interested in the striker, but Birmigham manager Steve Bruce denies he has signed or is interested in signing him.