Tomáš Souček
Soucek playing for West Ham United in 2021
Personal information
Full name Tomáš Souček[1]
Date of birth (1995-02-27) 27 February 1995
Place of birth Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 West Ham United
Number 28
Youth career
Slovan Havlíčkův Brod
2005–2014 Slavia Prague
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2020 Slavia Prague 114 (31)
2015 → Viktoria Žižkov (loan) 14 (0)
2017 → Slovan Liberec (loan) 12 (0)
2020 → West Ham United (loan) 13 (3)
2020– West Ham United 170 (27)
International career‡
2013–2014 Czech Republic U19 9 (0)
2015 Czech Republic U20 1 (0)
2016–2017 Czech Republic U21 13 (2)
2016– Czech Republic 66 (12)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:28, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:39, 20 November 2023 (UTC)

Tomáš Souček (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtomaːʃ ˈsoutʃɛk]; born 27 February 1995) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club West Ham United and captains the Czech Republic national team.

Club career

Slavia Prague

Souček joined Slavia Prague’s youth team as a 10-year old,[3] after joining from hometown club Slovan Havlíčkův Brod. Slovan Havlíčkův Brod subsequently netted £1.5 million following Souček's transfer to West Ham United in 2020, covering their running costs for the next ten years.[4] He had trials with two second-tier clubs, Frýdek-Místek and Vlašim, but they did not want to sign him.[3] Viktoria Žižkov’s manager, Jindřich Trpišovský, watched Souček play and was not convinced of his ability but was persuaded to take him on a loan costing nothing to the club.[3] Souček made his league debut on 8 March 2015 in Viktoria Žižkov's 1–2 Czech National Football League home loss against FC Fastav Zlín. He scored his first league goal on 16 August 2015 in Slavia Prague's 4–0 home win against FC Vysočina Jihlava.

Souček broke into the Slavia Prague first team in 2015 and played 29 out of 30 league matches in the 2015–16 Czech First League for them. However, in the 2016–17 season, his position in the first team was lost due to the arrival of Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui and Souček played only 93 minutes in three months between September and December 2016.[5] He went on loan to Slovan Liberec during the winter transfer window, reuniting with former manager Trpišovský, who later managed Souček at Slavia Prague, following his appointment in December 2017.[6]

On 9 May 2018, he played as Slavia Prague won the 2017–18 Czech Cup final against Jablonec.[7]

In the 2018–19 season, he won the domestic double with Slavia Prague and was awarded the Czech First League Player of the Year award.[8] On 17 June 2019, Souček extended his contract with Slavia Prague until 2024.[9]

West Ham United

On 29 January 2020, Souček joined Premier League side West Ham United on an initial loan deal until the end of the 2019–20 season, with an option to make the transfer permanent in the summer.[10] On 1 July, he scored his first goal for West Ham in a 3–2 win against Chelsea, having had a goal disallowed earlier in the same half by VAR.[11] In West Ham's following league match, he scored again to give his team a 2–1 lead against Newcastle United, in an eventual 2–2 away draw.[12] West Ham announced the permanent signing of Souček on 24 July 2020 on a four-year contract, for a fee of around €21 million (£19 million).[13] In August 2020, he was awarded the Czech Golden Ball.[14]

On 1 January 2021, Souček scored the first Premier League goal of 2021 as West Ham beat Everton 1–0 at Goodison Park.[15] During added time in a game against Fulham on 6 February, Souček was controversially sent off upon review after VAR appeared to show him strike Aleksandar Mitrović in the face; referee Mike Dean's decision was criticised by many of Souček's teammates, manager David Moyes and a number of pundits who protested Souček's innocence.[16][17] West Ham launched an appeal to have the decision overturned in the aftermath.[18] On 8 February, the red card was rescinded.[19] He finished the 2020–21 season as joint top scorer, with Michail Antonio, both having scored ten goals.[20] Souček's exploits during the 2020–21 season won him the Hammer of the Year award.[21] On 7 June 2023, Souček played in the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final, against Fiorentina in Prague. West Ham won their first trophy in 43 years with a 2–1 victory.[22] On 1 January 2024, he signed a new contract until 2027.[23]

International career

After representing the Czech Republic in several youth categories, Souček made his debut for the senior side on 15 November 2016 in a friendly match against Denmark. He made his competitive debut on 10 June 2017, in Czech Republic's 1–1 away draw against Norway in a 2018 World Cup qualifier. Souček appeared in all three matches of the Czech Republic under-21 team in the 2017 UEFA Under-21 Championship.[24]

On 24 March 2021, Souček scored a hat-trick in a 6–2 World Cup qualifying win against Estonia.[25] He was a member of the Czech Republic squad for Euro 2020 which was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Denmark.[26][27] Following the tournament, Souček was confirmed as the new captain of the Czech Republic, after Vladimír Darida's retirement from international football.[28]

Style of play

Souček has built a reputation as an energetic box-to-box midfielder with both defensive and attacking qualities.[10] He is also known for his strong physical presence thanks to his 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) frame.[10] He was likened to Marouane Fellaini by José Mourinho due to his heading ability from set-pieces.[29]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 2 January 2024[30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Slavia Prague 2015–16 Czech First League 29720———317
2016–17 Czech First League 7010—5[lower-alpha 3]0—130
2017–18 Czech First League 27340—8[lower-alpha 4]0—393
2018–19 Czech First League 341323—13[lower-alpha 5]2—4918
2019–20 Czech First League 17800—8[lower-alpha 6]21[lower-alpha 7]22612
Total 1143193—3441215840
Viktoria Žižkov (loan) 2014–15 Czech Second League 14000———140
Slovan Liberec (loan) 2016–17 Czech First League 12010———130
West Ham United (loan) 2019–20[31] Premier League 133————133
West Ham United 2020–21[32] Premier League 38103000——4110
2021–22[33] Premier League 355302011[lower-alpha 3]1—516
2022–23[34] Premier League 362300011[lower-alpha 8]1—503
2023–24[35] Premier League 19500316[lower-alpha 3]2—288
Total 1412590512840018330
Career total 28056193516281237270
  1. ↑ Includes Czech Cup, FA Cup
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup
  3. 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, eleven appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
  6. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  7. ↑ Appearance in Czechoslovak Supercup
  8. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 20 November 2023[36]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Czech Republic 201610
201771
201881
201991
202051
2021164
2022101
2023103
Total6612
Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Souček goal.[37]
List of international goals scored by Tomáš Souček
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
18 November 2017Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar Iceland1–02–1Friendly
210 September 2018Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don, Russia Russia1–31–5
310 September 2019Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro Montenegro1–03–0UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
418 November 2020Doosan Arena, Plzeň, Czech Republic Slovakia1–02–02020–21 UEFA Nations League B
524 March 2021Arena Lublin, Lublin, Poland Estonia3–16–22022 FIFA World Cup qualification
64–1
75–1
811 November 2021Andrův stadion, Olomouc, Czech Republic Kuwait4–07–0Friendly
929 March 2022Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales Wales1–01–1
1015 October 2023Doosan Arena, Plzeň, Czechia Faroe Islands1–01–0UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
1117 November 2023Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland Poland1–11–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
1220 November 2023Andrův stadion, Olomouc, Czech Republic Moldova3–03–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

Slavia Prague[38]

West Ham United

Czech Republic

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "2020/21 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Tomáš Souček". West Ham United F.C. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "'He just wasn't good enough' - Soucek's rise" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ↑ "Tomas Soucek's boyhood club 'bank £1.5m from West Ham transfer' which will cover budget for a decade". Evening Standard. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "RENTGEN: Štít Ngadeu? Řešení z nouze, které nyní táhne Slavii". iSport.cz. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Mám se vrátit do Slavie, víc neřeším, říká Souček před odletem na Euro". iDNES.cz. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "Jablonec 1–1 Slavia Prague - Liga 2017/2018". footballdatabase.eu. Football Database. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Nejlepším hráčem sezony je záložník Souček, koučem Trpišovský". iDNES.cz. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  9. ↑ "Slavia roste, Tvrdík z toho někdy nespí. Cílem je LM i skončit bez ztráty". iSport.cz. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "West Ham United complete loan signing of Czech midfielder Tomáš Souček". West Ham United FC. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "West Ham 3-2 Chelsea: Yarmolenko hits injury-time winner". 1 July 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. ↑ Edwards, Luke; Bull, J. J. (5 July 2020). "West Ham remain in relegation trouble after twice throwing away lead against Newcastle". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "West Ham United complete €21m permanent Tomáš Souček transfer". West Ham United. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "Záložník Souček poprvé vyhrál anketu Zlatý míč ČR o fotbalistu sezony". ksn.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  15. ↑ "Soucek scores first goal of 2021, West Ham beats Everton". SportsNet. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "Soucek red card 'embarrassing' - Moyes" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  17. ↑ "Fulham 0-0 West Ham: Tomas Soucek sent off late on as Hammers miss top-four chance". Sky Sports.
  18. ↑ "West Ham United appeal Tomáš Souček red card". West Ham United.
  19. ↑ "Dean notifies police over death threats" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  20. ↑ "West Ham United FC Statistics". Premier League.
  21. 1 2 "West Ham United supporters crown Tomáš Souček 2020/21 Betway Hammer of the Year!". West Ham United F.C. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  22. ↑ "Jarrod Bowen strikes at the last to earn Conference League glory for West Ham". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "'I feel that this is my home now' - Soucek signs until 2027". BBC Sport. 1 January 2024.
  24. ↑ "Tomáš Souček | Reprezentace | FOTBAL.CZ". Fotbal.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  25. ↑ "Estonia 2–6 Czech Republic: Tomas Soucek scores hat-trick in comfortable win". BBC Sport. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  26. ↑ "Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček called up by Czech Republic for UEFA Euro 2020". West Ham United. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  27. ↑ "Czech Republic 1-2 Denmark". BBC Sport. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  28. ↑ "Souček si užívá dovolenou a těší se na roli kapitána: Možná bude víc rozhovorů". Deník (in Czech). 14 July 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  29. ↑ "Jose Mourinho: West Ham lucky to draw; David Moyes has found his 'new Marouane Fellaini' in Tomas Soucek". Skysports. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  30. ↑ "T. Souček". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  31. ↑ "Games played by Tomáš Souček in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  32. ↑ "Games played by Tomáš Souček in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  33. ↑ "Games played by Tomáš Souček in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  34. ↑ "Games played by Tomáš Souček in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  35. ↑ "Games played by Tomáš Souček in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  36. ↑ "Tomáš Souček". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  37. ↑ "Souček, Tomáš". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  38. ↑ "In Profile – Tomáš Souček". West Ham United FC. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  39. ↑ "TREBLE | Czechoslovak Supercup for Slavia". SK Slavia Prague. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  40. ↑ Stone, Simon (7 June 2023). "Fiorentina 1–2 West Ham United: Jarrod Bowen goal decides Europa Conference League final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  41. ↑ "China PR vs. Czech Republic". soccerway.com. Soccerway. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  42. ↑ @fortunaligacz (22 May 2019). "Nejlepším záložníkem Tomáš Souček ze @slaviaofficial🔴⚪️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  43. ↑ "Souček jasným KRÁLEM! Záložník se po skvělé sezoně stal Fotbalistou roku". Blesk (in Czech). Czech News Center. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  44. ↑ "Souček znovu králem českého fotbalu, Trpišovský nejlepším trenérem, Zima největším talentem". sport.cz (in Czech). Právo. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  45. ↑ "Záložník Souček poprvé vyhrál anketu Zlatý míč ČR o fotbalistu sezony". ksn.cz (in Czech). KSN. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  46. ↑ "Souček získal podruhé Zlatý míč. A zase s rekordním náskokem". sport.cz (in Czech). Právo. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  47. ↑ Dosadil, Pavel (12 June 2023). "Souček vyfoukl Barákovi další trofej. O Zlatém míči rozhodl jediný bod!". sport.cz (in Czech). Právo. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  48. ↑ "Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal presented with diplomatic award for promoting Czech/UK relations". West Ham United F.C. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
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