Miroslav Stoch (born 19 October 1989) is a Slovak 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 ...

, who currently plays as a winger for Motorlet Prague and competed for the Slovakia national team. He has earned 60 caps for Slovakia since his debut in 2009, and was included in their squad for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

and

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

. On 7 January 2013, he won the

FIFA Puskás Award The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...

for the best goal of 2012, ahead of

Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and renowned ...

and Radamel Falcao.

Club career

Early career and Chelsea

Stoch's father realized his talent at an early age and placed him with his local club's academy

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...

. His hard work paid off as he was drafted into Nitra's first team after scoring a hat-trick in an under-17 match, at only 15 years old. Due to age restrictions in the

Slovak First League The Slovak Super Liga is the top level football league in Slovakia, currently known as the Fortuna Liga due to a sponsorship arrangement. It was formed in 1993 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The record for most titles is eleven, ...

, he could not play until his 16th birthday. He made his first-team debut at the age of 16 and by this time he was already being watched by European

scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

had scouts in one of the international competitions he played in and offered him a trial around the same time that

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

was about to sign him. He duly impressed and was signed by Chelsea's youth academy in 2006. He was a regular for the under-18s in the 2006–07 season and scored 11 goals. He ended the season as top scorer for the under-18s even though he had always played on the wing. He started the 2007–08 season well and quickly progressed to the reserve team. Stoch himself stated that he was close to making his first-team debut and hoped to do so during the course of the 2007–08 season although he did not. Stoch finally made his first appearance as a substitute on 30 November 2008 against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. He replaced

Deco Anderson Luís de Souza (born 27 August 1977), known as Deco (), is a retired professional footballer who primarily played as an attacking or central midfielder. Born and raised in Brazil, he acquired Portuguese citizenship and played for Po ...

after 80 minutes.

lost the game 1–2. Stoch made his second appearance for the first-team, replacing

Mikel John Obi Mikel John Obi (born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna; 22 April 1987) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at th ...

in the 82nd minute, in

's 2–1 comeback win over Stoke City, playing a major part in the lead-up to Chelsea's second goal. Stoch again came on for Mikel against

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

fifth round with

1–0 down with 20 minutes. The game finished 3–1 to

Twente

On 16 July 2009,

Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Ge ...

signed Stoch on loan from

. Stoch made his first

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

appearance against Sparta Rotterdam. He scored both goals in the 2–0 win over

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...

on 20 September 2009. Stoch then scored an impressive opening goal from long-distance, in the 4–0 win against

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

on 25 October 2009. Stoch continued his impressive scoring record for

by scoring and getting an assist in the 2–1 win over

Roda Roda may refer to: Places *Stadtroda (called Roda until 1925), a town in Thuringia, Germany *Roda, Greece, a village in Corfu, Greece * Roda, Punjab, a town and Union Council of Punjab, Pakistan *Roda, Portugal, a village in Viseu district, Portu ...

on 31 October 2009. In

De Grolsch Veste De Grolsch Veste (, en, The Grolsch Fortress, previously known as ''Arke Stadion'' ) is the stadium of football club FC Twente. It is located in Enschede, Netherlands, at the Business & Science Park, near the University of Twente. The stadium ...

league game against NAC Breda, which

won 3–1, Stoch scored two goals to propel the team to victory, after

fell behind by a goal. On 2 May 2010, he made the winning goal against NAC Breda,

won the match 2–0 in an away game which made

the champion of the Eredivisie for the first time. Stoch ended the season with 10 league goals (12 in all competitions), having started almost every competitive match for

Fenerbahçe

Stoch joined Turkish team Fenerbahçe on 11 June 2010 on a four-year deal for a fee of €5.5 million. On 28 July 2010, he scored his debut goal for the club in a Champions League match against Young Boys in

Third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

and Fenerbahçe draw the match with score 2–2 at Stade de Suisse on

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

. Fenerbahçe won the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

title in 2010–11, for a record 18th time, with Stoch contributing two goals. Fenerbahçe gave Stoch a two-year contract extension in 2012. Stoch is contracted to the club until 2015–16, making €1.75 million and €15000 per match in 2012–13. He would earn €1.75 million in addition to €16000 per game in 2013–14, €1.8 million plus €16000 per match in 2014–15 and €1.9 million as well as €17000 per game in 2015–16. In 2013, he won goal of the year 2012 against Gençlerbirliği on

in the

defeating Falcao and

PAOK

In August 2013 Stoch joined PAOK after Fenerbahçe and PAOK came to an agreement for a one-year loan for €1 million. He scored his first goal with the club in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Play-off qualifying round against FC Schalke 04. The match ended 1–1.

Al Ain

On 3 July 2014, he signed new contract with Fenerbahçe until 2018 and then joined

Al Ain Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tawam (region), Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al-Ain Region, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ...

on a one-year loan deal for €1 million.

Bursaspor

On 22 August 2015, Stoch joined

Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği (), commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, the club colours are green and white, with home kits usually featuring both colours in a striped pattern. In t ...

after Fenerbahçe and

came to an agreement for a one-year loan. In summer 2016, he returned to Fenerbahçe.

Slavia Prague

On 11 August 2017, Stoch joined Czech club

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 ...

. He refused offers from Spain, France, Russia and wealthy clubs in the Near East. The main reason for this choice was Slavia's big chance of qualification into 2017–18 group stage of

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

via upcoming

play-off round The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

against

APOEL APOEL FC ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', literally "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") ...

. Stoch played in both play-off matches but could not help his new club to qualify to group stage. After the 0–2 loss in Cyprus and 0–0 draw at home, in which Stoch was subbed off after half-time because of injury, Slavia was eliminated from the Champions League and entered 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage. On 20 September 2017 after the 5–1 victory against

Třinec Třinec (; pl, Trzyniec ; german: Trzynietz) is a city in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants and is the least populated statutory city in the country. The city is a ...

in MOL Cup Stoch shouted, with Slavia fans, "Smrt Spartě" ("Death to

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

") and was called before the Czech Football League's Disciplinary Commission. He scored a goal as Slavia Prague won the

2017–18 Czech Cup The 2017–18 Czech Cup, known as the MOL Cup for sponsorship reasons, wass the 25th season of the annual knockout football tournament of the Czech Republic. It began with the preliminary round in July 2017 and is due to end with the final in May ...

final 3–1 against

FK Jablonec FK Jablonec () is a Czech professional football club based in Jablonec nad Nisou. The club has played in the top league of Czech football, Czech First League, since 1994. History Jablonec played its first season of top league football in the 197 ...

on 9 May 2018. On 21 November 2018, Stoch signed a new three-year contract with Slavia, keeping him at the club until June 2022. On 28 June 2019, Stoch was given permission by Slavia to fly to Greece to discuss a potential move to PAOK. The following day, Slavia confirmed that Stoch had moved to PAOK.

Return to PAOK

On 29 June 2019, PAOK officially announced the signing of Stoch on a three year contract for a transfer fee estimated in the region of €1.5 million with an annual fee of €750,000 (plus bonuses). On 3 August 2020, Stoch announced that he had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, a day after PAOK had announced that a member of the first-team had been infected. Two weeks later, the club announced that Stoch's contract was terminated by mutual consent.

Zagłębie Lubin

On 1 February 2021 he joined

Zagłębie Lubin Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa. History The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by local members of the ' ...

. He was released at the end of his contract in June 2021.

Slovan Liberec

On 22 September 2021 he joined

FC Slovan Liberec FC Slovan Liberec (), commonly referred to as Slovan Liberec or simply Slovan, is a Czech football club based in the city of Liberec. The club is one of the most successful in the Czech Republic, having won three league titles and the domestic ...

Motorlet Prague

On 17 September 2022 Stoch made his debut for Motorlet Prague in a 3–1 home win against Sokol Hostouň.

International career

Stoch made his senior début for

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), 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 s ...

on 10 February 2009 against

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, where he came on in the 70th minute. His second appearance came just 24 hours later against

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. He scored his first international goal for Slovakia against

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

in a 2010 World Cup qualifier on 6 June 2009. Stoch was selected for the

squad. On 7 September 2010, he scored the only goal of a Euro 2012 qualifying victory against

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

in Moscow. On 9 October 2014, Stoch scored the game-winning goal in the 2–1

qualification win against title-holders

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

three minutes from time. Stoch became a part of a preliminary EURO 2016 squad and capped in a match against Germany, only days after death of his mother, due to which he had to be excused from a training camp in Austria in the previous week. During the final tournament Stoch has only appeared against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, where he came on in the 83rd minute. During the flight from France Stoch had a conflict with national team coach Ján Kozák. In August 2016, Kozák said that he can not imagine his continuation of cooperation with Stoch and he has not been nominated until Kozák's resignation in October 2018. Stoch made his national team return in November 2018, when he was called up by its new coach

Pavel Hapal Pavel Hapal (born 27 July 1969) is a Czech former football player and current manager of Baník Ostrava. Playing career Hapal's professional career began at SK Sigma Olomouc. After the club's successful season when they reached the quarter-fin ...

for Nations League matches against

and

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Style of play

Stoch bases his game on his two footballing idols

Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional association football, footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deplo ...

and

Ronaldo Ronaldo is a Portuguese given name equivalent to the English Ronald. It became a common name in all Portuguese-speaking countries, being also prevalent in Italy and Spanish-speaking countries. People Notable people known as Ronaldo include: As ...

and tries to emulate them on the pitch.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Stoch goal.''

Honours

Twente *

: 2009–10 Fenerbahçe *

: 2010–11 *

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...

: 2011–12, 2012–13 Al Ain *

UAE Pro-League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al ...

: 2014–15 Slavia Prague *

Czech First League The Czech First League, known as the Fortuna liga for sponsorship reasons, is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Seasons typically r ...

: 2018–19 *

Czech Cup The Czech Cup ( cs, Pohár FAČR), officially known as the MOL Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the major men's football cup competition in the Czech Republic. It is organised by the Czech Football Association. The Czech Cup was first held in 19 ...

: 2017–18, 2018–19 Individual *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

* Peter Dubovský Award: 2009, 2010

References

External links

*
Miroslav Stoch
at paokfc.gr * *
Miroslav Stoch
at Fenerbahçe.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoch, Miroslav 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Nitra Association football midfielders Slovak footballers Slovak expatriate footballers Slovakia international footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Greece Slovak expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands FC Nitra players Chelsea F.C. players Slovak expatriate sportspeople in England Premier League players Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Turkey FC Twente players Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers PAOK FC players Zagłębie Lubin players Bursaspor footballers Eredivisie players Slovak Super Liga players Süper Lig players Ekstraklasa players Super League Greece players 2010 FIFA World Cup players Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates Slovak expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates UAE Pro League players Al Ain FC players UEFA Euro 2016 players Expatriate footballers in the Czech Republic SK Slavia Prague players FC Slovan Liberec players Czech First League players Slovak expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Poland Expatriate footballers in Poland Bohemian Football League players