Out of all the footballers that the Czech Republic have produced, Pavel Nedved will go down as one of its greatest.

Celebrating his 44th birthday, the talented and versatile midfielder enjoyed an illustrious playing career.

Having dazzled for Sparta Prague, he moved to Lazio in 1996 and soon became an integral part of the side. In Rome, he claimed seven trophies including the Serie A , UEFA Cup Winners Cup and Coppa Italia.

His exploits saw Italian giants Juventus take him on board in a €41m deal and continued to be a threat, scoring 51 times in 247 appearances. He got his hands on more silverware – two Serie As and Supercoppa Italia trophies.

During his 12-year international career, he was a runner-up in the 1996 Euros, making 91 appearances and won numerous awards including 2003 European Footballer of the Year.

Other sports stars celebrating their birthday:

1943: Jean-Claude Killy, won all three Alphin golds at the 1968 Winter Olympics. (73)

1982: Andy Roddick, 200 US Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up in 2004, 2005 and 2009. (34)

1984: Anthony Ireland, Middlesex seamer and former Zimbabwe one-day international. (32)

1985: Leisel Jones, Australian nine-time Olympic medallist swimmer, who won three gold medals. (31)