Marek Matějovský

Early career and Mladá Boleslav

Matějovský started his football career at the age of five with Slavoj Stará Boleslav, progressing to Alfa Brandýs nad Labem at the age of 13. After turning 18, he signed professional terms with FK Mladá Boleslav for the 1999–2000 season, who were then playing in the Czech 2. Liga. In the spring of 2001, he switched to Czech First League team Jablonec, but returned to Mladá Boleslav in January 2003. After settling back into the team, he helped them win promotion to the Czech First League for the start of the 2004–05 season, where they remained for the rest of Matějovský's stay at the club. He was promoted to captain of Mladá Boleslav at the start of the 2005–06 season.

Reading

Matějovský's performances in the Czech Republic alerted big clubs elsewhere in Europe to his ability, and he was linked with moves to Liverpool, Hamburg and Steaua Bucharest. However, it was announced on 7 January 2008 that Reading had signed Matějovský on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £1.42 million. Nick Hammond said, "Marek is primarily a central midfield player but he is also capable of playing in both wide positions or behind the strikers – he is a player we have been following for some time, and when the opportunity arose to sign him it was too good to turn down." Brian McDermott kept an eye on him for roughly 18 months, and had seen him in action a number of times. He said "He's captain of his club,…

Matějovský was capped 15 times by the Czech Republic national football team. Karel Brückner first called him up as a replacement for the injured David Jarolím for the Czech Republic's Euro 2008 qualifier against Wales on 2 September 2006, but had to wait until 7 February 2007 to make his international debut as a 70th-minute substitute in a friendly with Belgium, coming on for Tomáš Galásek and assisting the second goal in a 2–0 win. He scored his only international goal in the Czech Republic's 3–0 win over Germany in Munich, also hitting the post, to cement their place at Euro 2008. He started the second and third group games at the Euro 2008 but was taken off with an injury against Turkey.

As of match played 28 July 2015

International

International goals

Matějovský married in the summer of 2007. Outside football, he is also a keen ice hockey player.