Patrik Schick caught the attention of the world when he scored an absolute worldie against Scotland in a Euro 2020 match.
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Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick caught the attention of the world when he scored an absolute worldie against Scotland in a Euro 2020 match on Monday (June 14). The 25-year-old striker is not someone who is renowned in world football. However, he has always been seen as someone with potential aplenty. That was evident the second he scored a goal of the tournament contender at Hampden Park.
His goal will be one unlikely to be forgotten by those who saw it. Scotland had lost possession when, out of nowhere, Schick blasted a speculative effort from the halfway line.
Goalkeeper David Marshall was off his line, however, and scrambled back to try and get a hand to the ball. He ended up lying in the net as the Scottish crowd sat in stunned silence.
GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT PRESENT TO YOU PATRIK SCHICK pic.twitter.com/cFeWvtPmYk
— Leia (@rosesmorte) June 14, 2021
But who exactly is Patrick Schick? We take a look at his interesting career so far here.
Schick is a product of the Sparta Prague youth academy. Yet he only played 4 senior games for the side before being loaned out to Bohemians 1905 on loan.
He impressed in that year-long stint as he scored 8 goals in 25 appearances. This caught the eye of Italian club Sampdoria, who signed him for about 4 million euros in 2016.
His lone season at the club was, again, excellent – he scored 11 league goals and 13 overall. His excellent form saw Juventus trigger his release clause in the summer of 2017.
Yet the deal fell through, mainly because he failed two separate medicals at the Serie A champions.
He joined AS Roma on loan, mainly because of the falling through of the Juventus deal. What’s more, he had burned bridges at Sampdoria having not signed a contract extension with them.
But things would only get worse at Rome. He might have eventually gotten signed for a deal worth around 34 million euros but his form suffered greatly.
Part of this was down to how he was deployed. Schick is better playing off another forward, but at Roma he was used as a lone target man. And while he is good in the air, he’s not someone whose best work is done up front alone.
To make matters worse, he was sometimes played out wide as well. That did little to help his confidence or his touch in front of goal.
A move was needed, and fast. Luckily for him, RB Leipzig came calling.
The season-long loan to the German side included an option to buy, although it was never exercised. Yet it is fair to say his time at Leipzig worked wonders for his reputation.
Forming an excellent partnership with Timo Werner, Schick improved his output significantly – he netted 10 league goals for the side.
His form now back, Schick found another home in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen opting to sign him on a permanent deal. His form coming into the Euros was decent, as he scored 13 goals for the side this season.
Schick is a bit of an anomaly as a footballer. His height and physique make him come across as a natural target man. Indeed, his main idol and role model is Zlatan Ibrahimovic – someone whose aerial prowess is well known.
But Schick is more comfortable with the ball at his feet. As a left-footer he can be a little one-footed but when he hits them they stay hit – just ask Scotland.
However, that doesn’t mean Schick can’t use his head – his first goal against Scotland was a well-taken header that would have impressed more than a few people.
But it isn’t just his goals that make him an asset. His work-rate is top notch, as his ability to link the play with the other forwards. He is an underrated assist provider too.
Schick’s potential was well-known from an early age, and evident if you look at his records. He only played 2 games for the Czech U-16 side before appearing for the U-17s.
There he scored 7 goals in 11 appearances. He was even more prolific at U-19 level – he’s scored 11 goals in 13 games for them.
Amazingly, prior to his header against Scotland, Patrik Schick had never scored a goal in a major international tournament before. Now, he’s ensured his name will remain immortalised in football lore.
