Ludek Miklosko, West Ham's beloved 'Ludo', dies aged 64
Ludek Miklosko, the goalkeeper West Ham supporters called Ludo, has died at the age of 64.
West Ham confirmed the news on 14 September. Miklosko made almost 400 appearances for the club between 1990 and 1998 and later returned as a goalkeeping coach, according to BBC Sport.
He arrived in east London from Banik Ostrava, where he had spent eight years. His impact was immediate. In his first season, 1990-91, he helped West Ham win promotion to the old First Division, then the top flight in England, and was voted Hammer of the Year.
He stayed for eight seasons. He was tall, calm and brave. Fans trusted him.
After West Ham he joined QPR. He made 57 league appearances there between 1998 and 2001 before retiring. At international level he won 42 caps in total for Czechoslovakia and then the Czech Republic.
One afternoon secured his place in English football memory. On the final day of the 1994-95 season, Manchester United had to beat West Ham to finish top of the Premier League. West Ham drew 1-1. Blackburn Rovers took the title instead. Miklosko was at the centre of it, holding firm under late pressure.
He faced a different battle in later life. Three years after a cancer diagnosis, he withdrew from treatment in December 2024. He said at the time he had decided to stop chemotherapy in order to enjoy life, according to Reuters.
He remained close to West Ham. In 2023 he travelled to Prague for the club's Conference League final win, a European knockout trophy, and completed a lap of the pitch before kick-off. He later became head of the sports department at Banik Ostrava.
West Ham will honour him twice. There will be a period of appreciation before the Carabao Cup third-round tie at Fulham, a knockout cup competition. The club will then dedicate their home Championship match against QPR on 9 October to him. The Championship is England's second tier.
What stays with supporters is the affection. Ludo was not a nickname for show. It was sung with warmth, for a goalkeeper who gave West Ham eight years and never lost the connection.
