Tomáš Souček

Slavia Prague

Souček joined Slavia Prague's youth team at 10 years old, 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. He had trials with two-second-tier clubs, Frýdek-Místek and Vlašim, but they did not want to sign him. 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. 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. After returning to Slavia, 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. 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. On 9 May 2018, he played as Slavia Prague won the 2017–18 Czech Cup final against Jablonec. In the 2018–19…

Souček appeared in all three matches of the Czech Republic under-21 team in the 2017 UEFA Under-21 Championship. After representing the Czech Republic in several youth categories, Souček debuted for the senior team 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. On 24 March 2021, Souček scored a hat-trick in a 6–2 World Cup qualifying win against Estonia. He was a member of the Czech Republic squad for Euro 2020 where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Denmark. Following the tournament, Souček was confirmed as the new captain of the Czech Republic, after Vladimír Darida's retirement from international football. In May 2024, Souček was named as a member of the Czech Republic squad for Euro 2024. In 2025, Souček was selected for 2026 World Cup qualification. On 9 June against Croatia, his goal put the match level at 1–1, yet Czechia would go on to lose 5-1. Souček's second goal of the tournament was the fifth of six goals his team would score in a 6–0 victory against Gibraltar on 17 November. The Czechs ultimately finished second in their group, allowing them to advance to the second qualifying round. Souček was later stripped of captaincy, accused of ignoring Czech fans after the victory against Gibraltar. On 31 May 2026, Souček was selected to the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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

On 18 March 2025 Souček was named Czech Footballer of the Year for the fourth time, equalling Pavel Nedvěd's record and trailing only Petr Čech's nine awards. In 2024, Souček scored six goals for West Ham, and played 11 matches for the national team, scoring twice. He was instrumental in leading the Czechs to the elite division of the UEFA Nations League. Reflecting on his achievements, Souček expressed gratitude for being considered a role model and emphasised his ambition to continue scoring and inspiring young players.