Tomas Soucek is a professional soccer player who plays midfield for Premier League club West Ham United and is captain of the Czech Republic international team.
Soucek started in the Slavia Prague youth ranks aged 10 before being sent out on multiple loans.
However, a loan deal to West Ham United would cement a move to the Premier League, where he would become one of the best holding-midfielders in the division.
Soucek progressed through the ranks at Slavia Prague, and in 2014 he signed his first professional contract with the club.
Soucek was quickly moved on loan to Czech side Viktoria Zizkov. The midfielder played 14 games for the club during the 2014/15 campaign, however, despite finishing fourth, Zizkov were relegated due to ongoing debt.
Following impressive displays at Viktoria Zizkov, Soucek earned himself a place in the Slavia Prague starting 11 the following season. The midfielder played 31 times in all competitions for the Czech side in 2015/16, scoring seven and claiming one assist.
However, the arrival of new signing Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui forced him out of Prague and on loan to Slovan Liberec in January 2017.
💎 TOMÁŠ SOUČEK
— SK Slavia Prague EN (@slavia_eng) June 17, 2019
1⃣3⃣2⃣ games for Slavia, 2⃣8⃣ goals
2⃣ Czech titles, 2⃣ MOL Cup triumphs
🔝 Best Player of 2018/19 Czech League
2⃣0⃣ caps for Czech national team
➡️ New contract till 30 June 2024 ❗️#slaviaprague #soucek pic.twitter.com/jE0vHAahZL
Soucek returned to Slavia in the 2018 and helped the side win the Czech Cup final. The following season he played 49 matches, representing as club captain for five fixtures, scoring 18 and nine assists. Slavia Prague finished top of the Czech First League with 83 points, and won the Czech Cup again.
His impressive performances during the season earned Soucek the Czech Footballer of the Year award for 2019.
The midfielder helped rescue the Hammers from relegation, finishing in 16th place and five points from the drop. His performances in East London secured him a permanent move to the club.
In July 2020, Soucek signed for West Ham for a fee of £20million, and a month later he was awarded the Czech Golden Ball.
The Czech racked up 10 goals and one assist in the 2020/21 campaign, and was the club's joint top goal scorer with striker Michail Antonio.
Results against Spurs, Arsenal, and Manchester City helped West Ham achieve sixth place in the Premier League and qualification for the 2021/22 Europa League.
Soucek's performances won him Hammer of the Year, as well as the Czech Golden Ball for the second year in a row. He had become a crucial member of David Moyes' West Ham side.
Tomas Soucek represented the Czech Republic from Under-19 level before making his senior debut in November 2016 in a friendly against Denmark.
He has played over 45 times for the senior side, scoring eight, three of those came in a 6-2 World Cup Qualifying win against Estonia.
Soucek played in all six of Czech Republic's EURO 2020 fixtures, before they were knocked out by Denmark in the quarter-finals.
Soucek is married to Natalia, and the couple have a daughter called Terezka.
His father, Frantisek, is reportedly the driving force behind Soucek reaching it as a professional.
Tomas Soucek's net worth is reported to be £4.4million.
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