Igor Bališ

Who is Igor Bališ?

Igor Bališ is a former Slovakian footballer. Bališ played for West Bromwich Albion in England. He has also appeared for Spartak Trnava and Slovan Bratislava, as well as the Slovakia national team.

Bališ joined Albion in November 2000 for £150,00. He made his Albion debut on 23 December 2000, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–0 win against Nottingham Forest. Despite being a penalty specialist in international football he failed to convey this when arriving at West Brom and it was only later discovered that he was the international penalty taker for Slovakia. This came in useful when he converted a dramatic stoppage time penalty against Bradford City in the penultimate game of the 2001–02 season, which put Albion on the brink of promotion to the Premier League. After completing a season in the Premiership with Albion, Bališ quit the club and returned home to Slovakia, after suffering a recurrence of tinnitus. Balis is widely regarded as a cult hero at the Hawthorns, and is arguably their best right back of all time.