West Ham United midfielder Tomáš Souček has made a career in football out of sacrifices.
A move to the Premier League and West Ham changed Souček’s life for the better, but it’s not been without its challenges. One of them: not being able to indulge in as much of his beloved potato salad as he would like throughout the festive period.
It has been almost four years since the Czech scored the memorable winner on New Year’s Day 2021 against Everton on Merseyside, slotting home in the 86th minute to make it 1-0, and this is a time of year when the 29-year-old revives fond memories of glories past, including his unforgettable interview about potato salad following his starring role at Goodison Park.
“This time of year always brings back some good memories!” Souček beamed. “I think the potato salad interview will be with me forever now, and we always laugh about it. It’s been nearly four years since that now, but lots of people on the streets always ask me about it. It’s nice that people know what I have for my Christmas dinner and about tradition in the Czech Republic.
“Christmas means a lot to me, especially family, and being all together is something that I love a lot, so every year at Christmas I look forward to spending time with my closest ones, and I think that’s the miracle of it. I’ve loved Christmas all the way from my childhood until now and want to ensure my children now have a fantastic Christmas.
“I would say that Christmas Day is something that has changed the most for me because it’s now my children who are waiting for gifts and believe in something that is very special.
“My favourite footballing moment at Christmas has to be the goal against Everton [in 2021] when potato salad became famous. Everyone connected this goal with Christmas, and it was a winning goal in the 86th minute, so it is the one I remember most because people will always remember it.”
When Souček arrived in London in January 2020, he says it took time to adapt to a different kind of world and the action-packed nature of the festive period.
He was previously used to a three-week break from football in his native Czech Republic throughout Christmas. However, former Slavia Prague hero Souček had his indomitable focus set wholly on making it as a Premier League player and has enjoyed the journey that would eventually land him a move to the Hammers.
For Souček, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream, and he says all of the time, all of the sacrifices and travelling up and down the country to games over the festive period are worthwhile.
“Life is very different here at West Ham at Christmas because throughout my life I have always had days off throughout the festive period, including when I played professional football in the Czech Republic,” Souček said. “But now, we have more games than ever throughout this period, and it was tough for me and my family to adapt, but I came here to achieve a lifelong dream and play on the biggest stage, and I love playing throughout the Christmas period.
“We still follow the Czech Republic tradition at Christmas, so we celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December. We have a nice meal, which consists of carp and, of course, potato salad, before we open presents underneath the Christmas tree. We always do everything on the 24th, and because we are in the United Kingdom, we always celebrate Christmas on the 25th as well.”
In November, Souček and his wife Natálie shared the wonderful news that they are expecting their third child next year, a boy to go with their two daughters, which has added that little bit more importance to this time of year with their family of five almost complete.
“It was perfect news,” Souček added. “I think we will now be a complete family with five members, and hopefully everything goes well. There's still five months to go, but my daughters, especially the older one, are very excited to welcome a baby brother into the family and are happy that I’m now not the only male in the family. We’re really looking forward to it.
“I’ve been playing football for 20 years, and my family is something special. Every time I’m with my family and kids, my wife calls me the kid as well when I’m with them, but I love to just spend time with them.”
