Interview - Jan Laštůvka

We bring you the first of our interviews with goalkeepers wearing the BU1 gloves. Today we will ask a few interesting questions of the goalkeeper, about whom we wrote earlier. Jan Laštůvka is one of the first big names to wear our gloves. Let's ask him a few questions, whether about his beginnings or his future…

Who is Jan Laštůvka?

The well-known support of Baník was born in 1982 in Havířov. He took a look at the world of football 6 years later, when his friends brought him to the Karvinský club. In his 18 years he transferred to Baník Ostrava , where after the first season he became the number one goalkeeper. He stayed on it until his departure. Until then, he managed to win the title with Baník, specifically in the 2003/2004 season.

In 2004, he moved to Ukraine, because he transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk .
He spent 3 years there, played in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. In 2007, he visited England and spent a year in Fulham and a season later he played with our German neighbors in the Bundesliga for a change, where he caught for VfL Bochum .
Here he replaced his colleague Jaroslav Drobný in goal, who then transferred to Hertha. After a year in Germany, Lašty returned to England, this time playing for West Ham , for whom he only played once.

Finally, he settled on his familiar Ukraine. In 2009 he transferred to FK Dnipro and the transfer was more than successful. Honza stayed in Dnepropetrovsk for a good 7 years, playing in more than 100 matches. After his parent club made it to the first division, he decided to return home.

In 2016, he appeared again in the domestic environment, this time in the jersey of the team that raised him - Carviné . As a rookie, he helped Té Honza to the calm middle of the table. After a very successful season, he decided to transfer to the then strengthening Slavia. Unfortunately for him, he did not meet with much confidence in Prague and was forced to transfer after six months. He decided to transfer to the team in which his entire professional career began. In January 2018, he returned to Baník in Ostrava.

How did you get into catching?

I started playing football as a forward, but after six months I somehow got into the goal. As a child I played for two age groups, in the older one I was a catcher and in the younger one I played in attack. I have to admit that I still enjoy footwork a lot, even though I'm a goalkeeper.

Do you remember a memorable or funny moment from your football childhood?

Well, I don't remember anything significant from my childhood, but there is one moment that I will probably remember forever. In my first league game against Žižkov, I caught the ball behind the goal, it resulted in a yellow card and a goal conceded. Fortunately, the guys from the team supported me that time and we won the match.

Your jersey is decorated with the number 16, why is that?

I didn't like the number one since I was little, despite the fact that I had to wear it in the youth categories. When I got among the guys, I was supposed to pick a number as a goalkeeper number two. At that time, I chose the number 16, which somehow grew on me. I wore it in Baník, after some time I also had it in Ukraine and I still have it now, after returning to the Czech Republic.

What are you most proud of in terms of your career?

Despite the fact that I have worked in many clubs in my career, I am most proud of my beginnings in Baník, specifically the year when we won the title. I will probably never get the celebrations out of my head. Another thing I have to mention is the rep matches, which is probably every little boy's dream.

What do you like most about being a goalkeeper?

We all know goalkeepers are a bit crazy. There's pressure on them, they can't make a mistake, and that's the big challenge. There is certainly no better feeling than preventing an opponent from scoring at the end of a very tight game.

Do you follow other goalkeepers, or who is your favorite?

When I was 18, I watched every league game. As I get older, I don't watch it as much, but I don't miss big matches. Sometimes I look up some goalkeeper training on the internet to see how others train. I watch the best goalkeepers in the world, but if I had to say just one name, it would be Buffon. Despite his age, he can do incredible things.

What convinced you to wear BU1 gloves?

I came across the gloves by accident after I returned from Ukraine. They simply fit me. From the beginning, I have been fishing in the Roll Finger cut, which suits me the best, and in terms of features, BUčka surpasses other brands in terms of durability and grip. Another thing is that during my engagements in Karviná or Slavia other goalkeepers also liked this brand, which is certainly a sign that the gloves are of good quality.

What is your personal goal this season?

I had the option of going to either Karviná or Baník. I chose Baník, he currently does not have such a position in the table as we would imagine. At the moment, our goal is to save Baník from relegation, because in my opinion, a club with such a history deserves to be part of the top competition. So it can be said that my personal goal is the goal of the whole club.

Hon, thank you very much for the interview and I wish you and your club the best of luck for the second half of the season. Finally, would you like to say something to the other goalkeepers?

I would like to wish everyone good luck and lots of zeroes in the spring phase of the season. If you don't have BU1 gloves yet, don't be afraid to try them, I don't think you will regret it.