01 December 2014
A pillar of great Juventus sides throughout his career in the famous black and white jersey, club director Pavel Nedved was today honoured for his sporting contribution at an event in his native Czech Republic.
Early on this afternoon, the 42-year-old returned to the country of his birth to attend an inauguration of his very own sculpture at the Grévin Museum in Prague.
Nedved joined compatriots Emil Zatopek, Ivan Lendl, Roman Sebrle, Petr Cech, Dominik Hasek, Jaromir Jagr and Martina Navratilova as they were all immortalised in wax for an exhibition – open to the public from Tuesday 2 December – which showcases Czech ‘Champions’ from years gone by.
And of course, the museum could only choose one pose that rightly captures the essence of a man who won four Serie A championships during his nine-year spell at the club.
It has been 11 years since Nedved picked up the Ballon D’Or for his indomitable performances during an excellent 2002/03 campaign that heralded his second league title for the Bianconeri.
And this very sculpture, which is dedicated in his honour for that sensational season, sees the club director dressed in Juventus’ jersey as he saluted the crowd when receiving the accolade.
Speaking at today’s unveiling in Prague, Nedved said: “The sculpture is fantastic, they’ve worked hard on it and I feel very honoured. It’s a magnificent event where I’ve been able to see some familiar faces too!
“I’m also happy that they’ve given the sculpture a Juventus feel to it with the official kit. It’s great to have been able to bring a little bit of the club to Prague.”
