He was born on February 18th, 1936, in Ružomberok. He began playing football in his hometown, and thanks to his exceptional diligence and talent, he joined a senior team while still an adolescent. He also excelled in several other sports.
After arriving in Bratislava to pursue his university studies, he joined Slovan Bratislava and, in 1955, won the championship title as the youngest member of the squad. He spent nine years at Tehelné pole – nearly his entire playing career – and, in addition to the championship title, he also won the Czechoslovak Cup twice.
In 1966, he went to Australia, where he began his distinguished coaching career and improved his English—skills that later opened the door to the world of top-level football. He led the Australian national team and immersed himself in the latest academic research on coaching methodology, returning home as a well-educated and forward-thinking coach. Among other innovations, he introduced high-altitude training.
After returning, he took over the mediocre club VSS Košice and led them to become vice- champions of Czechoslovakia. He also guided the national under-23 team to gold medals at the 1972 European Championship. His greatest club successes came with his Slovan Bratislava, which dominated Czechoslovak football in the mid-1970s and whose players formed the core of the golden team at the 1976 European Championship. Jozef Vengloš, then assistant to Václav Ježek, also helped lead the senior national team to the title of European champions. In addition to all of this, he consistently worked as a university lecturer.
In 1978, Jozef Vengloš succeeded his older colleague as head coach of the national team and, two years later, won bronze at the 1980 European Championship in Italy. He also led the national team at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, but after an underwhelming performance, he was forced to step down. He then became the coach of Sporting Lisbon, followed by FC Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian national team.
Another successful chapter in his coaching career came at the end of the 1980s, when he returned as the head coach of the Czechoslovak national team. He led the team to the 1990 World Cup, where his players fought their way to the quarter-finals. Later, he was offered the chance to manage English club Aston Villa, becoming the first non-British coach in the English top flight. This paved the way for other coaches from continental Europe. Additionally, he introduced new methods in training and lifestyle.
This was followed by a stint at another major club, Fenerbahçe Istanbul, and then a return to the national bench – this time in Slovakia – where he had the challenging task of building the Slovak national team from the ground up. He also worked with the national team of Oman and, in the late 1990s, at Celtic Glasgow, where he notably brought in Ľubomír Moravčík.
Vengloš is fondly remembered by Celtic fans for his famous derby victory over Rangers. His final coaching role was with Japanese side JEF United Ichihara.
Master of Sport (1965), Exemplary Coach (1972), Meritorious Coach (1976), Order of Labour (1976), UNESCO Fair-play Award (1993), SOV Fair-play Award (1993), Ivan Chodák, MD. Fair-play Award (1997), 1st place in the Slovak Coach 20. Century (2000), Crystal Wing in the category of sport (2001), SOV Silver Circles (2003), Golden Badge of the Slovak Football Association (2006), FIFA Medal of Merit (2006), UEFA Diamond Order of Merit (2007), Golden Badge of the Slovak Football Association (2011), Honorary Member of the Slovak Football Association (2012), Honorary Member of the Slovak Football Association (2012), FIFA´s highest honour Order of Merit (2014), member of the Slovak Football Hall of Fame (2016).
