{{Info/Futebolista
|nome= František Plánička
|imagem= 
|nomecompleto= 
|cidadenatal= Praga
|paisnatal= 20px Áustria-Hungria
|datadenascimento= 2 de janeiro de 1904
|cidadedamorte= Praga
|paisdamorte= 20px República Tcheca
|datadefalecimento= 20 de julho de 1996
|altura= 1,72 m
|actualclube= 
|posição= Goleiro 
|clubenumero= 
|jovemanos= 
|jovemclubes= 
|ano=  1923-1939
|clubes= Slavia Praga
|jogos(golos)= 986
|anoselecao= 1925-1938
|selecaonacional= 20px Tchecoslováquia 
|partidasselecao= 73
}}

'''František Plánička''' (tcheco.

Considerado um dos maiores goleiros do século XX e o maior de seu tempo, foi um dos mais prestigiados atletas da antiga Tchecoslováquia. Educado, jamais foi expulso em seus 16 anos de carreira.

O goleiro (cujo nome pronuncia-se ''Frântishek Plân-itchka''), após passar por equipes amadoras de Praga, chegou em 1923 ao Slavia, onde jogaria até o final da carreira. Oito vezes campeão nacional, Plánička, conhecido como "Gato de Praga" por suas acrobacias, começou a defender a Seleção Tchecoslovaca em 1925. Foi por ela, sendo o capitão da equipe, às Copas do Mundo de 1934 e 1938.

Na de 1934, quando Plánička já tinha 30 anos, a equipe chegou à final contra os anfitriões italianos, com ''Il Duce'' Benito Mussolini em pessoa nas arquibancadas. Os visitantes abriram a contagem faltando 15 minutos para o final do jogo, com Antonín Puč, e chutaram uma bola na trave que poderia ter decidido a partida, mas o ítalo-argentino Raimundo Orsi empatou seis minutos depois, levando a final para a prorrogação. Aos cinco minutos, Angelo Schiavio completou à queima-roupa sem chances para Plánička um lançamento de outro ''hermano'', Enrique Guaita.

{{Infobox Football biography
| playername     = František Plánička
| image          = Image:Planicka.jpg
| fullname       = František Plánička
| height         = 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
| nickname       = ''The Cat of Prague''
| dateofbirth    = 
| cityofbirth    = Prague
| countryofbirth = Austria-Hungary
| dateofdeath    = 
| cityofdeath    = Prague
| countryofdeath = Czech Republic
| position       = Goalkeeper
| youthyears     = 
| youthclubs     = 
| years          = 1923-1939
| clubs          = SK Slavia Praha
| caps(goals)    = 969 (0)
| nationalyears  = 1926-1938
| nationalteam   = Czechoslovakia
| nationalcaps(goals) = 73 (0)
}}
'''František Plánička''' ( ''FRAN-ti-shek PLAN-ich-kah'') (Czech football goalkeeper and one of the most honoured players in the history of Slavia Prague, during which time the club won the Czech league eight times and the Czechoslovakia national team and later its captain during the World Cup competitions in 1934 (where the team finished second) and 1938.

Plánička was a courageous player, to the extent that in Czechoslovakia's 1938 World Cup match against Brazil, he remained on the field despite having suffered a serious injury.<ref name="injury-discrepancy">Although some sources indicate that Plánička boke his arm by colliding with Brazilian striker Perácio ([http://sport.ard.de/wm2006/wm/rueckblick/index_38.html],  [http://br.esportes.yahoo.com/copa2006/historia/1938/index.html]), these Brazilian sources (both ): [http://www.botafogopaixao.kit.net/peracio.htm][http://orbita.starmedia.com/~goleada/craques_do_botafogo.htm] state that the injury occurred when the goalkeeper collided with the post, while defending the Brazilian's shot. Some sources also suggest that Plánička not only broke his arm, but also broke (or dislocated) his clavicle, or that he injured his clavicle but not his arm.</ref> He was a goalkeeper of outstanding reflexes and shot-stopping abilities<ref name="SI"/> and was also characterized by his sportsmanship, never once being cautioned or sent off in his career. In 1985, he was awarded the UNESCO International Fair Play Award<ref name="radio_praha"> [http://www.radio.cz/cz/clanek/36797 ''Radio Praha, Český rozhlas 7'' - Czech football legend František Plánička] - Radio Praga, Czech Republic.</ref> and the Czech Fair Play Award in 1994.<ref name="trivela"> [http://www.trivela.com/default.asp?pag=ExibirMateria&codMateria=1472&coluna=47 ''Planicka: Astro do 'fair play'''] - by André Lacerda, trivela.com, 2006</ref>

In 1999, the IFFHS elected him the best Czech goalkeeper &ndash; and ninth best overall &ndash; of the twentieth century.<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html IFFHS' Century Elections] - www.rsssf.com - by Karel Stokkermans, RSSSF.</ref><ref>[http://www.iffhs.de/?b40f8ca85bd0e027e8f05f04f02788342b90c443ccb40385fdcdc3bfcdc0aec70aeedb8a3f0e03790c443e0f40390400 The World's best Goalkeeper of the Century] - www.iffhs.de - IFFHS. Retrieved October 29, 2006.</ref> In 2003, he was catalogued as the greatest goalkeeper of his era.<ref name="SI">[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/hof/planicka/ Sports Illustrated's World Cup Hall of Fame - Frantisek Planicka] - sportsillustrated.cnn.com - CNN/Sports Illustrated, 2003.</ref><ref>Source: [http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1900-39/1933-34/MS193Cze1934.html England Football Online]</ref>

==Club career==
Born in Prague, Plánička played most of his footballing career and lived most of his life in the Czech capital. In the beginning of his career, Plánička played for the clubs ''Slovan Praha VII'', ''Union VII'', ''Staroměstský SK Olympia'', and ''SK Bubeneč''. He played for Slavia Prague from 1923 to 1939, in what has been one of the most successful eras in the club's history. He appeared in 969 matches of which he was captain in 742.<ref name="slavia_site"> [http://www.slavia.cz/statika.asp?typ=hPlanicka Official web site of Slavia Prague - František Plánička bio] - by Michael Janáček, Slavia Praha, 2004.</ref> Although he was of below-average height for a goalkeeper, at 1.72m (5 ft 8 in),<ref name="trivela"/> he was an effective shot stopper, and his acrobatic style earned him the nickname '''''The Cat of Prague'''''.<ref> [http://sport.ard.de/wm2006/wm/rueckblick/index_38.html "Planicka, Der König der Robinsonaden"] - sport.ARD.de - WDR, 2005</ref>

Plánička won his first league title in 1925, which was the club's first professional league championship ever. Slavia then won three consecutive titles from 1929 to 1931.

In 1932, Slavia reached the semifinals of the Mitropa Cup. In the first leg, they beat Juventus FC 4-0; in the second leg, Juventus had a 2-0 lead after which, according to RSSSF, Slavia resorted to obstruction and time wasting, which extended to the stands to the point that spectators started throwing stones on the pitch; one of the projectiles hit Plánička, causing him a serious injury. Slavia abandoned the pitch and the game stopped, what led to their disqualification from the tournament.<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mit32.html Mitropa Cup 1932 report] - by Karel Stokkermans, RSSSF, 1999.</ref>

Slavia had another streak of three leagues won from 1933 to 1935, and won again 1937, with Plánička still between the goalposts. 

Plánička also won six ''Bohemia cups'' (a domestic tournament) with Slavia, in 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, and 1935. His only international title came in 1938, when his club finally won the Mitropa Cup.

==National team==
Between Czechoslovakia,<ref>[http://www.fotbal.cz/c/nat/players/viewstat.asp?name=PlanickaFrantisek Football Association of the Czech Republic - national team statistics] - fotbal.cz</ref> a record that stood until 1966 when cap.<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/tsje-recintlp.html Czechoslovakia - Record of international players] -   RSSSF</ref> Plánička was the national team captain 37 times.<ref name="slavia_site" /><ref>Source: [http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1900-39/1933-34/MS193Cze1934.html England Football Online]</ref> His international debut was on Italy.

===1934 World Cup===
He helped the Czech team qualify to the 1934 World Cup, and was the captain in the finals. After Czechoslovakia beat Romania, Switzerland, and Germany, they played the final against hosts Italy, who also had one of the great goalkeepers of the time, Giampiero Combi, as its captain. The Czechs took the lead in the second half, but Raimundo Orsi's shot beat Plánička for the equalizer, sending the match to extra time, and then a goal by Angelo Schiavio gave the Italians the victory.