Wednesday 29 January 2025 marks five years to the day since Tomáš Souček became a West Ham United player.
Then aged 24, the tall midfielder had already enjoyed great success in his home country of Czech Republic with Slavia Prague, for whom he had made over 150 appearances, scored 40 goals, won two Czech First League titles, two Czech Cups and reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
Souček arrived in east London as the reigning Czech Footballer of the Year, but the vast majority of West Ham supporters knew precious little about their new No28.
Speaking slowly in the basic English he had learned watching television and films, Souček smiled happily as he conducted his first interview at Rush Green, explaining that West Ham is ‘one of the oldest clubs in England’ and ‘a very significant club’, and how he was ‘looking forward to playing my part in the best league of the world’.
“With Slavia Prague I experienced top football and my ambition is to present my skills here,” he vowed.
Five years on, the 29-year-old speaks the language fluently, and with a dry and often hilarious sense of humour, those skills have been presented and his name has been written into West Ham United history forevermore.
An influential figure, Souček overcame the initial challenges of settling into London with his family during the COVID pandemic and helping West Ham win a Premier League relegation battle, training with his wife Natálie on Hackney Marshes during lockdown before inspiring his teammates with his commitment and work-rate at Rush Green.
Souček scored three goals to help David Moyes’ side stay up in the summer of 2020, then starred with ten Premier League strikes to secure a sixth-place finish and European qualification, another Czech Footballer of the Year award and the Hammer of the Year prize in 2020/21.
After leading his country at the COVID-delayed UEFA Euro 2020 finals, Souček played his part in West Ham’s run to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals in 2021/22, while a seventh-place Premier League finish secured a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The 2022/23 season was not Souček’s most prolific, but his non-stop running and penalty area contributions, attacking and defending, played their part in West Ham reaching the Conference League final in the capital of his homeland, Prague.
There, his header down for Lucas Paquetá enabled the Brazilian to release Jarrod Bowen to score the last-minute winner, defeat Fiorentina and secure West Ham’s first major trophy in 43 years. At the final whistle Souček, alongside teammate, compatriot and friend Vladimír Coufal, celebrated with their families, colleagues and an adoring Claret and Blue Army.
The 2023/24 season saw Souček return to goalscoring form with ten strikes, including two more in Europe as West Ham reached the Europa League quarter-finals, and he is on course to match that total again this season – a season in which he has filled in admirably as captain for injured skipper Jarrod Bowen.
Off the pitch, the 6’4 player has settled in London, where he, Natálie and their two daughters have made a happy home into which a third child, a boy, is due to be born later this year.
Hugely popular in the dressing room and among supporters, Souček is a modern-day cult hero. As he celebrates five years in Claret and Blue, he sat down with West Ham TV to discuss the things he loves about being a Hammer…
Favourite moments…
The first impression when I got to West Ham, I played the first game against Brighton at London Stadium and we drew 3-3. That was obviously my first game in the Premier League. Then I scored my first goal against Chelsea at home in July 2020 and we won 3-2. That was a massive game for us.
I remember I really liked the game in Europe against Sevilla, when I scored a header to level the tie on aggregate. We went on and won 2-0 to go through in extra-time. I would say that was the best atmosphere in the stadium that night. It was absolutely perfect.
Then there were probably two away games against Everton. I scored ‘one potato salad goal’ to win the game on New Year’s Day 2021, and one probably my best goal for West Ham when we won 3-1 in March 2024 and I took the shirt off to celebrate this winning goal. So that's only a few moments, but all nice ones.
To win the Hammer of the Year was top. It means a lot for me that the fans voted for me. It was massive that I could win this trophy. That was perfect and another part of my story at West Ham, so I'm super proud of it and this gave me the connection with the fans as well, so I'm super happy for that.
Favourite goal…
Obviously, the nicest one and my favourite one is the one I scored against Everton away last March when we won 3-1. I scored the second one on 90 minutes so it was the winner. That was my favourite because I was there celebrating with our fans and it was like a perfect moment for me.
Living in London with his wife and children…
It means a lot because when I came, for example, my daughter was one year old and now she's already six and she's a big girl. We moved by Stratford, to Canary Wharf and we spend a lot of time around these areas.
We know London a lot and my friends and family members are coming very often. We have here schools and nurseries for the girls, so we are quite settled here because five years is a long time.
Overall, I would say it's a successful five years like on the pitch, but on the family side as well because my wife gave birth to our second daughter here and our third, a son, is on the way. So off the pitch, we are happy and I would say it’s been a successful time here.
Relationship with West Ham supporters…
Obviously, coming here, playing football for the first time, when I came, they didn't trust me a lot and I had to show them that they should trust me and they should believe in me and I did it. So now I have a great connection with them in the stadiums and also outside on the streets.
When I meet someone, they are super happy with what I have done for them and I appreciate it a lot. If fans tell me they like what I have done, I'm super happy to hear that and so happy to have a picture or sign something for them. So the connection is in a very good way.
Memories of Prague…
Obviously, Prague was something special for me because for the final I returned to the club, Slavia Prague, that I had joined when I was ten and played 15 years there. So it was special that with West Ham, a few years after leaving Slavia, we won the cup at the same stadium I came from.
It was like a miracle and obviously for West Ham fans, they had waited 50 or 60 years to get this type of trophy. So the moment and everything all together was very special.
This is my the biggest football success and this memory will stay forever with me, and with our families and fans as well, so that's perfect.
Hopes for the future…
We will see. As I said, when I came, I didn't know how long I would be here, but now it's five years and I am super happy here. So we will see what's happening in the future because, as everyone says in football, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next six months. Until now, I am super happy here and I want to spend some more time here as well because this is my dream!
I want to be like someone [significant] in the [history of the] Club like I did in my former club [Slavia Prague], so I don't see any changes. So, we will see what happens, but I am super happy here.
So that was perfect and another story of what I've done. So I'm super proud of it and this gave me the connection with the fans as well. So I'm super happy for that.
