Bořek Dočkal (born 30 September 1988) is a Czech former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

and captained

Sparta Prague Athletic Club Sparta Praha (), commonly known as Sparta Prague and Sparta Praha, is a professional football club based in Prague. It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic and one of the most successful in central Europe, winning t ...

. Outside of his native Czech Republic, he played club football in Turkey, Norway, China, and the United States. Dočkal represented Czech Republic at international level, serving as captain at both

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

and senior levels.

Club career

Early career

Dočkal began his football career in

Poděbrady Poděbrady (; ) is a spa town in Nymburk District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Elbe River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument ...

and moved to

Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in t ...

at the age of 10. He went through all the youth teams of Slavia and made his first team debut against

SK Kladno Sportovní klub Kladno, commonly known as SK Kladno, is a football club from Kladno, Czech Republic. It plays in the Bohemian Football League (third tier of the Czech football system). The club was founded on 15 February 1903. The team plays at ...

. Dočkal scored his first goal for Slavia in his third match against

FK Teplice FK Teplice is a Czech professional football club based in the city of Teplice. The club competes in Czech First League, the top tier of Czech football. The club was founded after World War II in 1945. The club advanced to the Czechoslovak First ...

and was sent on a loan to

Czech First League The Czech First League () also known as the Chance Liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Czech Republic and the highest level of the Czech Republic football league system. Seasons typically run from A ...

side Slovan Liberec in winter 2008, where he signed a contract several months later. Dočkal went on a year loan to

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

side

Konyaspor Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club), commonly referred to as Konyaspor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya, one of the largest cities in central Anatolia. Due to sponsorship agreements, the club is also officially known ...

in July 2010.

Rosenborg

In August 2011, Dočkal signed a long-term contract with Norwegian side Rosenborg. He contributed with one assist in his first game, where Rosenborg won 3–1 against rivals

Molde Molde () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the seat of Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...

. During the

2012–13 UEFA Europa League The 2012–13 UEFA Europa League was the 42nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 4th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played at the Amsterdam Are ...

, Dočkal scored 7 goals in 12 matches (6 goals in 7 games over the course of the preliminary stages), including a dramatic injury-time goal against Kazakh club

FC Ordabasy FC Ordabasy () is a professional association football, football club from Kazakhstan based at the Kazhimukan Munaitpasov Stadium (Shymkent), Kazhimukan Munaitpasov Stadium in Shymkent. Ordabasy was formed in 1949, following the merger of two exi ...

on 26 July 2012, to propel nine-man Rosenborg to a 4–3 aggregate victory. After two years with Rosenborg, during which Dočkal scored 14 goals in 55 league matches, he returned to the Czech Republic in August 2013, signing a three-year contract with

Henan Jianye

In February 2017, Dočkal secured a transfer from Sparta Prague to

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

club

Henan Jianye Henan Football Club (), currently known as Henan F.C. Jiuzu Dukang () for sponsorship reasons, is a Chinese professional football club based in Zhengzhou, Henan, that competes in . Henan plays their home matches at the Hanghai Stadium, located wi ...

. The transfer was reported in the range of €8.5 million, among the highest recorded for the Czech top division. Dočkal made 23 starts and scored four goals during the 2017 season.

Loan to Philadelphia Union

In February 2018, Dočkal signed a loan move with the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

as the team's third designated player. After a few matches with his new team, Dočkal's first goal was a game-winner for the Union against D.C. United. Dočkal proved to be successful in Philadelphia, earning the Union's most valuable player for the season and setting the record for most assists for a season, and lead

in assists for the 2018 season.

Return to Sparta Prague

In February 2019, Dočkal returned to

. He announced his retirement from professional football in May 2022.

International career

Dočkal was the captain of the Czech U-21 team. He represented the team at the

2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 18th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Denmark between 11 and 25 June 2011. The Danish bid was chosen by UEFA's Executive Committee on 10 De ...

. Dočkal debuted for the Czech senior squad against

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

in November 2012. With the introduction of

2018–19 UEFA Nations League The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The league phase of the competition ...

, he became captain and made two assists in another match against Slovakia.

Career statistics

Club

International goals

:''Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dočkal goal''.

Honours

Individual

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

top assist provider:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dockal, Borek 1988 births Living people People from Městec Králové Czech men's footballers Czech Republic men's youth international footballers Czech Republic men's under-21 international footballers Czech Republic men's international footballers Men's association football midfielders SK Slavia Prague players SK Kladno players FC Slovan Liberec players Konyaspor footballers Rosenborg BK players AC Sparta Prague players Henan F.C. players Philadelphia Union players Czech First League players Süper Lig players Eliteserien players Chinese Super League players Major League Soccer players Czech expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Norway Expatriate men's footballers in China UEFA Euro 2016 players Czech expatriate sportspeople in China Czech expatriate sportspeople in Norway Czech expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Designated Players (MLS) Czech expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Footballers from the Central Bohemian Region 21st-century Czech sportsmen