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===Liverpool===
Berger and his family settled in [[Southport]], Merseyside, where they resided near retired players [[Kenny Dalglish]] and [[Alan Hansen]].<ref name="Times">{{cite news | series = Sunday Times | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article1014298.ece | title = Berger shaping up for battle | date = 8 February 2004 |newspaper=The Times | accessdate =13 February 2008 | location=London}}</ref> Debuting as a substitute in a 2–1 home win against [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] on 7 September 1996, Berger performed well in his first month with the club, endearing him to supporters and earning praise from colleagues.<ref name="LFCTV"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.4thegame.com/club/liverpool-fc/news/16782/BERGER+SPARKS+LIVERPOOL+GOAL-RUSH.html | title = Berger Sparks Liverpool Goal-rush | date = 22 September 1996 | publisher = 4thegame.com | accessdate =14 February 2008 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080605024933/http://www.4thegame.com/club/liverpool-fc/news/16782/BERGER+SPARKS+LIVERPOOL+GOAL-RUSH.html |archivedate= 5 June 2008}}</ref> In his second match, he replaced [[Stan Collymore]] as half time substitute, going on to score two goals in a 3–0 win against [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]].<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/berger-strikes-twice-to-take-liverpool-top-1363512.html | title = Berger strikes twice to take Liverpool top |newspaper= The Independent | date = 16 September 1996 | accessdate =7 January 2014 | location=London}}</ref> A second double was registered against Chelsea in the latter's 5–1 defeat at Anfield, which he followed with a fifth goal in four matches in a [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|Cup Winners' Cup]] match against [[MYPA]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.4thegame.com/club/liverpool-fc/news/16790/BERGER+LOOKS+TO+INCREASE+HIS+TALLY.html | title = Berger looks to increase his tally | date = 29 September 1996 | publisher = 4thegame.com | accessdate =14 February 2008 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080605024938/http://www.4thegame.com/club/liverpool-fc/news/16790/BERGER+LOOKS+TO+INCREASE+HIS+TALLY.html |archivedate= 5 June 2008}}</ref> The series of displays were recognised in October 1996 with the [[Premier League Player of the Month|FA's Player of the Month]] award for September.<ref name="Player of the Month">{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211025934/http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=setSelectedId&nextPage=enNewsLatest&id=466965&type=com.fapl.website.news.NewsItem&categoryCode=NewsSpecialFeatures&breadcrumb=sfsub_breadcrumb |title=Carling Premiership Player of the Month 1996/97 |archivedate=11 December 2006 |url=http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=setSelectedId&nextPage=enNewsLatest&id=466965&type=com.fapl.website.news.NewsItem&categoryCode=NewsSpecialFeatures&breadcrumb=sfsub_breadcrumb |accessdate=3 October 2009 |publisher=Premier League |deadurl=yes |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
First-team opportunities became limited in Berger's second season. Despite scoring a [[hat-trick]] against [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] in October 1997,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/berger-hat-trick-has-gullit-singing-the-blues-again-1.376452 | title = Berger hat trick has Gullit singing the Blues again |newspaper=The Herald |location=Glasgow | accessdate =20 November 2013 | date = 6 October 1997}}</ref> he often found himself named as a substitute.<ref>{{cite news | last = Hetherington | first = Paul | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60646348.html | title = Football: You're in for a serious Czech-up |newspaper= Sunday Mirror |location=London | date = 15 November 1998 | accessdate =20 November 2013}}{{subscription required|via=Highbeam Research}}</ref> His dissatisfaction at manager [[Roy Evans]] placed his Liverpool career in jeopardy.<ref name="Hou">{{cite news | last = Hetherington | first = Paul | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60959528.html | title = Football: Berger relishing life without Roy; How Houllier Saved Red Star | newspaper= Sunday Mirror |location=London | date = 13 February 2000 | accessdate =24 November 2013}}{{subscription required|via=Highbeam Research}}</ref> Evans criticised Berger's perceived indifference to teamwork and publicly expressed a willingness to sell after he refused to be used as a substitute against [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] in March 1998.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-berger-and-liverpool-set-for-parting-of-the-ways-1149828.html | title = Football: Berger and Liverpool set for parting of the ways |newspaper=The Independent | date = 12 March 1998 | accessdate =3 February 2011 | location=London}}</ref> Berger was linked with a move away from Liverpool in May 1998, with Italian club [[A.S. Roma]], the manager of which was his countryman [[Zdeněk Zeman]], and Portuguese club [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] both mentioned as possible destinations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Berger linked with AS Roma|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19980523&id=ovVOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ABUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5080,548460|accessdate=24 November 2013|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=23 May 1998}}</ref> The appointment of [[Gérard Houllier]] as co-manager before the [[1998–99 Liverpool F.C. season|1998–99 season]] and subsequent departure of Evans proved to be pivotal in Berger's decision to remain with the club.<ref name="Hou"/>
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Berger represented the youth teams of Czechoslovakia from the under-15 level, working his way up through under-16, under-17 and under-18 between 1988 and 1991.<ref name=jerabek>[[#Jerabek|Jeřábek]], p. 18.</ref> For these junior teams he had a record of a total of six goals in 49 appearances.<ref name=jerabek/> During this time he won the [[1990 UEFA European Under-16 Championship]] with the under-16 team, scoring in the final against [[Yugoslavia national under-16 football team|Yugoslavia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/ec-u16-90.html|title=European U-16 Championship 1990|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation |accessdate=25 November 2013}}</ref>
Berger made his senior international debut on 23 March 1993 in a [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA - Group 4)|FIFA World Cup qualifier]] for [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] against [[Cyprus national football team|Cyprus]], which ended 1–1. In October 1995 he scored the second goal in a must-win qualification match for [[UEFA Euro 1996|Euro 1996]] against [[Belarus national football team|Belarus]], which the Czechs won 2–0.<ref>{{cite news
Berger was part of the Czech Republic team who took part in Euro 1996, being singled out as the only player in the squad with the potential to become a "major international star".<ref name=preeuro96/> In spite of this, [[Martin Frýdek]] was preferred to Berger in the starting lineup for the first match against [[Germany national football team|Germany]].<ref name="intl_retirement">{{cite news |url=http://fotbal.idnes.cz/berger-uz-nechce-hrat-za-narodni-tym-db3-/fot_reprez.aspx?c=A020318_214306_fot_reprez_bym|title=Berger už nechce hrát za národní tým|trans-title=Berger no longer wants to play for the national team|language=Czech |newspaper=Mladá fronta DNES |location=Prague|date=19 March 2002|accessdate=23 November 2012}}</ref> Berger went on to play in all of his nation's matches in the tournament, famously scoring in [[UEFA Euro 1996 Final|the final]] from the penalty spot to give the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] a 1–0 lead against Germany. However, the Czech Republic ultimately lost on the [[golden goal]] rule in extra time.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ian|last=Thomsen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/01/news/01iht-thom.t.html|title=Germany Wins Euro 96 With a 'Golden Goal'|newspaper=The New York Times|date=1 July 1996|accessdate=15 January 2014}}</ref>
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