Miroslav Stoch facts for kids
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Stoch with PAOK in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 October 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Nitra, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2005 | Nitra | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2006 | Nitra | 4 | (0) |
| 2006–2010 | Chelsea | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Twente (loan) | 32 | (10) |
| 2010–2017 | Fenerbahçe | 82 | (14) |
| 2013–2014 | → PAOK (loan) | 30 | (7) |
| 2014–2015 | → Al Ain (loan) | 25 | (9) |
| 2015–2016 | → Bursaspor (loan) | 25 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Slavia Prague | 59 | (16) |
| 2019–2020 | PAOK | 11 | (0) |
| 2021 | Zagłębie Lubin | 8 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Slovan Liberec | 12 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Motorlet Prague | 36 | (13) |
| Total | 328 | (71) | |
| International career | |||
| 2007–2008 | Slovakia U19 | 12 | (11) |
| 2008–2009 | Slovakia U21 | 7 | (2) |
| 2009–2019 | Slovakia | 60 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Miroslav Stoch (born on October 19, 1989) is a Slovak former professional footballer. He played as a winger, which means he was a player who mainly runs down the sides of the field.
Miroslav played 60 games for the Slovakia national team, starting in 2009. He was part of their teams for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.
In 2012, he won the amazing FIFA Puskás Award. This award is given for the most beautiful goal scored in a year. Stoch won it for a fantastic shot from far away during a game in Turkey.
Contents
Miroslav Stoch's Football Journey
Starting Out and Playing for Chelsea
Miroslav's dad saw his football talent when he was very young. He joined his local club's academy, Nitra. He worked hard and joined Nitra's main team at just 15 years old after scoring three goals in an under-17 game. Because of age rules, he couldn't play in the top Slovak league until he turned 16.
When he was 16, he made his first-team debut. By this time, football scouts (people who look for talented players) from all over Europe were watching him. Chelsea, a famous English club, offered him a trial. He impressed them and joined Chelsea's youth academy in 2006.
He played regularly for Chelsea's under-18 team in the 2006–07 season and scored 11 goals. He was the top scorer for the under-18s, even though he usually played on the wing. He then moved up to the reserve team.
Stoch made his first appearance for Chelsea's senior team on November 30, 2008, against Arsenal. He came on as a substitute. He played in a few more games for Chelsea, helping them win against Stoke City and Watford.
Loan to Twente
On July 16, 2009, Stoch joined Twente in the Netherlands on a loan from Chelsea. This meant he played for Twente for a season but was still a Chelsea player. He quickly made an impact, scoring two goals in a 2–0 win against Heerenveen.
He continued to score impressive goals, including a long-range shot against Groningen. On May 2, 2010, he scored the winning goal against NAC Breda. This win made Twente the champions of the Eredivisie (the top Dutch league) for the very first time! Stoch finished the season with 10 league goals.
Moving to Fenerbahçe
Stoch joined the Turkish team Fenerbahçe on June 11, 2010. He signed a four-year deal. He scored his first goal for them in a Champions League match in July 2010.
Fenerbahçe won the Süper Lig (the top Turkish league) in the 2010–11 season, which was their 18th time winning it. Stoch scored two goals that season. In 2012, Fenerbahçe gave Stoch a new contract that lasted until 2016.
He won the 2012 FIFA Puskás Award for a fantastic goal he scored against Gençlerbirliği. He hit the ball from outside the penalty area, and it flew into the top corner of the goal. It was an amazing shot!
Loans to Other Clubs
In August 2013, Stoch joined PAOK in Greece on a one-year loan. He scored his first goal for them in a Champions League play-off game.
On July 3, 2014, he signed a new contract with Fenerbahçe until 2018. Then, he went on another one-year loan, this time to Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. He also spent a year on loan at Bursaspor in Turkey in 2015. After these loans, he returned to Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2016.
Playing for Slavia Prague
On August 11, 2017, Stoch joined the Czech club Slavia Prague. He chose them because they had a good chance to play in the Champions League group stage. Even though he played in the qualifying matches, Slavia Prague didn't make it to the group stage. They then played in the Europa League.
Stoch scored a goal when Slavia Prague won the 2017–18 Czech Cup final 3–1 in May 2018. He signed a new contract with Slavia in November 2018. On June 29, 2019, Slavia confirmed that Stoch had moved back to PAOK.
Return to PAOK
On June 29, 2019, PAOK officially announced that Stoch had signed a three-year contract with them. However, on August 3, 2020, Stoch announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. Two weeks later, his contract with PAOK ended by agreement.
Later Career
After leaving PAOK, Stoch joined Zagłębie Lubin in Poland on February 1, 2021. He left the club in June 2021. On September 22, 2021, he joined FC Slovan Liberec in the Czech Republic.
On September 17, 2022, Stoch made his debut for Motorlet Prague. He played for them until 2024.
Playing for His Country
Miroslav Stoch first played for the Slovakia senior national team on February 10, 2009, against Ukraine. He scored his first goal for Slovakia against San Marino on June 6, 2009, during a World Cup qualifier.
He was chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup team. On September 7, 2010, he scored the only goal in a Euro 2012 qualifying win against Russia. On October 9, 2014, Stoch scored the winning goal in a 2–1 Euro 2016 qualifying victory against the strong team of Spain.
Stoch was part of the team for UEFA Euro 2016. He played in one match during the tournament. After the tournament, he had a disagreement with the national team coach, Ján Kozák. Because of this, he was not called up to play for Slovakia again until Kozák left his job in October 2018.
Stoch returned to the national team in November 2018 under the new coach, Pavel Hapal.
How Miroslav Stoch Played
Miroslav Stoch said that he based his playing style on two of his football heroes: Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. He tried to play like them on the field.
Career Statistics
Club Games
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nitra | 2005–06 | Slovak Superliga | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Chelsea | 2008–09 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Twente (loan) | 2009–10 | Eredivisie | 32 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | 45 | 12 | |
| Fenerbahçe | 2010–11 | Süper Lig | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | 35 | 3 | |
| 2011–12 | Süper Lig | 33 | 12 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 12 | |||
| 2012–13 | Süper Lig | 17 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Süper Lig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Süper Lig | 9 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 6 | 4 | 21 | 5 | ||
| Total | 82 | 14 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 | 127 | 20 | ||
| PAOK (loan) | 2013–14 | Super League Greece | 30 | 7 | 6 | 2 | — | 10 | 1 | 46 | 10 | |
| Al Ain (loan) | 2014–15 | Arabian Gulf League | 24 | 9 | 4 | 3 | — | 8 | 1 | 36 | 13 | |
| Bursaspor (loan) | 2015–16 | Süper Lig | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 2 | ||
| Slavia Prague | 2017–18 | Czech First League | 26 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | 8 | 0 | 39 | 6 | |
| 2018–19 | Czech First League | 33 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | 14 | 2 | 49 | 14 | ||
| Total | 59 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 88 | 20 | ||
| PAOK | 2019–20 | Super League Greece | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Zagłębie Lubin | 2020–21 | Ekstraklasa | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 279 | 57 | 45 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 78 | 11 | 403 | 77 | ||
International Games
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 2009 | 9 | 1 |
| 2010 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 60 | 6 | |
- Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Stoch goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 June 2009 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia |  San Marino |
4–0 | 7–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 11 August 2010 | Štadión Pasienky, Bratislava, Slovakia |  Croatia |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 7 September 2010 | Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia |  Russia |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 4 | 29 February 2012 | Bursa Atatürk Stadium, Bursa, Turkey |  Turkey |
2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 9 October 2014 | Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia |  Spain |
2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 6 | 29 March 2016 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Miroslav Stoch won several important awards and championships during his career:
With Twente
- Eredivisie: 2009–10 (Dutch League Champion)
With Fenerbahçe
- Süper Lig: 2010–11 (Turkish League Champion)
- Turkish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13 (Turkish Cup Winner)
With Al Ain
- UAE Pro-League: 2014–15 (UAE League Champion)
With Slavia Prague
- Czech First League: 2018–19 (Czech League Champion)
- Czech Cup: 2017–18, 2018–19 (Czech Cup Winner)
Individual Awards
- FIFA Puskás Award: 2012 (Award for the most beautiful goal of the year)
- Peter Dubovský Award: 2009, 2010 (Award for the best young Slovak player)
See also
In Spanish: Miroslav Stoch para niños
