First team you supported as a boy?
I was a fan of Real Madrid when I was younger. I grew up in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, but my team was Real Madrid. It was the era of the Galácticos, so they had the likes of Iker Casillas, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Fernando Hierro and Raúl. I always wanted to be Míchel Salgado!
First game you watched live as a supporter?
I think it was a First Division Czech game, Baník Ostrava v Hradec Králové. It was actually a horrible game, with a lot of violence in the stands, so it wasn’t an ideal start!
First team you played for as a boy?
I started with Baník Ostrava. They didn’t scout me, they just had an open training session and my father took me along. I ended up on a two-month trial when I was six years old! I was a midfielder at first, then a winger, before moving one position backwards!
First football hero?
My first hero was Milan Baroš, because he was at Baník Ostrava as well and is an absolute legend there. He played for a small team in the village called Vigantice, and was unbelievable.
First football kit you wore?
We didn’t have too much money to buy the sponsored kits, so the first one I had was actually a Michael Owen England kit that I got from the market!
First mentor in football?
My father, Vladimír Coufal Senior! He tried to give me so much advice on how to play, how to defend and how to approach football.
First professional game you played?
That was in the Second Division, back in the Czech Republic. I played for Hlučín against SK Kladno. I was 17 or 18, and I think we lost. My first international game was against Qatar in November 2017. When I got my first call up it was an unbelievable feeling. I was always praying to get just one start for the national team. It was only a friendly game, but it was so important for me and it felt like the Champions League final!
First professional goal you scored?
My first league goal was against Bohemians 1905 when I played for Slovan Liberec, but before that I scored a Europa League goal for Liberec. We played in the group stages, and I scored at the Stade Vélodrome against Marseille when we won 1-0 in October 2015. That was an amazing feeling!
