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Czech striker Koller calls it a day

Koller, 38, scored his 55 goals for the Czechs in 91 matches, during a successful decade for the team when it won acclaim for its open, attacking style of play.

His physical presence and aerial ability was a feature of a fine well-balanced side which also included the outstanding Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved and fellow striker Milan Baros.

"I've had enough since April. First there were problems with my calf muscle, then something with the heart, and when I started preparing for the next season, my thigh muscle snapped," news agency CTK quoted Koller as saying.

"That was the last warning."

The 2.02 metres tall striker, affectionally nicknamed "Dino" for dinosaur, started his working life not as a footballer but as a mechanic in the small southern Czech village of Smetanova Lhota and did not turn professional until he was 21 in 1994.