Mintál voted Slovakian Superliga's best since '93

Marek Mintál has been voted the Slovakian Superliga's best player of the last 20 years.

The former MŠK Žilina midfielder, now retired, topped an online poll of supporters after seven of the country's football experts produced a list of ten nominees. The fans also voted for their best XI from the last 20 years with the experts nominating three players for each position, each of whom had to have made at least 130 starts in the Slovak top flight.

Mintál, 36, fired Žilina to the league title in 2001/02 and 2002/03, finishing as top scorer in the division on each occasion with 21 and 20 goals respectively. In 2004 and 2005 he was named Slovakian footballer of the year and struck 14 international goals in his career.

Speaking at a gala evening in Bratislava, the 45-cap international said: "I am very happy to have won given the players Slovakian football has produced. Over the years I have met a lot of fantastic players and it was an honour to play against them. Thanks for all the votes."

Mintál is now assistant coach to Valérien Ismaël at 1. FC Nurnberg, where he won the 2007 German Cup in an eight-season stay that ended when he left for Hansa Rostock in summer 2011.

Róbert Vittek, meanwhile, was honoured as the best Slovakian player of the 2013/14 season for a campaign in which his 12 goals helped ŠK Slovan Bratislava to the championship. FK Dukla Banská Bystrica's 18-year-old midfielder Martin Chrien received the talent of the year accolade.

Superliga team of the last 20 years (1993−2013)
Goalkeeper: Miroslav König
Defenders: Ladislav Pecko, Dušan Tittel, Stanislav Varga, Vladimír Kinder
Midfielders: Samuel Slovák, Miroslav Karhan, Ján Kozák Jr, Marek Ujlaky
Forwards: Marek Mintál, Szilárd Németh
Coach: Vladimír Weiss