The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is the Czech Republic. After the split of Czechoslovakia in 1992, the Czech Republic inherited the former nation’s footballing records while Slovakia began as a new nation.
According to the Premier League website, 26 players have represented the Czech Republic in the Premier League, including one on the opening weekend of the very first season.
First Player – Jan Stejskal (Queens Park Rangers; 1992-94)
A popular figure from his time in England, Jan Stejskal was Queens Park Rangers’ first-choice goalkeeper for much of the early 1990s.
Though he struggled with the language and the 1992 introduction of the back pass rule, Stejskal was a fearsome shot-stopper. He started QPR’s first game of the 1992/93 season against Manchester City, becoming the first player to represent the Czech Republic in the newly renamed competition.
Stejskal appeared for Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, playing every minute of the former nation’s run to the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup.
Most Appearances: Petr Čech – 443 (Chelsea, Arsenal; 2004-19)
A Premier League legend. Not only did Petr Čech make the most Premier League appearances of any Czech, but he also holds the record for the most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in the competition (202).
Čech was signed by Claudio Ranieri, but the Italian had been replaced as Chelsea manager by Jose Mourinho by the time Cech moved in the summer of 2004. Under Mourinho, Čech was the final line of defence in the meanest defensive unit in Premier League history, conceding a miserly 15 league goals as the Blues romped to the title.
After three further league titles, four FA Cups and the 2011/12 Champions League; to name just a few trophies, Čech moved to Arsenal in 2015. He remained with the Gunners until his retirement in 2019.
Top Scorer: Patrik Berger – 38 (Liverpool, Portsmouth, Aston Villa; 1996-2008)
Older Premier League fans will remember the site of Patrik Berger’s shoulder-length hair flying around after the midfielder belted in a trademark long-range effort for Liverpool.
Berger played for Liverpool for seven years, and though he later moved to Portsmouth and Aston Villa, recurring injury problems meant we did not get to see the best of him in his final years in England.
Still, his total of 38 goals remains a record for a Czech player and his best haul of nine in 1999/2000 saw him just two shy of the Reds top scorer Michael Owen.
Current Players
Two Czechs appeared in the Premier League in 2019/20. Burnley’s Matěj Vydra was joined in January by Tomáš Souček, who was on loan at West Ham from Slavia Prague.
Trivia
- The three most capped Czechs of all time all played in the Premier League – Petr Čech (124), Karel Poborský (118) and Tomáš Rosický (105).
- Since the split of Czechoslovakia in 1992, the Czech Republic have qualified for every single European Championships, but only one World Cup Finals tournament.
- Patrik Berger and Milan Baroš are the only Czechs to have scored a Premier League hat-trick, each doing so for Liverpool.
- Three Czechs have won the Premier League – Petr Čech (x4), Jiří Jarošík (Chelsea, 2004/05), Karel Poborský (Man United 1996/97).
