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A European champion captain is rarely just a good defender with a loud voice, and Anton Ondruš was certainly more than that. Tall, elegant and commanding, he played as a centre back with libero habits, reading attacks early and stepping out of defence with composure rather than fear. Slovan Bratislava gave him the club identity, but Euro 1976 gave him the historical frame: leader of Czechoslovakia's great triumph, strong in the air, brave in duels and calm enough to organise under pressure. His famous semi final against the Netherlands even included the strange theatre of scoring for both teams, which is one way to make sure nobody forgets you. Ondruš was not a crude marker. He was a cultured defensive leader, authoritative, technically sound and built for matches where the back line needed a brain as much as a body.
