Stanislav Lobotka

Stanislav Lobotka (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈstaɲislaʊ̯ ˈlɔbɔtka]; born 25 November 1994) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Napoli and the Slovak national team.[2]

Stanislav Lobotka
Lobotka with Celta in 2018
Personal information
Full name Stanislav Lobotka[1]
Date of birth (1994-11-25) 25 November 1994
Place of birth Trenčín, Slovakia
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
Napoli
Number 68
Youth career
AAC Sparta Trenčín
AS Trenčín
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 AS Trenčín 76 (3)
2013–2014Jong Ajax (loan) 30 (3)
2015–2017 Nordsjælland 52 (0)
2017–2020 Celta Vigo 86 (0)
2020– Napoli 24 (0)
National team
2011–2012 Slovakia U18 3 (1)
2012–2013 Slovakia U19 6 (1)
2013–2017 Slovakia U21 27 (2)
2016– Slovakia 26 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:10, 06 January 2021 (UTC).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2020

Club career

AS Trenčín

Lobotka made his Corgoň Liga debut for AS Trenčín[3] against FK Dukla Banská Bystrica on 4 March 2012.

Ajax (loan)

Lobotka joined AFC Ajax for the 2013–14 season on 30 June 2013 on a one-year loan with option to buy.[4][5] He played his first match for Ajax on 13 July 2013 in a pre-season friendly encounter against RKC Waalwijk. He came on as a 60th minute substitute for Christian Eriksen in the 5–1 win in Waalwijk at the Mandemakers Stadion.[6]

Nordsjælland

Stanislav Lobotka came to FC Nordsjælland in August shortly before the transfer window closed, and made his debut against Brøndby on 30 August 2015. Lobotka entered as a regular on the midfield, and in his first season has played all the matches except for one because of illness.

The 21-year-old Slovak was voted player of the year in his first season at the FCN Awards.[7] In 2017, he was again voted club's player of the year after another great season.[8]

Celta Vigo

On 15 July 2017, Lobotka joined Celta on a five-year deal.[9]

On 3 June 2019, Lobotka admitted that after Celta's unsuccessful season, he was open to a transfer, looking to find a club set to play in European competitions next season. According to Pravda he also claimed, that he was aware of an interest from other Spanish and German clubs.[10]

Napoli

On 15 January 2020, Lobotka signed to Italian Serie A club S.S.C. Napoli,[11] for a reported €24m deal until 2024.[12]

Lobotka was benched in his first possible fixture against Fiorentina, on 18 January 2020, in a 0–2 defeat.[13] Instead, Lobotka made a brief, 22 minute appearance in Coppa Italia against Lazio, being featured in the starting line-up. He had to be replaced early due to tactical changes, following a red card to Elseid Hysaj. Still, Lobotka witnessed an early winning goal by Lorenzo Insigne in the 2nd minute.[14]

He made his league debut against table-leaders Juventus on 26 January 2020. Lobotka came on as a replacement for Diego Demme, who was booked with a yellow card in the first half. Napoli managed to earn an upset victory over the favourites, by winning 2–1, with goals scored by Piotr Zieliński and Lorenzo Insigne. Cristiano Ronaldo's stoppage time goal did not change the result.[15] He had his first league start in the next round, in a 4–2 away victory at Stadio Luigi Ferraris against Sampdoria. Lobotka played for over an hour and was replaced by Diego Demme, as Napoli led 2–1, after goals by Arkadiusz Milik and Elif Elmas. Demme went on to score the third goal and Dries Mertens sealed the win in stoppage time.[16]

Lobotka had also been added to Napoli's UEFA Champions League squad, thus making him eligible to participate in the Round of 16 fixtures against Barcelona.[17] The first competitive set of fixtures between the clubs was also dubbed, by some, the Maradona derby.[18]

International career

Lobotka represented various youth Slovak teams, and in November 2016 he was called up to the senior Slovakia squad for matches against Lithuania and Austria.[19] He made his debut in the latter friendly match, on 15 November 2016, along with other debuting players, Matúš Bero and Albert Rusnák. He played in the second half of the goalless draw.

He was then called up to multiple fixtures but had to wait for his competitive debut until 1 September 2017, for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. He played the entire match being a valuable midfielder, fulfilling the expectations following the successful performances of Lobotka and Slovakia U21 at the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, as well as his move to Celta Vigo. His performance contributed to Slovakia's 1-0 home win and he was dubbed the 'Man of The Match' by media and the fans.

Only three days later, on 4 September 2017, Lobotka scored his first international goal for the senior team[20] and became the first Slovak to score at Wembley, in a qualifier against England. He scored after he tackled and took the ball from Marcus Rashford and exchanged a pass with Adam Nemec, before beating Joe Hart in the 3rd minute of the match. Slovakia however went on to lose the game 1-2, after goals by Eric Dier and Rashford. The 8th game of the campaign was a direct battle for the 1st place in qualifying Group F. Similarly, like after the previous game, Lobotka received praise for his performance. By the end of the year, he scored again in a friendly match against Norway in the 93rd minute, providing Slovakia a 1-0 victory in a final international game of Ján Ďurica.

Ján Kozák's resignation incident

By October 2018, Lobotka became a key player of Slovakia, commonly earning caps in start starting line-up. Lobotka was nominated for a double fixture against Czech Republic and Sweden on 13 October and 16 October 2018, respectively.[21] Lobotka played tin both games, but was also involved in the controversy, that had led to resignation of Ján Kozák, then Slovakia's longest-serving and most successful coach, who introduced him to the national team.

Lobotka violated the code of conduct of national team player, along with Martin Dúbravka, Michal Šulla, Milan Škriniar, Norbert Gyömbér, Ľubomír Šatka, Vladimír Weiss. On the night of 13 October 2018, after a loss in Slovakia's second UEFA Nations League fixture and a derby match against Czech Republic (1–2), they left the hotel and went out, missed the bedtime and violated the wellness policy, regarding regeneration and rehabilitation. They were allegedly noticed by Ján Kozák at about midnight, admitting to the incident and apologising the next day. Ján Kozák resigned from the national team in the afternoon of 14 October, revealing the details of his decision in a press conference on 18 October, to avoid distractions during the preparation for the fixture against Sweden, that was managed by his former assistant Štefan Tarkovič on a caretaker basis. Kozák cited his inability to work with the squad under such conditions as the primary reason, as about a third of the squad was involved, including players Kozák described as crucial for the future of Slovak football, with Lobotka among them. The President of SFZ, Ján Kováčik, said that the players will be punished by not receiving any financial rewards for any future nominations and performances in the national team during the upcoming qualification cycle. During the press conference, Kozák expressed disappointment about Lobotka's statements, when Lobotka allegedly told the press that "coaches come and go, we are professionals". Kozák felt that this is in a direct contrast with their conduct of the previous days, however he added, that he likes Lobotka and will continue to cheer for him. Kozák however also revealed, that upon inquiry why Lobotka engaged in such conduct, he allegedly told him that he has a busy timetable at Vigo and has no time to relax, to which Kozák sarcastically remarked, that Lobotka finds time to relax with Saturday - Tuesday fixture with national team, but not Saturday - Saturday match plan at Vigo.[22]

Only hours before the incident, Škriniar and Lobotka in particular faced criticism from Kozák during a post-match press conference, who described their performance as poor and commented on the need for these highly valued players, worth millions, to take responsibility, instead of relying on other more experienced players, like Martin Škrtel and Marek Hamšík.[23]

On 19 October, SFZ published a common statement of Škriniar and Lobotka, accepting Kozák's criticism as normal and justified, although disagreeing with the comments about their value and transfer rumours. They apologised to the fans, the FA and their team-mates, although claiming that they understand that no apology is sufficient enough. They also accepted the sanctions and expressed hope for continued support of the national team.[24]

International goals

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 September 2017Wembley Stadium, London, England3 England1–01–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 14 November 2017Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia7 Norway1–01–0Friendly
3 11 June 2019Bakcell Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan17 Azerbaijan1–05–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

Career statistics

As of 6 January 2021[25][26]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Trenčín2010–112. liga200020
2011–12Corgoň Liga500050
2012–1331200312
2014–153214040401
2015–1660002080
Total7634060863
Jong Ajax (loan)2013–14Eerste Divisie30300303
Total30300303
Nordsjælland2015–16Danish Superliga26000260
2016–172601090360
Total5201090620
Celta Vigo2017–18La Liga38030410
2018–1931010320
2019–2017000170
Total86040900
Napoli2019–20Serie A1401010160
2020–21100004000140
Total240101000300
Career total268610070902986

International

As of match played 15 November 2020[27]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Slovakia 201610
201762
201870
201981
202040
Total263

Honours

AS Trenčín[28]

Napoli

Slovakia

References

  1. "Acta del Partido celebrado el 22 de diciembre de 2019, en Valencia" [Minutes of the Match held on 22 December 2019, in Valencia] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  2. "AS po jeseni s trinásťbodovým náskokom, motivácia im však nechýba". trencin.SME.SK (in Slovak). 2011-03-04. Archived from the original on 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
  3. Peltier zariadil remízu Trenčína s Banskou Bystricou 04.03.2012, sport.aktuality.sk
  4. Lobotka do Ajaxu Amsterdam Archived 31 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Stanislav Lobotka prestupuje do Ajaxu Amsterdam Archived 3 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Ajax wint gemakkelijk in Waalwijk" (in Dutch). Ajax Showtime. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  7. "Stanislav Lobotka årets spiller i FCN" [Stanislav Lobotka Player of the year in FCN]. fcn.dk (in Danish). FC Nordsjælland. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  8. "Billedgalleri fra FCN Award Show 2017" [Photo Gallery from the FCN Award Show 2017]. fcn.dk (in Danish). FC Nordsjælland. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  9. "El RC Celta inunda de calidad y dinamismo su centro del campo con el internacional eslovaco Lobotka". www.rccelta.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 August 2017.
  10. "Lobotka nevylúčil odchod z Viga. Prezradil, odkiaľ má záujemcov". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  11. "UFFICIALE: Napoli, dopo Demme ecco il secondo colpo: Lobotka" (in Italian). Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  12. "Napoli complete reported €24m capture of Lobotka from Celta Vigo". beIN SPORTS. 15 January 2020.
  13. "VIDEO: Lobotka sa debutu nedočkal, Neapol prehral s Fiorentinou". Šport7.sk (in Slovak). 19 January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  14. "Lobotkov debut trval len do 22. minúty. Gattuso ho takticky stiahol". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 21 January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  15. s, SPORT SK, s r o & Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia a. "Lobotka debutoval v Serii A proti hviezdnemu Juventusu, Insigne: Je to víťazstvo celého Neapola". Šport.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  16. Teraz.sk (4 February 2020). "Neapol vyhral v Janove nad Sampdoriou 4:2, Lobotka hral do 61. minúty". TERAZ.sk. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  17. "Lobotkovi sa črtá veľká premiéra v Lige majstrov. Neapol ho pridal na súpisku". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 6 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  18. "Napoli v Barcelona - The first ever Maradona derby". BT.com. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  19. "Slovakia v Lithuania". BBC. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  20. "England 2-1 Slovakia". BBC Sport. 2017-09-04. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  21. "Tréner Kozák nominoval na Česko a Švédsko aj Škrtela či Pekaríka, pozvánku dostali a mladíci zo Serie A". SportDnes.sk. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  22. a.s., Petit Press. "Kozák vymenoval hráčov, ktorí po zápase s Českom porušili večierku (minúta po minúte)". sport.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  23. a.s., Petit Press. "Kozák: Lobotka a Škriniar? Vraví sa o miliónoch, ale treba to ukázať na ihrisku". sport.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  24. zväz, Slovenský futbalový. "SR A - Dúbravka, Škriniar, Lobotka, Gyömbér, Šulla a Šatka: Mrzí nás to, bola to chyba a budeme za ňu niesť následky". www.futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  25. "S. Lobotka". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  26. "Stanislav Lobotka » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  27. "Stanislav Lobotka". National Football Teams. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  28. "Stanislav Lobotka Profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  29. "Thailand vs. Slovakia - Football Match Line-ups". espn.com. ESPN. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  30. "Slovakia beat Thailand 3-2, win King's Cup". bangkokpost.com. Bangkok Post. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.