Vladimír Coufal (; born 22 August 1992) is a Czech 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 plays as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

most recently for club

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

and for the Czech Republic national team. He has previously played for Bílovec,

Hlučín Hlučín (; ; ) is a town in Opava District the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. It was the centre of the historic Hlučín Region. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an ...

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

Slovan Liberec FC Slovan Liberec (), commonly referred to as Slovan Liberec or simply Slovan, is a Czech professional association football, football club based in the city of Liberec. The club is one of the most successful in the Czech Republic, having won thr ...

and

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 ...

. Coufal made his debut for the Czech Republic national team in November 2017 and has gone on to make over 50 appearances, scoring one goal.

Club career

Coufal began his career at local club

Baník Ostrava ''Baník'' is a Slovak word meaning "miner". Since the 1950s it has been part of the name of various sports clubs in Czechoslovakia associated mostly with coal mining regions. In Poland, the same practice was conducted with the name ''górnik''. ...

, playing in the club's academy, before being released at the age of 17 as he was considered to be too small. In 2009, following his release from Baník Ostrava, Coufal joined amateur club ŠSK Bílovec. He believed Baník had destroyed his opportunity to become a professional footballer and described his time with Bílovec as playing "with 40-year-old men. These guys played for sausages and beer after the game, just to drink after work".

Hlučín

Coufal began his professional career with

, making his debut against

Dukla Prague Dukla Prague () was a Czech football club from the city of Prague. Established in 1948 as ATK Praha, the club won a total of 11 Czechoslovak league titles and eight Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966–67 season, reached the semi-finals of the ...

in September 2010 in 2. Liga just after his 18th birthday. During the 2010–11 season, Coufal made 14 appearances for the club.

Loan to Opava

Coufal spent the 2011–12 season on loan with 2. Liga club

where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal for the club.

Slovan Liberec

After impressing in the second division with Hlučín and Opava, Coufal was signed by

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 ...

club

in 2012, following a trial with

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 ...

, who saw Coufal as a replacement for the outgoing Ondřej Kušnír, who had joined Liberec himself in the summer of 2012. Despite playing for Sparta Prague in a pre-season friendly against

Viktoria Žižkov Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victor ...

, Sparta opted to sign Pablo Gil over Coufal. During his first season with Liberec, Coufal played in ten league games. In his second season with the team, the 2013–14 season, Coufal became a regular for the team featuring in 26 matches. Over the next three seasons, Coufal played consistently, making 88 appearances all competitions. Coufal's last season for Liberec was arguably his most impressive as he made 33 appearances across all competitions, scoring two goals. These performances also earned him a call up and debut to the Czech national team. Coufal was with Slovan Liberec for six seasons, making more than 150 appearances across all competitions, and playing in the team which won the Czech Cup in 2015. During Coufal's time at Liberec, he was made club captain.

Slavia Prague

Coufal's impressive displays at Slovan Liberec earned him a move to one of the Czech Republic's largest clubs,

, following protracted interest from

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Sparta Prague. On 1 July 2018, Coufal joined Slavia Prague on a three-year contract, for a reported fee of 18 million Kč. Upon his move to Slavia Prague, Coufal was reunited with manager

Jindřich Trpišovský Jindřich Trpišovský (born 27 February 1976) is a Czech football manager who is currently the manager of Slavia Prague. He has won four Czech First League and four Czech Cup with them. Playing career During his playing career, Trpišovský play ...

, who he had previously played under at Slovan Liberec. During the 2018–19 season, Coufal made 39 appearances for Slavia Prague, scoring 4 goals and helping lead the team to the

title. The next season, during the 2019–20 campaign, he made 42 appearances and scored three goals in a season that was suspended for two months due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. During this season, Coufal and Slavia Prague retained the Czech First League title. During the 2020–21 season, Coufal made a final seven appearances for Slavia Prague before transferring to

and the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

, playing his last game for the club in a 4–1

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

qualification loss against Danish club

Midtjylland The Central Denmark Region (), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid-Jutland, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform. The refo ...

West Ham United

On 2 October 2020, Coufal joined

for a fee of £5.4 million, signing a three-year deal, reuniting with fellow Czech and former Slavia Prague teammate

Tomáš Souček Tomáš Souček (; born 27 February 1995) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club West Ham United and captains the Czech Republic national team. Club career Slavia Prague Souček joined Slavia Prague's youth tea ...

, following interest from fellow Premier League clubs

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

and

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. He made his West Ham debut in a 3–0 win against

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

on 4 October 2020. Coufal created seven assists for West Ham during his first season in English football, one behind

Aaron Cresswell Aaron William Cresswell (born 15 December 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club West Ham United. He will become a free agent on 1 July 2025. Cresswell made his first-team debut for Tranmere Rovers in 200 ...

. The pair created more assists than any other

full-back duo in the 2020–21 season. Coufal finished runner-up in West Ham's Hammer of the Year award for the 2020–21 season, behind compatriot Souček. On 9 May 2025, it was announced that Coufal would leave West Ham at the end of the 2024–25 season, after a five-year stay with the club. In total, he made 180 appearances for West Ham.

International career

In 2014, Coufal made two appearances for the Czech Republic under-21 side. Coufal debuted for the Czech Republic national team on 11 November 2017 in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

. On 4 September 2020, he scored his first goal for the Czech Republic, scoring the opening goal in a 3–1

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

group game against neighbours

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 ...

. Coufal was a member of the Czech Republic squad for Euro 2020 which was eliminated in the quarter-finals by

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

.On 16 November 2021, he served as captain for the first time, in a 2–0 World Cup qualification game against

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. On 19 November 2023, Coufal along with Jakub Brabec and

Jan Kuchta Jan Kuchta (born 8 January 1997) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sparta Prague and the Czech Republic national team. Club career Slavia Prague Kuchta made his Czech First League debut for Slavia Prague on 8 Novem ...

had been kicked out of the

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

training camp after they allegedly went out clubbing two days before the Euro 2024 qualifier match against

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

. On May 2024, he was named to the Czech Republic squad for

Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised by U ...

Personal life

Coufal was born in the village of

Ludgeřovice Ludgeřovice (, ) is a municipality and village in Opava District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants, making it one of the most populated Czech municipalities without the town status. It is part o ...

. Coufal's mother, Alena Dřevjaná, represented the Czechoslovak gymnastic team at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

. Coufal's siblings,

Petr Petr is a Czech form of the masculine given name Peter and a surname. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politician * Petr Čech (born 198 ...

and Jana, are both

figure skaters Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic dis ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

Slovan Liberec *

Czech Cup The Czech Cup (), 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 1961. The winner ...

: 2014–15 Slavia Prague *

: 2018–19, 2019–20,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

: 2018–19 * Czechoslovak Supercup: 2019 West Ham United *

UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Individual

* Silver Medal of Jan Masaryk: 2021

References

External links

Vladimír Coufal
at

West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is a professional football club based in Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, having moved from their ...

archive
* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coufal, Vladimir 1992 births Living people People from Opava District Czech men's footballers 21st-century Czech sportsmen Footballers from Ostrava Men's association football fullbacks Czech Republic men's under-21 international footballers Czech Republic men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2020 players UEFA Euro 2024 players Czech National Football League players Czech First League players Premier League players FC Hlučín players SFC Opava players FC Slovan Liberec players SK Slavia Prague players West Ham United F.C. players UEFA Conference League–winning players Czech expatriate men's footballers Czech expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England