After his eye-popping 50-yard strike during the Czech Republic’s 2-0 win against Scotland on Monday, there’s a hope that Euro 2020 could be third time lucky for Patrik Schick, a talented striker who has been frustrated whenever his career has looked ready to take off.
The breakthrough for the Sparta Prague graduate first looked poised to come in the summer of 2017. On the eve of the European Under-21 Championship in Poland, Juventus tabled a €30m (about £26m) bid off the back of a solid debut season with Sampdoria.
A medical raised concerns of a possible heart condition, which though later dispelled, were enough for the Italian champions to back out.
Instead, Roma became his destination, and another chance to make his mark at an elite club.
This time, it was an external obstacle blocking his path, in the form of the giant former Manchester City striker, Edin Dzeko. With Roma boss Eusebio Di Francesco preferring to play with only one striker, his two years at the Stadio Olimpico brought limited playing time and only five Serie A goals.
Now a regular starter and scorer at Bayer Leverkusen, via a run to the Champions League semi-final with RB Leipzig, the 25-year-old finally has a reputation at club level to live up to on the international stage.
“I cried watching him when he scored against Scotland,” says David Holoubek, the coach who nurtured Schick through the youth ranks at Sparta. “It was such an intense moment for me, because he is such a good friend to me. That day is something I will not forget.”
Schick first came to Sparta aged 11. Strong and tall, he stood out from his first days at the club, but his success has by and large been a surprise to those who knew him then.
“Patrik is very, very intelligent, but his progress has been very step-by-step,” says Holoubek. “It’s something that more young players in our country should be ready to embrace.
“He had a modest start with us at Sparta and then on loan at Bohemians, but then going to Serie A came too soon. It wasn’t the right move at the right time.”
Monday’s win over Scotland at Hampden Park in their Euro 2020 opener was the first tournament success the Czechs had enjoyed since beating Poland at Euro 2012.
This has been a slump by the high standards the country set itself in its first years after independence, with the “golden generation” of Patrik Berger, Karel Poborsky and Pavel Nedved, a fading memory. The team that took Germany to extra time at Wembley in the final of Euro 96 feels like it played in a different lifetime.
Now, the country has begun to deal again in successful exports. With 6ft 2in Schick drawing inevitable comparisons to the great Jan Koller up front, and the midfield pair Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, so impressive this season for West Ham United, driving the new-look national team, there is reason to believe the country has remembered how to produce stars.
“It’s important for young players, particularly in a country like the Czech Republic, for them to progress steadily,” says Holoubek. “This is what Patrik has done, mostly. If you go too fast, then this isn’t the best thing. We saw this at Roma.
“In Serie A, it was tough for him because over there he was only third of fourth striker for Roma. They had players, particularly Dzeko, that he wasn’t ready to get in front of. It was hard, and probably it was too hard.
“But his next step to the Bundesliga has been much more appropriate for him. Bayer Leverkusen is what I would call a more normal club, and it suits where he is in his development.
“He’s very special. But right now, somewhere like the Premier League wouldn’t be the best thing. He likes technical football, and for that he needs to be in the European leagues. La Liga would be perfect for Patrik.”
More from i on Euro 2020
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt could change the face of football sponsorship
- In praise of Emma Hayes, the best pundit at Euro 2020 so far
- Eriksen collapse has thrown a spotlight on football’s relentless thirst for more
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3iSok7c
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