Bořek Dočkal (born 30 September 1988) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and captained Sparta Prague. Outside of his native Czech Republic, he played club football in Turkey, Norway, China, and the United States. Dočkal represented Czech Republic at international level, serving as captain at both youth and senior levels.

Bořek Dočkal
Bořek Dočkal with Sparta in 2017
Personal information
Full name Bořek Dočkal
Date of birth (1988-09-30) 30 September 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Městec Králové, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1995–1998 TJ Bohemia Poděbrady
1998–2006 Slavia Prague
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Slavia Prague 6 (1)
2006–2007SK Kladno (loan) 14 (2)
2008–2011 Slovan Liberec 84 (13)
2010–2011Konyaspor (loan) 9 (0)
2011–2013 Rosenborg 55 (14)
2013–2017 Sparta Prague 95 (24)
2017–2018 Henan Jianye 23 (4)
2018Philadelphia Union (loan) 32 (5)
2019–2022 Sparta Prague 76 (6)
Total 393 (69)
International career
2003 Czech Republic U16 2 (0)
2004–2005 Czech Republic U17 8 (0)
2006–2007 Czech Republic U19 10 (2)
2007–2011 Czech Republic U21 17 (6)
2012–2022 Czech Republic 40 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 May 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2018

Club career

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Early career

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Dočkal began his football career in Poděbrady and moved to Slavia Prague at the age of 10. He went through all the youth teams of Slavia and made his first team debut against SK Kladno. Dočkal scored his first goal for Slavia in his third match against FK Teplice and was sent on a loan to Czech First League side Slovan Liberec in winter 2008, where he signed a contract several months later.[1] Dočkal went on a year loan to Turkish Super League side Konyaspor in July 2010.[2]

Rosenborg

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In August 2011, Dočkal signed a long-term contract with Norwegian side Rosenborg.[3] He contributed with one assist in his first game, where Rosenborg won 3–1 against rivals Molde. During the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, Dočkal scored 7 goals in 12 matches (6 goals in 7 games over the course of the preliminary stages), including a dramatic injury-time goal against Kazakh club FC Ordabasy on 26 July 2012, to propel nine-man Rosenborg to a 4–3 aggregate victory.[4] After two years with Rosenborg, during which Dočkal scored 14 goals in 55 league matches, he returned to the Czech Republic in August 2013, signing a three-year contract with Sparta Prague.[5]

Henan Jianye

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In February 2017, Dočkal secured a transfer from Sparta Prague to Chinese Super League club Henan Jianye. The transfer was reported in the range of €8.5 million, among the highest recorded for the Czech top division.[6][7] Dočkal made 23 starts and scored four goals during the 2017 season.[citation needed]

Loan to Philadelphia Union

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In February 2018, Dočkal signed a loan move with the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer as the team's third designated player.[8] After a few matches with his new team, Dočkal's first goal was a game-winner for the Union against D.C. United.[9] Dočkal proved to be successful in Philadelphia, earning the Union's most valuable player for the season and setting the record for most assists for a season, and lead Major League Soccer in assists for the 2018 season.[10][11]

Return to Sparta Prague

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In February 2019, Dočkal returned to Sparta Prague.[12] He announced his retirement from professional football in May 2022.[13]

International career

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Dočkal was the captain of the Czech U-21 team. He represented the team at the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.[citation needed]

Dočkal debuted for the Czech senior squad against Slovakia in November 2012.[14] With the introduction of 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, he became captain and made two assists in another match against Slovakia.[15]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 18 May 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Slavia Prague 2006–07 Czech First League 6 1 0 0 6 1
SK Kladno (loan) 2007–08 Czech First League 14 2 0 0 14 2
Slovan Liberec 2007–08 Czech First League 14 1 0 0 14 1
2008–09 27 5 0 0 2 0 29 5
2009–10 29 5 0 0 4 0 33 5
2010–11 13 2 0 0 13 2
2011–12 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 84 13 0 0 6 0 90 13
Konyaspor (loan) 2010–11 Süper Lig 9 0 0 0 9 0
Rosenborg 2011 Tippeligaen 13 2 1 0 2 0 16 2
2012 27 10 4 6 12 7 43 23
2013 15 2 2 2 4 1 21 5
Total 55 14 7 8 18 8 80 30
Sparta Prague 2013–14 Czech First League 25 3 8 1 33 4
2014–15 29 10 4 1 12 1 45 12
2015–16 29 8 2 0 16 5 47 13
2016–17 11 4 1 0 6 1 18 5
Total 94 25 15 2 34 7 143 34
Henan Jianye 2017 Chinese Super League 23 4 0 0 23 4
Philadelphia Union (loan) 2018 Major League Soccer 32 5 4 0 36 5
Sparta Prague 2018–19 Czech First League 3 0 0 0 3 0
2019–20 13 1 3 0 16 1
2020–21 33 4 2 0 5 1 40 5
2021–22 27 1 3 1 9 0 39 2
Total 76 6 8 1 14 1 98 8
Career total 393 69 34 11 72 16 499 96

International goals

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Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dočkal goal.
List of international goals scored by Bořek Dočkal
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 14 November 2012 Andrův stadion, Olomouc   Slovakia 3–0 3–0 Friendly
2 15 October 2013 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia   Bulgaria 1–0 1–0 2014 World Cup qualifier
3 9 September 2014 Generali Arena, Prague   Netherlands 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier
4 10 October 2014 Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul   Turkey 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier
5 13 October 2014 Astana Arena, Astana   Kazakhstan 1–0 4–2 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier
6 12 June 2015 Laugardalsvöllur stadium, Reykjavík   Iceland 1–0 1–2 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier
7 4 September 2020 Tehelné pole, Bratislava   Slovakia 2–0 3–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B

Honours

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Individual

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References

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  1. ^ "Blažek s Pudilem se vrací do Slovanu (FC Slovan Liberec)" (in Czech). Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  2. ^ "Fotbalista Dočkal bude v Konyasporu zatím hostovat". Sportovní Noviny (in Czech). 11 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Fotbalista Dočkal přestupuje do Trondheimu, Plzeň však nepotrápí". Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech). Mafra. 2 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Dočkal v nastavení zajistil oslabenému Trondheimu postup v EL". Deník (in Czech). 26 July 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  5. ^ Hoff, Jørgen B. (13 August 2013). "Dockal klar for Sparta Praha". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Czech Republic midfielder Dockal off to Chinese Super League". USA Today. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Bořek Dočkal leaves Sparta". Sparta Prague. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Philadelphia Union Acquire Attacking Midfielder Borek Dockal". Philadelphia Union. 28 February 2018.
  9. ^ Tannenwald, Jonathan (28 February 2018). "Borek Dockal scores first Union goal in 3-2 win over D.C. United". Philly. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  10. ^ Cann, Adam (28 November 2018). "Borek Dockal is Philadelphia Union's team MVP". Philadelphia Union. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  11. ^ Rodríguez, Alicia (28 October 2018). "Borek Dockal wins 2018 MLS assist title on Decision Day with 18". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Welcome back, Bořek!". AC Sparta Prague. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Dočkal po sezoně ukončí kariéru, kapitána fotbalové Sparty česká poslední zápas ve finále poháru". Czech Radio (in Czech). 9 May 2022.
  14. ^ Novák, Miloslav (14 November 2012). "Česko 3-0 Slovensko, povedený večer osladil Lafata i debutant Dočkal" [Czech Republic 3-0 Slovakia, a successful evening was sweetened by Lafat and debutant Dočkal]. Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech). Mafra.
  15. ^ Šálek, Václav (13 October 2018). "Pan Přihrávka Dočkal rozebrat slovenskou obranu, Šilhavý začal vítězně". ČT Sport (in Czech).
  16. ^ "Major League Soccer – Statistics – Assists". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
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